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Singers supporting worthy causes

Local songwriters Nathan Senner and Glenn Mitchell will share the stage on Tuesday at the Mex Pub.
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NATHAN SENNER (pictured) and Glenn Mitchell will perform Tuesday night at the Mex Pub in the latest 1st Tuesday Fundraiser.

Local songwriters Nathan Senner and Glenn Mitchell will share the stage on Tuesday at the Mex Pub.

The artists are the featured performers of the 1st Tuesday Fundraiser Series, a monthly concert series sponsored by The Mex, that features local performers supporting local charities.

Senner and Mitchell have chosen the Comox Valley Hospice Society to receive the cash donations for the evening, in support of the organization’s contribution to our local quality of life in the Comox Valley.

The evening starts at 7:30 p.m. with an opening set by organizers Judy and Bruce Wing. Admission is by cash donation, and/or something from the cupboard for the Comox Valley Food Bank Society.

Although the two are not normally a duo act, Senner and Mitchell are both core members of the Comox Valley Songwriter’s Circle, a group that has been meeting monthly over the past several years to encourage each other in the crafting and performance of new songs.

Well-familiar with each other’s musical material, the two will share the stage for the evening, bringing their songs, stories, and perspectives. The CV Songwriter’s Circle is a great resource for local entertainment and members have been organizing opportunities to showcase their talent at local venues and community stages.

Senner co-hosts the Comox Valley Songwriter’s Circle and has played at many venues, fundraisers, and events in the Valley including Vancouver Island Musicfest as well as the Duncan Folk Festival where he has been a finalist in the Cowichan Folk Guild Song Writing Contest two years in a row.

Senner is a teacher of Fine Arts here in the Comox Valley, and has been writing songs for more than 20 years. Surrounded by a musical family growing up in northern B.C., he is a self-taught musician, and the unique rhythms and potent lyrics of his original music have inspired comparisons to well-known artists like James Taylor, Marc Cohn and the late Jim Croce.

Nathan’s music is bittersweet, and the humble sincerity of his vocals and sensitive delivery make his music especially meaningful to hear.

Mitchell has written and performed songs in a wide variety of styles both as a solo artist and in various bands since he was a young teen. He is equally comfortable adding vocals, harmonies and improvisational guitar solos.

His influences include the Beatles, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Santana, J.J. Cale, Larry Carlton, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, the Eagles and the Doobie Brothers. His current passion is home recording, where he produces many of his own originals, often recording the same song in completely different styles for the pure fun of it.

On Aug. 2, Mitchell will blend some of these pre-recorded tracks with his live guitar and vocals, adding contrast and diversity to the evening’s soundscape. From pop and folk to blues, from funk and reggae to light rock and back, Glenn’s musical variety is sure to spice up the evening.

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The Comox Valley Hospice Society is grateful to be chosen as the month’s 1st Tuesday charity recipient. The non-profit organization is working hard to make the public more aware of its resources and services as well as the importance of community partnerships to plan for end-of-life care.

Bereavement counselling, in home care, respite for caregivers, vigil services, support groups, bed-loaning programs, and a library of helpful resources are just a few of the services CVHS offers to families when a loved one is nearing death.

One of the organization’s goals is to build a 10-bed residential hospice facility, which would give families the option of having professional medical care for their loved ones, in a personal home-like setting.

The musical evening proceeds will support CVHS, and tax receipts will be available for donations over $20.

For more information about the series, contact Judy or Bruce Wing at 250-897-0423.

— 1st Tuesday Fundraiser Series