This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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On June 23, there is a benefit concert at the Gladstone Hotel showcasing three fantastic local bands, Last Hologram, ESCALATE! and Common Deer and hosted by CBC’s Lorenda Reddekopp. All proceeds will benefit Aurora House, the first transitional home of its kind dedicated to support those harmed by human trafficking in Canada. Tickets are $20.
About Aurora House
Around the world, approximately 21 million people are in a situation of forced labour, according to the Canadian Council for Refugees (http://ccrweb.ca/en/trafficking-forced-labour ). A recent study published by the Alliance Against Modern Slavery found “a total of 551 cases of human trafficking involving Ontario as a source, transit or destination point were reported for the period between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014” (Alliance Against Modern Slavery. 2014. The Incidence of Human Trafficking in Ontario Coalition Research. P. 7). It is essential that services are boosted in the GTA given the same study found that the GTA “was the most common destination site for human trafficking” and Toronto was “a significant transit point, acting as a hub in a number of human trafficking routes.”
Aurora House was created out of the need for support services for victims of human trafficking in Toronto. Aurora House is an incorporated not-for-profit, and is awaiting confirmation from the Canadian Government for registered charity status. Aurora House is connected with the Toronto United Mennonite Church, which has sponsored and aided more than 160 refugees. The perceived need for housing and support services was confirmed in June of 2014 when the Alliance Against Modern Slavery published research information confirming the urgent need for housing, counseling, funding and other vital support for people who have been trafficked in Ontario. Toronto United Mennonite Church has purchased the future site of Aurora House. Aurora House will be working with Mennonite New Life Centre, a not-for-profit organization that provides counselling (including trauma counselling), case management, and a wide variety of settlement services. Aurora House plans to open its doors to residents in October 2015.
About Last Hologram, performing at 8pm
2015 sees the launch of Last Hologram onto Toronto’s indie music scene. After the progressive pop explorations of Lickpenny Loafer culminated in 2011’s People Will Talk, singer-songwriter Arunachal Subramanian wiped the slate clean and began building a new project of a different kind. Three years of songwriting and production has yielded Last Hologram’s debut eleven song album to be released in the Fall of 2015. With a sound that combines synth driven eighties pop with dense modern rock grooves, the band is set to share a record about a world with a decidedly precarious future, and a universe with just enough hope to reverse it.
About ESCALATE!, performing at 9pm
ESCALATE! (a three-piece instrumental outfit featuring Shandy Kern, Grant Drygas and Tyler Drygas) is an experiment gone frighteningly right… a force irresistible to human ears, feet and hips alike. ESCALATE! forsake vocals and lyrics to concentrate on blending and reconfiguring diverse genres spawning a fresh and innovative sound mosaic. Their albums GROOVES. BEATS. SCIENCE. SOUL., Other Brothers and (their new EP!) The Pop Machine delight both party people shaking their moneymakers on the dance floor as well as chilled out beat heads sinking back into a bean bag chair strapped with headphones. ESCALATE! have been a regular fixture over the last several years at Kensington Market’s famed Pedestrian Sundays, receiving significant public acclaim.
About Common Deer, performing at 10pm
Common Deer came together in the fall of 2013 to begin crafting musical performances that would resonate. The band has deep familial ties, having two sets of siblings in the troop of five, and utilizes the deep bonds they have with each other to compose music that invites audiences to feel at one with the group. Inspired by the integration of classical string instruments into modern riffs, the band formed around Adam’s mastery of classical cello and Graham’s violin, leveraging strings as the springboard for their self dubbed Cinematic Alt Folk. As the band evolves, their focus is to continue turning strings of songs into an engaging performance of strings. All aspects of the band’s music derive from a central focus on classical strings, merging old European composition with the western frontier folk story. Common Deer, while a pun within itself, is a rarity, while still happily covering your favorite pop-folk songs at live shows.
For inquiries, email leanne.buck@gmail.com
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