Musicians raise awareness for poverty
By Hannah Larking
Lance Writer
February 13, 2008
 Poverty Without Borders, a non-profit organization run by students at the University of Windsor, joined forces with Solid Records Canada to shake the foundation of The Basement on Saturday night with live performances by such well-known artists as Brown Brigade, Hail the Villain, Ontology, Solidarity, Bury the Bully, and Final Fall.
The event was organized by Adam Marz, founder of Solid Records Canada and lead singer of the band Solidarity. Drummer James “Moose” and bassist Chris “Cup” Caputo agree that this is only the beginning in terms of charity-oriented events. The group has plans for a summer show in which they will most likely team up with Poverty Without Borders once again. “We’ve had a good relationship with them. It’s a good cause,” says Marz.
In their effort to convey themes of anti-war and anti-terrorism, Solidarity is true to the meaning of the word. “We’re about bringing people together, and with that, you can have peace and with peace, you’re going to have an end to poverty, an end to war—and I know that’s a big, grandiose goal, but it’s something we can strive for,” explains Marz.
Solidarity was definitely not the only charity-minded band on site. Whitby-based band Bury the Bully also graced Windsor for a performance while on their tour throughout southern Ontario. Lead vocalist Rich McPherson, bassist Mike Paglia, drummer Cala-Daniel Calabrese, and guitarist Steve Parker formed the band 10 years ago when they met in Grade 9.
For Bury the Bully, music is about the audience and the feeling they can give people when they perform. In terms of inspiration, “Good music is good music,” says Paglia. “You can find it everywhere in every genre.”
As far as charity is concerned, the band has put together a fine-tuned system. “Each month we designate a different charity to donate a portion of our proceeds to,” explains Paglia. “This kind of went hand-in-hand with it and matched up with everything. It was a great time to do it.”
It wasn’t until around 8 p.m. that Brown Brigade arrived from Hamilton, where they performed the first show of their tour. Lead singer and guitarist Dave Baksh, along with cousin and bassist Vaughn Lal, drummer Johnny Owens, and guitarist Chuck Coles formed the band in 2006 and released their debut album entitled Into the Mouth of Badd(d)ness. Why the bracketed “d”? “In case you lose one,” jokes Baksh “That’s just how bad it is.”
The self-proclaimed hippie metal group likes to weave themes of unity, peace, and love into their lyrics. “We’re tie-dye,” says Coles with a chuckle. Hippies they may be, but if there was one vibe I picked up from Brown Brigade, it was that they are passionate about what they do, “We’re here, we’re playing music, and we’re doing what we can,” explains Baksh.
Brown Brigade’s sound is reggae and funk influenced, but has also been inspired by several bands, namely The Meters. Aside from this, the band maintains that music is music, and playing it is inspiring in itself.
Baksh, who is the former lead guitarist of Sum 41, left the band in 2006 citing reasons of creative differences and a certain discord with the music industry. Almost two years later, Baksh’s opinion on the industry hasn’t changed much. “It’s crumbling. It seems that an image and moneymaking based music industry is totally ruining what we know as music today,” he says. “It’s an industry that’s shooting itself in the foot right now, but the people that truly love it will stick through.”
As for the future, Brown Brigade just wants to play. They have a few upcoming shows scattered throughout Ontario, some of which will be charity-related. “Any kind of activism or any kind of work like this is what we love to get involved in,” Baksh says.
Brown Brigade truly loves what they do, and will be sticking through for a while.
For more information about Poverty Without Border’s platform and goals, visit their website at http://www.solidrockband.com/pwb, or check out the Facebook group.
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