Music for a good cause |18 July 2019

• Country and Western music frenzy in memory of Jack Yokowo, proceeds to be donated to Seychelles’ Alzheimer’s Foundation

Music is a powerful medium, a means by which listeners can be healed, empowered, and inspired. It has the power to raise awareness about pressing and important issues, to unify people and to call them to action. Numerous not-for-profit charity songs, including Band Aid’s ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ have been hugely successful around the world.

The local music landscape is no different with individuals like Barry Laine, chairperson of the Academy of High Performance who has over recent years, produced a CD album, namely, ‘Nobody’s Child’ which raised R200,000 for the First Lady Natalie Michel’s Children’s Home Foundation.

Mr Laine was also behind Seychelles’ First Country & Western Jamboree, staged in July 2012 at ICCS. The event was to international standards and was broadcasted across numerous TV stations, both locally and internationally, as far as Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

This time, Mr Laine and the Academy of High Performance wish to realise the Triple X Project which consists of three activities including producing a Country & Western CD, a country music hoedown and teaching a couple of youths to play the pedal steel Hawaiian guitar, in memory of renowned talented musician Jack Yokowo, who sadly departed on June 12, 2014.

Triple X Project

The Triple X project aims to raiseR500,000 for Seychelles Alzheimer’s Foundation (SAF) for the construction of a Memory Care Home at Anse Etoile for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s to receive the specialist care.

The project will be managed by Academy of High Performance Ltd, a reputable company whose Auditor is Juan Payet. Mr Payet will produce and make available on-going accounts of financial transactions of the project.

The Triple X project consists of three components;

1. In memory of Jack Yokowo, Seychelles’ one and only pedal steel (Hawaiian) guitar player, a young boy and a young girl will be taught to play the pedal steel guitar and appear at the Hoedown to continue the tradition set by Jack Yokowo.

2. To record a new CD of 15 country songs called ‘Barry Laine and Friends’ for sale on the local market. The CD will be produced through a collaboration of famous local artistes and Mr Laine himself, the proceeds of which will be donated to Seychelles Alzheimer’s Foundation (SAF) whose chairperson is Mrs Lise Church.

3. To hold a Country Music Hoedown comprising barn dancing, line dancing and a live concert by local artistes and invited guest artistes on Saturday November 23 at the NSC Hall. The proceeds from the Hoedown will also be donated to Seychelles Alzheimer’s Foundation (SAF).

In order to realise the project, the Academy of High Performance is calling for contributions from individuals and business organisations for essential expenditures including purchasing the Pedal Steel Guitar and Tuner, paying copyright royalties for the songs to be recorded, recording studio time, musicians, CD printing in Singapore, shipping, CD Inlay printing, stationery, renting NSC Hall for the concert, renting of the rehearsal room, travel and accommodation for guest overseas artistes and other essential and authorised expenditures.

Individuals and businesses who contribute and support the cause will benefit from having their names or company’s logo displayed on the pedal steel guitar to be purchased, on the inlay of the CD cover and all publicity produced by the Academy for the promotion of the event. Anonymous contributions are also welcome.

Mr Laine emphasised that the project needs to commence as soon as possible, in a couple of weeks to allow for adequate time to purchase the Pedal Steel guitar and for training to commence since the two young people are due to perform on stage at the Hoedown. Furthermore, the new CD will take one month to record before it is manufactured in Singapore and then shipped back to Seychelles to be sold in shops by September 2019.

Should you require more information or wish to make a contribution towards the good cause, please contact Mr Laine on 2515616 or through e-mail on barrylaine@hpcgroup.sc

Laura Pillay