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Music Lottery concerts follow cancelled Cloverdale series at Shannon Hall

Rebranded effort ‘a fundraising program that supports venues and the musicians that play in them’
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Last June, the Modelos perform during a “Blues & Roots BBQ” kickoff event for the Cloverdale Concerts series at Shannon Hall. (Photo: Tom Zillich)

With the “Cloverdale Concerts” initiative at Shannon Hall officially dead, the rebranded “Music Lottery Presents” effort has emerged to stage live shows at small- to mid-size venues in the South Fraser area.

Following a few concerts at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds venue this year, Shannon Hall has become “inaccessible for our live music show bookings (new union rules require we be out by a time too early to make live shows work),” according to a Nov. 27 email from Cloverdale Concerts/Music Lottery operators, who include David Geertz and Dione Costanzo.

“We had a great run, so hold onto your memories and get ready for new ones.”

Under the Music Lottery banner, the first planned concerts are a Bonnie Scott/James Shepherd Band bill at Tsawwassen Legion on Jan. 18, followed by a three-band showcase of Sleepcircle, Rune and Beyond the Eyes at Ocean Park Hall on Jan. 25.

On musiclottery.ca, the Surrey-based Music Lottery is a described as “a fundraising program that supports venues and the musicians that play in them. 50% of every Jackpot goes to a winner, and the other 50% goes into live music programming in B.C. Our parent organization is Penmar Community Arts Society, a registered Canadian charity.”

The 2020 Music Lottery Presents Series will be focused on venues in Delta/Tsawwassen, Surrey, White Rock, Langley and Aldergrove.

Last spring, close to 200 people took in the first of the Cloverdale Concerts on June 1, in a blues-rock show featuring Steve Kozak Band and The Modelos.

“This hall is a great venue for a concert like this, and it’s got tons of potential,” Kozak said that night.

• RELATED STORY: ‘Tons of potential’: New Cloverdale Concerts series draws nearly 200 blues fans to kickoff date.

Geertz and Costanzo booked bands into The Flamingo’s three showrooms for a year, before the Whalley-area building was closed for good last February and later demolished.

The new Music Lottery website includes raffle membership access for users, multiple modes of participation for venue operators, and news about upcoming projects such as a new festival raffle set to launch in the new year.

In a news release, Rune band vocalist Pearl Meredith said “it’s pretty exciting to work with Music Lottery Presents because small venues often aren’t able to offer bands compensation, artists have to rely on a percentage of ticket sales which can be minimal depending on the venue. Being compensated for a performance really makes a difference in a bands ability to progress and grow a following.”

According to operators, Music Lottery has generated close to $17,000 in grants “to benefit community venues and artists in B.C. this year. The goal is to significantly increase that number by using the new website to make participating in the raffle easy, reduce operational costs and put more money into the pockets of artists and support workers who help us all hear new music.”



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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