Sound Addiction plays its first song of the night at a local fundraiser for the Burns Lake tragedy

Prince George, BC –  Local singer, Joël Kress, was so moved by the plight of the community of Burns Lake in the aftermath of last month’s deadly explosion at the Babine Lake sawmill, she felt compelled to help in the only way she could think of – by using her voice…

And what a powerful and amazing voice she has – Kress and her band, Sound Addiction, wowed the crowd at an event she organized at the Kinsmen Hall in Prince George last night to raise funds for the affected mill workers and their families.

While Kress has no direct connections to Burns Lake, her friend, two-time Juno nominee Marcel Gagnon, had a very personal connection to the tragedy, itself.  Gagnon’s nephew, Robert Luggi, was one of the two men killed in the blast and ensuing fire at the mill on January 20th. 

Gagnon joined Mike Vigano, Curtis Abriel, and Max Jones of Sound Addiction to open last night’s fundraiser.  The Prince George resident said he’s pulled back from music in recent years, but wanted to show support for a community that’s still in the midst of grieving.

Last night’s performances – which included Gagnon, the Zahirah bellydancing troupe, and Sound Addiction -were pushed back a bit to allow for late arrivals after the heavy snowfall…and people were continuing to stream in well after 9pm. (click photo at right for video clip)

Mayor Shari Green came out to show her support for Kress’ efforts.  Green said Prince George is so often a hub for residents from Burns Lake and other northern communities that this was an opportunity to ‘give back’.

"(The residents of Burns Lake have) suffered so much, they need so much help in so many ways – probably more than most people can imagine – and for someone to take this initiative on themselves in such a passionate way and get such a great turn-out," said Green,  "It’s just something really special to see for Burns Lake."

As part of the fundraiser, there were numerous items up for grabs in a silent auction, including an autographed Manny Malhotra jersey donated by the Vancouver Canucks organization.