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Members of Kelowna’s metal community will not only be raising the horns at Muninn’s Post on Feb. 15, but they will also be raising funds for Australia wildfire relief.
Musician Spencer Budworth, was motivated to “do something” after seeing the devastation and destruction taking place in Australia.
“I had been seeing it all over social media for a while, and you know how sometimes you see things like that and want to help but instead just keep scrolling? I decided this time I wanted to actually do something about it,” said Budworth.
His “something” is organizing and hosting a benefit concert that will donate all of the funds garnered through admission, to the relief efforts being made by the Australian Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES.)
“I was inspired after seeing big bands like Metallica and Fit For An Autopsy donate, and I wanted to do something similar but obviously on a way smaller scale,” he said. Adding that his hope is to raise at least $750 for the cause.
“Initially, I was surprised when Spencer said to me ‘why don’t we just do something? We could put on a show and donate,’” said Taylor McDonald, a bandmate of Budworth’s.
“I thought it was a crazy cool idea but did not expect it to actually happen or for us to take the steps to make this an actual event, but having seen the response so far I have really high hopes.”
The stacked bill will feature a diverse mix of local bands from throughout the metal sphere, including new fuzz-stricken group Drunk High Die, progressive power metal outfit Eden Echo, Budworth’s band Death Machine and headliners Apollyon.
Some of the participating bands have also opted in to donate a portion, or all of, their merch sales from the night to the cause.
Not only is Budworth hopeful he will be able to make a positive impact in the lives of families and animals in need, he believes this will be a chance to end some of the stigma surrounding his community.
“I think it may open things up to people who may not have been open to the metal community before,” he said. “I already know there will be people there who have never been to a metal show before and I’m excited for them to see that it really is a tight-knit community filled with super friendly people.”
“It will really show people that metal heads do have a heart for this kind of stuff,” added McDonald. “We want to show people that we do care about what is going on in the world and we want to do whatever we can to help.”
While the show is still just shy of a month away, Budworth says the response from the community has been encouraging.
“I would have made this happen no matter what, even if it meant just having my band and one other play,” said Budworth. “But having these other bands eager to jump on has been awesome, we only just announced it and already a bunch of people have said they are coming.”
The concert will take place at Muninn’s Post on Bernard Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 15. Doors will open at 7 pm and admission will be a minimum of $10, a limited number of physical tickets are available now at the venue.
An additional donation box will also be on-site to help bolster the final tally and impact.
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