Twenty bands taking to stage, raising funds for charity
On Sunday, 20 bands will take the stage at the King’s Head Pub. All money raised will be donated to the Calgary Red Cross Disaster Relief fund.
“It’s like a speed dating event for bands. Each one plays a 30 minute set. These guys are quality local musicians, and we knew that we had to do what we could to help the community,” said Terry-Lee Bharti, founder and CEO of the TLB Group, who is organizing the fundraiser.
Over the past few years, this volunteer-based organization has raised thousands of dollars for disaster relief in Haiti, Japan and Slave Lake, as well as various medical charities.
“We do two to three of these types of events per year. I knew we could pull it off in three days, and that would be perfect to build momentum quickly,” said Ty Marshal Deer, the band coordinator. He and Bharti put word out to their team of volunteers and made the Facebook event, and in a matter of hours, over 200 people had said they were attending.
The King’s Head Pub has volunteered to host the event, while Axe Music will provide backline equipment for the bands in this “plug and play event.” Bharti has said that there are about 45 volunteers who will be on hand, with many others who have offered their services.
“The outpouring of support has been overwhelming,” Bharti said. “Word of mouth is spreading all over the city from the Facebook group. It was announced on the X92.9 radio station, it will be announced on CJAY92, and I’m being bombarded with emails and texts from people who want to help. It’s incredible.”
The City of Calgary has declared a local state of emergency on Thursday morning due to heavy rain and high river flows, with an estimated 100,000 people being evacuated from their homes for at least the next 72 hours. Canmore, High River and Lethbridge are also dealing with the fallout from massive rainfall, with entire towns being evacuated.
Hoping to raise at least $10,000 on Sunday, the TLB Group is setting up a live auction, and will accept any donations that businesses or individuals wish to give.
The event starts at 2:00 p.m. and runs until midnight at the King’s Head Pub, 9116 MacLeod Trail S.W. The minimum donation is $10. The TLB Group will be accepting food and pet food donations as well.
amateri@cjournal.ca