After severe flooding in three Canadian provinces this season, a group of over thirty musicians have come together to organize a benefit concert for the flood victims who have lost their homes and properties. Among the performing artists are Juno Award winners, a Latin Grammy winner and a Grammy nominee, and that’s just to start.
With devastating floods hitting communities in Cape Breton, Newfoundland and British Columbia, one Halifax couple, Sondra Rutman and Jason Brown, say they felt compelled to do something for the victims of these disasters. They reached out to Robert Campbell, a songwriter with a track record for producing events. From there, it attracted attention from both sides of the country.
“We wanted to do something but didn’t really know where to start”, says Rutman. “Jason and I realized that Robert might be one to help, and we’re so glad he did. It’s a lot of work.”
“I’ve organized a number of larger events and festivals and have always found the musicians to be the first to step up for a good cause,” says Campbell, “This has been a lot of work, on a very short time frame, but it is really rewarding and exciting to see it come together.
“The calls to Canadian musicians were easy: they all said yes as soon as we mentioned Canadian Red Cross Flood Relief. I even got a few unsolicited calls once the word got out. Great need brings out great generosity of time and talent. It is heartwarming,” adds co-organizer Derek Bird.
Campbell says that, even from the initial phone call with Rutan and Brown, he knew it was a good cause and one he wanted to work with. Furthermore, he was able to relate to these tragedies on a personal level.
“I really have never been flooded out but I did lose a house to house fire one time and it made me think about that time. I was 11 years old and it brought back all those memories of losing everything and knowing about all the people who’ve just lost so much. I have a lot of empathy for them,” says Campbell.
Since first being contacted, Campbell says they’ve been putting in long hours to pull it all together on little more than a shoestring budget and a lot of helping hands.
“We have a lot of good people doing their work on the video side of things and trying to get the word out without losing too much sleep,” says Campbell. “We’ve had great in-kind sponsorship from The Music Room and the Hubcast people and other folks. It’s all coming together—a lot of work, but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and it will be a good show.”
The current line-up for the event includes Alan Syliboy, Alex Cuba, Asif Illyas, Bill Henderson, Bill Jardine, Brooklyn Blackmore, Bukola Balogun, Craig Cardiff, Dave Carroll, David Gogo, DeeDee Austin, Erin Costelo, Harry Manx, Ian Sherwood, James Keelaghan, Keith Mullins, Keonte Beals, Kubasonics, Matt Masters, Melisa Endean, Morgan Toney, Odds, Paul Pigat, Quote The Raven, Ranj Singh, Reid Jamieson, Shari Ulrich, Stone Poets, and Terra Spencer.
The Great Canadian Flood Relief concert will take place entirely online and will raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross, while giving donors the choice to direct their funds to their preferred region. The show happens on Sunday, December 19th, 2021, 6:00 PM ADT and 2:00 PM PDT.
More information, including how to donate, can be found online at www.floodrelief.ca