Charlottesville Benefit Concert to Assist West Virginians After Chemical Spill

FEATURING: Morgan O’Kane, Jon Stickley Trio, Dane Alderson Trio & After Jack

Charlottesville – Local nonprofit Catalyst Productions announces a benefit concert, to be held Saturday, January 25, at Charlottesville’s revered Jefferson Theater. The concert will benefit communities in the Charleston area of West Virginia effected by the chemical spill on January 9. The spill left 300,000 people without safe, clean water. Catalyst Productions is seeking to raise money to continue relief efforts, in addition to raising awareness that the contamination problems have not yet been alleviated.

(See the Facebook event here.)

The concert will feature local favorites Dane Alderson Trio, performing at 7:30 pm, followed by a set break performance by festival-touring band After Jack. At 9:00 pm, Jon Stickley Trio will bring its custom sound to the stage at the Jefferson, welcoming audiences into their signature newgrass vibe. At 10:15, After Jack will again take the stage, keeping audiences warm for the arrival of Morgan O’Kane and his Current Band at 10:45. O’Kane returns to Charlottesville from New York, bringing his banjo-driven sound to round out the night. Doors open at 6:30.

Catalyst welcomes the partnership of Appalachian Voices in promoting this event. Appalachian Voices, with an office in Charlottesville, is a regional conservation nonprofit organization committed to protecting the Central and South Appalachian region, and is excited to join the Charlottesville community in responding in disaster relief for the South Charleston area. Tom Cormons, the organization’s executive director, will make brief remarks putting the water crisis in context of the bigger picture of the impact of extractive industries on public health and the environment in the absence of strong regulation and enforcement.

Proceeds from this event will go to provide bottled water, hygienic cleaning products, and non-perishable foods for communities in West Virginia that are still struggling to find water day by day.

For more information, please visit www.producecatalysts.org.

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