It’s no secret that whenever there is a worthy cause, musicians are among the first to stand up and pitch in to help.
The recent wildfires have once again brought out the best in people, with numerous events to help raise money for victims.
One of the most impressive such musical endeavors takes place on Dec. 18 at Anthology.
Built around a tribute concert in honor of legendary group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the performance benefits both the Booth Family Fund and Emergency Animal Rescue.
On hand will be Eve Selis, Tim Flannery, Peter Bolland and Berkley Hart, backed by an all-star band comprising Jim Soldi, Sharon Whyte, Marc Twang, Larry Grano and Rick Nash.
This concert will actually be the second time this particular group of artists has gathered to play these songs.
“The idea for the original show came from Cactus, Twang and Whyte, members of the Eve Selis Band, who do a trio gig twice a month at Calypso Café,” explained Selis.
When the fires happened, many artists canceled their shows because of the smoke and bad air quality, but Selis and friends decided to go ahead.
As the fire devastation became apparent, the musicians involved thought it would be great to do an encore show with all the proceeds benefiting fire victims.
The evening will concentrate on material from CSN&Y’s first two albums with a smattering of their solo hits, including Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” and Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With.”
While everyone performing is a die-hard fan of their chosen subject’s music, Twang in particular has gained a new level of admiration for David Crosby.
“Since I fit into his vocal range I had to learn his parts. In the process I have gained such respect for the guy,” Twang said.
The CSN&Y Tribute/Wildfire Victims Benefit takes place at Anthology, 1337 India Street, on Tuesday, Dec. 18.
Admission is $15 to $20 and open to ages 21 and up.
For more information visit www.anthologysd.com.
“Since I fit into his vocal range I had to learn his parts. In the process I have gained such respect for the guy. He may not be the hit songwriter that the others are, but his harmonies are very complex at times and show just what a great singer he is.”
For his part, Flannery came to be part of this show by accident.
“I was just going to go listen, [but] I had been playing some Neil Young all summer, so I joined in,” he laughed.
He’s thrilled at the sound the combination of musicians was creating.
“If you love CSNY and grew up with them, you won’t be disappointed,” he said.
Selis considers the benefit to be a natural fit for the performers, both artistically and spiritually, “because music is so healing.”
She notes that musicians are not always able to donate financially to help out but love to contribute to worthy causes in other ways.
“Putting on a concert and donating their time and talents feels like the right thing to do, and everyone has a good time while helping out their neighbors. It’s a win, win situation,” she said.
The CSN&Y Tribute/Wildfire Victims Benefit takes place at Anthology, 1337 India Street, on Tuesday, Dec. 18.
Admission is $15 to $20 and open to ages 21 and up.
For more information visit www.anthologysd.com.