Friday 28 January 2011



F is for friends

C is For Cure fundraiser for Bruce Peninsula's Neil Haverty happens tomorrow

(photo: Yuula Benivolski)

On December 20 the members of Toronto-based collective Bruce Peninsula gathered to celebrate the completion of their second LP, Open Flames, and started the planing all the work that would go into the record’s launch this March.  You can imagine the mood in the room:  relief, anticipation, excitement and even some trepidation.  Unfortunately, that celebratory mood was short-lived, because the very next day, Neil Haverty, Bruce Peninsula’s charismatic lead vocalist, was admitted to Toronto’s Princes Margaret Hospital with a diagnosis of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

This paricular type of leukemia is highly treatable and has a high cure rate, but still the news was a crushing blow to Haverty, his family and friends.  The band decide that Open Flames would have to sit on the backburner until Haverty had made a full recovery, but that didn’t mean that they were going to sit idly by while their band mate and friend started his treatments.  Almost immediately, plans were under way for a fundraising event to help offset the financial costs of his treatment and ease the emotional burden of his family.

Tomorrow, the C is For Cure fundraiser they’ve organized will take place at at the Music Gallery in Toronto, beginning with a matinee show at 3:00 and evening show at 7:00. Lake Vernon Drowning, Steven McKay, The Deeep, Kith & Kin, Snowblink, Evening Hymns, Austra, and Timber Timbre are all on the bill, offering a rare opportunity to see many of the Toronto’s brightest stars on the same stage.  But far from being a showcase for art and talent, C is For Cure is a testament to the power of friendship and a sign of the strong bonds in the music community.

The evening performance is already sold out, but the afternoon show is PWYC.  For those unable to attend but wishing to lend their support, contributions can be made by going here.

My thoughts go out to Neil, his friends and family, and wish him a speedy recovery.

MP3: Bruce Peninsula “Steamroller”
Facebook: Bruce Peninsula
Twitter: Bruce Peninsula





by J. Di Gioia | Comments Off

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