Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, “Songs for a Stronger Tomorrow” returns to 100 Acre Brewing Co. this Saturday (June 27) and its organizer, Ottawa based singer-songwriter Pat Rees, couldn’t be more excited.
Billed as “an afternoon and evening of live music, community connection, and fundraising” in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR), the 1:30 to 9 p.m. pay-what-you-can benefit concert at the 390 Ashburnham Drive brewery will see eight singers-songwriters, Rees among them, take to the stage with the goal of raising $5,000 for local mental health and addictions programs.
This second coming of the fundraiser, which brought in more than $3,500 last year, sees the number of acts doubled. In addition, a silent auction and kids’ face painting will be offered, with food provided by Lowland Fire Foods. CMHA HKPR will also have a strong presence in the form of a booth where information on its support services and programs can be found.
Music-wise, the lineup is as follows:
- 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. – Georgia Rose
- 2:40 – 3:10 p.m. – Jane Pim
- 3:20 – 4:00 p.m. – Brad Renaud
- 4:10 – 4:50 p.m. – Cale Crowe
- 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. – Johann Burkhardt
- 5:40 – 6:20 p.m. – Brodie Bell
- 6:30 – 7:10 p.m. – Pat Rees
- 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – VANCAMP
“It’s the same structure loosely as last year, but a little bit longer of a day,” Rees says. “I had lots of artists interested in getting involved this year. I’m not one to turn anyone away for wanting to donate some time in the spirit of the cause.”
“The idea is to get together, to let each other know we’re not alone. Such community engagement can be fun, but is also a subtle reminder to each other that we’re not alone when things get hard.”
Raised in Peterborough, where he graduated from Adam Scott Collegiate before heading off to university in Guelph, Rees’ founding of the fundraiser is rooted in his past struggles with mental health and addiction.
While that difficult time is well in his rear-view mirror, he hasn’t forgotten how it impacted him and the importance of resources that can help — providing one knows that such resources exist in the first place.
Asked his motivation for reprising the event, Rees points to “a gentleman who happened to stumble upon the event last year.”
“He didn’t know it was happening. He wandered up to the (CMHA HKPR) booth. He had just lost one of his friends. That was a really meaningful thing for him. It was one of the things that made me want to double down from last year.”
“If we can keep providing this as a space, hopefully, over the years, it becomes more of a staple for the community; another event in support of meaningful programs, but also as a way to get together.”
Speaking to participating musicians’ gift of their time and talent, Rees says it’s a mix of “some younger artists who are just getting started to artists who are becoming a little more established in the area. Artists who are performing around town are important for being able to bring people out.”
“It’s meaningful for them to be able to give back in the place that they’re playing. For me, it’s the same thing. It’s my homecoming to Peterborough every year to do this show and it means a lot to me.”
Rees’ trepidation around organizing a fundraiser, which was a first for him last year, has been replaced by a realization that not only is this a good thing to do, it’s also the right thing to do.
“I wanted to do something meaningful and turn that into action, but there’s a lot fear and anxiety around what that might look like when you put yourself out there,” he says.
“I have been a little out of my element just trying to figure it out, leaning on friends and family and other artists, and leaning on the community that we’re doing the event for. For anyone sitting on an idea, I encourage you to take the first step. We can never figure everything out before we get going.”
One thing that Rees has figured out is his multi-influenced music, which is available for listening on Spotify and YouTube. His latest single, “Angel Like You,” is being released this week while a full album, his first, is on the horizon.
“The main goal for me this year was to really dig in to why I started writing music,” says Rees.
“I think, as an artist, at all points of your career, there are a lot of things pulling you in different directions. There’s what’s working. There’s what people seem to be connecting with. There’s what’s true to you inside. And then there’s something that’s completely outside of the music, which is what is your goal for the music.”
“I’m sitting down now to write a full-length album that will be more geared towards a shared humanity aspect of community growth. A big part of my artistry, and the struggle in my own life, has been ‘Where are we headed? What is our next move?’ as a whole.”
“I would like to play regular shows in Peterborough, but that hasn’t worked out with the way that I’ve organized myself. It’s been a lot of Ottawa-heavy shows, and we’re doing a lot of recording and production here (in Ottawa). My grandfather still lives in Peterborough. My parents still live in Peterborough. It means a lot to be able to give back to a place where I started playing music.”
Whether Songs for a Stronger Tomorrow will return next year only time will tell, but Rees says the event is part and parcel of an ongoing process that sees him possessing of “a lot of goals and a lot of ideas on what I can build around my music.”
However, be it through this event or his recorded music, Rees is holding true to his being a self-described “meaning-based artist.”
“The idea behind picking up a guitar in the first place and starting to sing was to share emotions, share stories, that remind us of our humanity in a disconnected world. This (Songs for a Stronger Tomorrow) is a simplified version of what I’m trying build long-term around my music — a reminder for me that picking something tangible and small, and finding people that are aligned with that work, is the way my grand visions can slowly come to fruition.”
In addition to the featured musicians’ support, Songs for a Stronger Tomorrow has garnered support from Century 21 (Rebecca Farthing and Nick Denhaan), Signarama Peterborough and Long and McQuade, and in-kind contributions from Ashburnham Alehouse, Grady’s Feet Essentials, Liftlock Cruises, Silver Bean Café, La Hacienda, and Ken Yates Fine Carpentry.
Sponsorships, silent auction donations and volunteer support are still welcome. Email Rees at patrickreesmusic@gmail.com or phone him at 705-930-2797 to find out more.
Meanwhile, those who can’t make the event but still want to contribute to the cause can do so at www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/142981.
