With an extended closure on the horizon, Genesis Theatre is hosting a fundraising event next week that will take concertgoers on a musical journey.
The theatre at Delta Secondary in Ladner is undergoing seismic upgrading and will be closed for 14 months starting in July.
Theatre manager Steve Campbell says they're hoping to finish the season with a few extra concerts, including a major fundraiser featuring The Rockingbyrds, a newly-formed group he says is made up of some of the best local musicians around.
Featuring Ladner's Rachael Chatoor, who has been working tirelessly to promote the performing arts in the community, Russell Marsland of R&B Allstars and Jeff Neill of Streetheart, The Rockingbyrds have put together a unique show that spans decades of music performed in an acoustic guitar and vocal trio.
Described as having a unique voice and diverse musical talent, Vancouver native Chatoor has been a part of the local music scene since the early 1990s.
Marsland is a writer, producer, guitarist and vocalist who has performed with the likes of the Allman Brothers, Chuck Berry, War, James Brown and Ray Charles. He began performing at an early age and is getting ready to launch his second original album.
Neill's recording career has spanned three decades, earning him more than two dozen gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards worldwide with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Streetheart, Loverboy and Jimmy Barnes.
Over the years he has worked in the studio with a wide variety of artists from Joe Cocker to Keith Urban, and he has shared stages with The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, ZZ Top and Sting.
Campbell says he's hoping to raise some funds to help hold the theatre over during the closure and maintain contact with patrons and clients so Genesis is ready to open after the upgrades are complete in September of 2016.
The show is on Saturday, May 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20 and are available at the door or online.
