A benefit concert featuring hundreds of photographs with live music will be held next Saturday, April 14, at the Roberts Creek Hall in support of preserving the forests of Mount Elphinstone.
The benefit gets going at 7:30 p.m. and will feature Shel Neufeld, who will project his West Coast images on a large screen, while performing his original acoustic guitar music. Members of both the Squamish Nation and Sechelt Nation will open the show at 7:30 p.m.
Neufeld is no stranger to at-risk forests, nor to supporting them with his striking colour photographs and musical compositions. Neufeld, whose West Coast photography is displayed across Canada, has toured the country countless times with his music, and opened for the likes of the Grapes of Wrath, Jeremy Fisher, Don Ross, and Lynn Miles, and collaborated with Mae Moore and Don Kerr.
While artistic to the core, Neufeld's passion for nature extends into other realms as well. His visions are built on true connection with both landscape and the communities that have utilized the forests for millennia. Shel has done mountain and valley trips over a month long and loves a good bushwhack.
"My greatest hope is that, through this concert, residents of the Sunshine Coast can gain a greater connection to our forest here, while at the same time, grow in deeper understanding of the Sechelt and Squamish Nations. Through understanding and respect, we can accomplish amazing things," he said.
Since moving with his family to a Roberts Creek acreage, Neufeld has grown in appreciation of and respect for the forests of Mount Elphinstone.
"For the water that local residents and wildlife depend on, the wild mushrooms and medicinal plants that are harvested by both First Nations members and the larger community, the incredible biodiversity that feeds our lungs and our spirits, we need to do a much better job of safeguarding these forests for now and future generations," he said.
Proceeds for the show will benefit Elphinstone Logging Focus's efforts to protect local forest areas. Advance tickets are available for $12 from MELOmania, Gaia's Fair Trade and Strait Music. Suggested donation at the door, $14 to $20, kids under 12, free or by donation.
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