Mission Statement

The Ryan J. Lariviere Memorial Fund has been established to honor the life and the musical talent and passion of Ryan J. Lariviere by providing financial and professional assistance to deserving original artists whose musical talents and ideologies reflect those of Ryan's.

Aftermark™

Your Aftermark is what you leave behind in someone’s mind.
Your Aftermark can be a result of your death or just an everyday departure.
Hope your Aftermark leaves a good impression in the tides of time.

Ryan Lariviere
1998

After a grueling thirty-eight days at the Massachusetts General Hospital, 21-year-old musician, Ryan Lariviere, lost his life. Ryan’s parents, Rick and Marie Lariviere, knew instantly that they had to insure that the memory of their only child and his passion for music would live on through benefiting others who shared that same feeling for music. “Aftermark” is a poem that was written by Ryan in his junior year of high school. His parents used this as their inspirational seed to create a fund to help support dedicated young musicians, like Ryan and his band, dismal.

And so it all began. Their seed took hold and sprouted its firmly grounded roots during Ryan’s Memorial Service. In lieu of flowers, donations from family and friends were offered to initiate the first steps for the newly established fund, The Ryan J. Lariviere Memorial Fund. Bearing in mind that Ryan’s largest audience and most thrilling event of his music career was a Battle of the Bands, the vision was established to develop a similar venue for the mission of the fund. Within weeks of Ryan’s passing, the proper legal papers were submitted and eventually granted for a 501(c) (3) charity status.  Six months later, the first of two very successful fund-raising golf tournaments took place and it was time to bring the vision of the fund to the stage.

Keeping all the important elements that dismal’s music and the band were about ultimately helped to developed the criteria for the Battle. The members of dismal were very dedicated to each other and their music. The band had found that special sound that they could only make together while in high school in 1998. They had an intense desire to write and produce original music and they continued to write and play music throughout their college years. Dismal; with band members, Geoff, Mike, Brandon and Ryan became Rick and Marie’s own private passion, as well as their extended family. They gave the band the funds necessary to record their last CD, “The Privilege of Breathing”, which was released in 2002. Although the loss of their band mate was overwhelming, the band continued to play together for another two years, but the voice was gone and finally the day came when they played no longer.

The surviving members of the band wanted to do something to help support the Fund and Ryan’s Aftermark.  Knowing intimately the style of music that would have touched Ryan, Geoff, Brandon and Mike were asked to judge the submissions and select the ten semifinalists that would compete in the Battle of the Bands. These ten bands would perform at the Battle and have the chance to win the grand prize of recording/mixing, mastering and illustrating a demo CD. In short, this is the kind of support that Ryan and his band needed so desperately to make it to the next level.

On July 22, 2005 the first annual Ryan J. Lariviere Memorial Fund “Battle of the Bands” was underway. With the overwhelming support of the local radio station, PIXY 103 FM, and its music director, Susanne Tonaire, and in the blistering heat of a packed venue, the vision unfolded on the stage, as Susanne Tonaire introduced the mission of the fund and the total prize package, which was worth over $10,000. The night was electrifying. An outside, independent panel of judges, with years of combined musical talents and backgrounds, chose a Boston based band, Black Betty and the Bad Habits, as the grand prize winner.

As part of the prize package, Rick and Marie invite the winning bands to spend time with them at their summer residence in Cedarville, lovingly referred to as “The Camp.” This is the same place where Ryan and his band spent there downtime while recording their CD. Black Betty and the Bad Habits stayed with Rick and Marie at The Camp while they recorded “Voodoo Man” and went on to release their CD, in April 2006. 

The winners from the 2006 Battle of the Bands, 3rd Left, recorded their album live at the 2007 “Battle of the Bands” at the Memorial Hall Bldg in Plymouth, MA and their album appropriately titled “Live at Memorial Hall” is due to be released in April 2008. The winner of the 2007 Battle of the Bands, The Rob Benton Band, on behalf of the Fund, was recently invited to play at the Hard Rock Café in Boston as an opening act for the headliner, Bang Camaro.  The Rob Benton Band is currently in the studio recording their CD and their album is expected to be released sometime in 2008.

The Fund not only inspires Rick and Marie, it actually consumes them. They have had the pleasure of being recognized in 2007 by the Daniel J. Orjiako Foundation for their efforts in helping young musicians further their musical dreams. With each passing year, the Fund garners more and more opportunities to strengthen and identify itself as more than just a typical Battle of the Bands.  These battles offer a far more intimate feeling than others, as those involved are overwhelmingly struck by the fact that, if not for the loss of Ryan, they would never have been afforded this unique opportunity to bring their own vision to life. This Battle of the Bands has repeatedly been referred to by the bands, audiences, judges, volunteers and our emcee, Suzanne Tonaire, as the most professionally staged venue of its kind.

This fund provides for low income (HUD guidelines) musicians to enter the battle and win a grant from the fund, which they use to record and produce a quality CD.

May 2008 will mark the fifth anniversary of Ryan’s passing. Two golf tournaments, three Battles of the Band, and a growing number of people supporting Rick and Marie’s efforts, help to validate for them that their son’s Aftermark has indeed left a good impression in the tides of time.

On August 16, 2008 the Ryan J. Lariviere Memorial Fund will hold the 4th annual Battle of the Bands at the Memorial Hall Bldg., in Plymouth, MA. This year’s event is shaping up to be an extraordinary event. In an effort to help musicians go beyond cutting that all important quality CD and breaking into the music industry, we are proud to announce our partnership with Ernie Boch Jr’s Music Drive Us Foundation and Bang Camaro as they sponsor the “Bang Camaro Rock N’ Roll Boot Camp” scheduled to take place the afternoon of the Battle.

All the information on how to submit for the 2008 Battle of the Bands and Bang Camaro’s Rock N’ Roll Boot Camp will be posted on our website.  Deadline for registration is June 22, 2008.  Registration for the Bang Camaro Rock N’ Roll Boot Camp are limited to the first 200 applicants.   The 2008 Battle of the Bands will be held at the Memorial Hall Bldg., Plymouth, MA, on August 16, 2008.