Country music is the theme and Lilli House is the benefactor for this month’s 1st Tuesday Fundraiser, April 7 at the Mex Pub.
Featured performers this month are Comox Valley’s Man in Black Al Pasanen, and Kerry Caddell, accompanied by the generous musical talents of Scott Lyle, Mark Wing, Blaine Dunaway and Bruce Wing. The ongoing monthly concert series is sponsored by the Mex Pub, and pairs local musicians with their favourite charities on the first Tuesday of each month.
Pasanen will be performing his favourite country songs, including those by his all-time favourite artist Johnny Cash.
Since retiring from the Canadian Air Force, Pasanen has been sharing Cash tunes – including his own tribute song, which he sent to the Cash family after Johnny passed away in 2003.
A few weeks later, he received a hand-written thank you card from Rosanne Cash, personally thanking him for his tribute. Pasanen supports many of the local open mics and performed his tribute show at the Vancouver Island MusicFest.
Caddell was born in the interior of B.C. Her love of country music comes from her dad’s love of the classics: Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and many others. While her primary love is country, every so often she wanders off the beaten path and enjoys the great variety that music offers.
Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill and Sara Evans are just a few of the great ladies of country music that have influenced her over the years.
The band behind these performers will deliver a classic country sound with Mark Wing playing his telecaster, Scott Lyle on guitar, Blaine Dunaway on violin and Bruce Wing on bass.
The chosen charity this month is Lilli House, a transition house for women and children who are leaving abusive environments and domestic violence. It was established by the Comox Valley Transition Society (CVTS) in 1992 and currently has 14 beds in nine bedrooms, where clients can access free and confidential support services. The society has a 24-hour crisis lines that respond to over 1,500 calls each year. Donations at the door will go entirely to CVTS to support their programs.
“We thought it would be fun to try a music theme night for this month, so we hope that country music fans will enjoy an evening out,” says event host Judy Wing. “Bruce and I will be starting off the evening with an opening set at 7:30, performing some of the new country flavoured tunes that we’ve been working on. Admission is by donation for the CVTS, or if you’d prefer to bring something from the cupboard for the Comox Valley Food Bank, that’s also appreciated. We’ll have a few door prizes to give away too, so it’ll be a fun evening.”
For more info about Lilli House and other programs offered through the Comox Valley Transition Society, visit cvts.ca