Rooney headlines big benefit at the Roxy

The guys in Rooney lost more than a videographer when Brandon Schantz died in December. They lost a friend, whose sensibility and skills helped the L.A.-based quintet's music shine on screen.

Schantz, who died at age 27 from a rare form of lymphoma, will be saluted at the Roxy on Thursday night, when Rooney is joined by Brett Dennen, Lisa Donnelly and others for a benefit performance. Proceeds from the evening will go toward establishing the Brandon Schantz Memorial Endowment in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Texas.

"Brendan was an incredible friend and a very talented producer," says Rooney's manager, Kevin Dobski. "He also had a passion for live music."

Schantz worked on the band's videos for the songs "I Should Have Been After You" and "Are You Afraid," as well as a behind-the-scenes promotional video. "Brandon and I shared office space, after he started doing some things for the band the guys really liked the way they turned out and just kind of took to him," Dobski says. "Even after he was diagnosed [in March 2007] and had surgery to remove a tumor [in October], he kept coming to work."

The show begins at 7 p.m., and tickets are $25.

Photo by Autumn DeWilde

Highlights for Wednesday, March 5

The Duke Spirit, with a possible breakthrough album "Neptune" coming out in the U.S. on April 8, plays the Echo tonight. ...  Howlin Rain, joined by the Moon Upstairs, performs at Spaceland. ... The Autumns show off their new material at the Knitting Factory. ... And a great bill at the Silverlake Lounge includes Hello Dragon, the Black Kites and the Hard to Get (celebrating the release of "This Is the New Business Plan").