This Sunday, local band Mere-Exposure Effect will be offering the public an opportunity to appear in a music video — and raising money for a good cause.

The group will be shooting scenes for a video to support their powerful song “Survive” at Linden Grove Nightclub and Restaurant in Castle Shannon. They are inviting the community to come out and appear in the scene. The band will also be raising money for Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR).

Meredith DiLernia, of Mere-Exposure Effect, became aware of PAAR at another local band’s fundraiser last year. She realized that “Survive” was a perfect song for a future benefit concert.

“One of the scenes in our music video is set in a nightclub setting. So we figured, why not do our own fundraiser? Instead of just having friends and family as extras, we’ll invite the public and raise money at the same time,” DiLernia said.

After spending decades in cover bands, DiLernia started writing original music with her bandmates during the pandemic. The lyrics to “Survive” were written by her.

“When I was writing it, I was thinking, there’s so many people who can relate to this song, I’m sure,” she said. “It’s kind of a lot of me in it. The song was written in general just for anybody who’s dealt with hardship, any kind of abuse, whether it be emotional or physical or sexual abuse, and how we deal with those hardships in life and those traumas. We tend to bury a lot to get through it.”

Hyperion Studios, the local creative firm that is filming and producing the music video, came up with an impactful and all-too-familiar concept.

“It’s a fictional story, but unfortunately very common. (It’s about) a young girl who’s sexually molested by a family member and it’s just how she tries to tell her grandmother. The grandma says, ‘Don’t start trouble.’ So all of that, having to deal with all of those emotions, she kind of turns to music to help her get through it,” DiLernia said.

The band approached Linden Grove’s owner Al Facione and club manager Lexy Aggazio about the possibility of hosting the event.

“They were 100 percent in. They are so generously opening on a Sunday, they’ll have their bar and restaurant open and providing the space to not only do the video but also do the fundraiser,” DiLernia said.

The event will begin at 3 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. this Sunday, and the music video taping will occur between 3 and 6 p.m. Admission is free but attendees will have to sign a model release to participate. Space is also limited to 100 people for the occasion.

Cory Hart, director of development and marketing for Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, is excited about the fundraiser for a variety of reasons.

“Having support through fundraisers such as this is really important to make sure we can continue to offer everything at no cost to our clients, but it’s also equally important to provide the awareness to let people know what it is, what we are, what we do,” he said.

PAAR was founded in the early 1970s as Pennsylvania’s first rape crisis center and offers a wide variety of services to survivors.

“We’re the sole rape crisis center of Allegheny County. We serve more than 3,000 individuals per year,” Hart said.

They provide everything from emergency response to therapy to assistance with navigating the legal system. Another important aspect of what PAAR does is extensive advocacy and education work in the community. Hart thinks that “Survive” is also an important song for starting a dialogue.

“It’s also important, I think, through the song and through the efforts of Meredith and her band and everyone who’s supporting this to kind of normalize the conversation. … There’s a stigma of sexual violence and we want to make sure these conversations are being had. They’re difficult conversations, of course. … Until you address anything, there’s not going to be a solution. We’re very grateful to have the ability to be present there,” Hart said.

DiLernia said she hopes that the song and fundraiser will resonate with people and have a positive impact.

“I’m excited to be part of something … to be able to take my song and turn it into something more meaningful, that means a lot to me,” she said.

Attendees can RSVP for the event by emailing LindenGroveNightClub@gmail.com or calling 412-882-8687. Donations are being accepted here.

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