Keeping the beat alive with Dan Mangan and James Redford!

By Nimisha · February 20, 2011
Filed in Blog

(Vancouver, BC)  On Friday, February 11th, the first ever 65_RedRoses Benefit Concert was held in honour and celebration of Eva Markvoort. The event took place at Massey Theatre in New Westminster and raised over $37,000 for cystic fibrosis research. The evening was a moving experience for all, an incredible celebration of Eva’s life and her ongoing legacy of raising funds and awareness for cystic fibrosis research and organ donation, and of Vancouver’s music scene.

The concert featured four outstanding artists: David Vertesi, the Zolas, Hannah Georgas and Dan Mangan, who played to a sold out crowd of over 1,200, including family, friends and fans of both Eva and the musicians. A special short film called A Wish Where the Wind Once Blew, directed by Stuart Gillies, was created as a tribute to Eva and premiered at the event.

When informed of the funds raised, Dan was thrilled. Said Mangan, “I’m so pleased the night was such a success! Together this crew of people raised a bunch of money for CF and what’s equally important, the stack of organ donor registration cards was completely gone by the end of the night.”

Philip Lyall, Co-Director of the 65_RedRoses film, who along with Rachel Aberle (one of Eva’s bestest friends) was the MC of the event, had this to say: “It was such a thrill to host the 65_RedRoses Benefit Concert. The room was filled with such a powerful energy from cheers to tears…it was like Eva was orchestrating the event herself.”

The event was hosted by CF Canada and all of the artists donated their time. The Massey Theatre provided the venue at no charge.

Next up: Share the Beat on March 11th. Created by James Redford, the annual fundraising concert held in San Francisco benefits The American Society of Transplantation and the Redford AnimAction Project, which raises awareness for organ donation.

“We take Share the Beat on the road to a different city each year in order to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation,” states Redford. “More than 100,000 people are currently on the waiting list for a transplant, and each day, 19 people die waiting for transplants that can’t take place because of the shortage of donated organs.”

The evening will feature musical appearances from Alex Band (The Calling), whose song “Wherever You Will Go” topped Billboard magazine’s Best of the Decade Adult Top 40 Songs in 2009, as well as Grammy-nominated songwriter Greg Barnhill, whose songs have been embraced by artists including Etta James, Martina McBride, Jessica Simpson and Chicago. Up-and-coming artists Chris Pierce and Shasta Baca will also take the stage.

“I have been personally affected by our country’s dire need for organ donors,” states Alex Band. “There is so much we can do to raise awareness for this cause, and I won’t stop until the job is done. It only takes a few minutes to register to become a donor, and you can wind up saving the lives of many.”

Throughout the night, several people who have been affected by the power of transplantation will share their personal stories, including James Redford, who received a life-saving liver transplant in 1993, and Janet Brine (Eva’s mother) who will talk about Eva’s enduring legacy. Janet will open up about Eva’s life, family and experiences, including undergoing a lung transplant and her subsequent transplant rejection in the Oprah Winfrey Network Documentary Film Club selection 65_RedRoses.

To purchase tickets for this incredible event please visit: www.sharethebeat.org

Love, love,love,

Nimisha & Phil

Directors “65_RedRoses”