Chamber-Folk-Pop artist, Elise Boulanger is hosting a lives stream concert on Thursday, April 9 at 6:00 pm to entertain the community and raise funds for Nanaimo’s White Room.
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Dave Read of the White Room said that restrictions on concerts and gatherings have hit the White Room hard.
“What we’ve been doing is filming some live shows there with smaller groups – duos and solo acts – to kind of keep the feel going because we can’t host any shows,” he said.
Read said the hardest part of having the White Room closed is the loss of access to the underground music culture in Nanaimo. However, Read said he feels supported by the Nanaimo music community. The White Room currently has a GoFundMe to keep it running through COVID-19. Read said their landlord has been amicable to helping the White Room survive.
“We hope everybody comes out of this safely. We look forward to continue presenting live music for Nanaimo,” Read said.
Twenty percent of the funds raised by Boulanger’s live stream will go toward the White Room, and the remainder will go toward funding the production of two singles that will release in the summer. Everyone who donates will receive a copy of the singles. Boulanger has performed at the White Room several times in the past, and wanted to do something to support the venue.
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“It’s much nicer to do something for someone,” Boulanger said. “The White Room is run by awesome people who care a lot, it’s a space that pushes artistic boundaries and I think it’s a good thing to keep nourishing.”
Boulanger said that with the explosion of live stream concerts, the online music community has come together in unprecedented collaboration.
“There’s not much of a competitive feeling. Everyone is helping each other, and sharing resources and information,” she said.
Boulanger will be live streaming from her Facebook page: facebook.com/eliseboulangermusic and on Instagram at instagram.com/_eliseboulanger.