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DAN MANGAN INSPIRED A SOLD OUT CROWD AT SMORGASBORD
Mayor Gregor Robertson Impresses a Young Audience by Playing the Tuba
April 18th, 2011, Vancouver – Over 1,200 people mostly under 30 were treated to a concert Saturday night as End Homelessness Now, an action group of St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, presented Smorgasbord, curated and emceed by Dan Mangan, to raise awareness and funds for youth homelessness. End Homelessness Now will be distributing $18,000 of the proceeds from the event to YouthCo, Broadway Youth Resource Centre, and the Urban Native Youth Association.
Looking striking in a suit, Dan Mangan, a popular singer-songwriter engaged the audience all evening with his humour and a collection of his old favourite folk-rock tunes and a few new songs from his just-completed album to be released in September. Dan encouraged young people to get involved with and support the cause of ending youth homelessness in Vancouver. He told the crowd that “there are no losers when you are good to people.” He also strongly urged the audience to get out and vote in May’s federal election.
“Dan Mangan was exceptional. We couldn’t have had a better artist to inspire young people about the cause of ending homelessness in Vancouver,” stated Don Evans, Co-Chair of End Homelessness Now, “All the performers did a fantastic job.”
The collection of co-performers that Dan brought together all donated their time and talent to the cause. Veda Hille played the keyboard and sang some favourites. Aidan Knight brought everybody to their feet. Mike McGee delivered a collection of witty poetry and spoken word. The Crackling, comprised of Kenton Loewen and Tyson Naylor, had people dancing in their seats. Charlie Demers filled the church with laughter with his hilarious social/political sketches. In the presence of Mayor Gregor Robertson, Charlie joked that if you want Vancouver to pay attention to the issue of homelessness, have homeless people stand in the middle of the bike lanes. Another source of amusement was provided by a twitter board that M20 Digital Agency installed at the event (#Smorgasbord), which kept the audience tweeting throughout the evening.
“I was extremely inspired by Dan Mangan to get involved in the cause of ending homelessness,” said Rhiannon Collett, a 15 year old attending the event. “Veda Hille’s singing of “This must be the place” in her bell-clear voice was amazing and Aidan Knight’s voice was stunning.”
However, Jimmy King had the audience in tears with his speech in remembrance of his mother, Dr. Nancy Hall, a well-known mental health advocate who died March 22. She spent the past thirty years in addressing issues of homelessness. Last summer Dr. Hall initiated the idea of Smorgasbord with Dan Mangan to help engage the younger generation to help end the plight of homelessness in Vancouver. Nancy would have turned 61 on the day of the concert.
Mayor Gregor Robertson presented the Local Hero Awards to two recipients, Watari Transitioning to Independence Project and Directions Youth Services Centre. Both the agencies were recognized as a result of their efforts in working with homeless youth, transitioning them to housing and for helping change the community’s perception of youth living on the streets.
Eleven-year-old Margaret Ovenell, delivered a poignant poem, “The Meaning of Home,” that recently won her a top prize in a Canada-wide writing contest. TigerMilk Collective, an independent theatre group, created an installation to remind viewers of the comfortable associations most of us have with home.
Mayor Gregor Robertson connected incredibly well with the mostly young audience by closing the evening rocking the crowd with his tuba in a number with Dan. It seemed that even then, with the show extending an hour longer than anticipated, the performers and the audience still didn’t want to go home. At midnight clusters of the audience were still standing around the performers hoping for autographs.
About Dan Mangan
A young Canadian, indie folk-rock singer-songwriter who is receiving international attention for his concerts. Dan is heralded as a favorite among Canada’s new breed of independent musicians. His debut album was Postcards And Daydreaming, which helped to build a dedicated following and his second album, Nice, Nice, Very Nice (named in reference to a Kurt Vonnegut calypso), was recorded with musical collaborators from around the country. www.danmanganmusic.com
About End Homelessness Now
A faith-based community action group from St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, the group takes a proactive role in educating the public, business and community leaders and governments regarding the issues of homelessness and mental health. The group works to encourage and foster political will at all three levels of Government to adopt policies that will end homelessness in Vancouver. endhomelessnessnow.ca
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For interviews or additional information contact:
Ken Beattie, Publicist
Phone 604 683-2124
Email:
or
Don Evans
End Homelessness Now
Phone: 604-505-5921
Email:
