Winnipeg's music community bands together after devastating warehouse blaze

Cranking tunes filled the warm airFriday night at a benefit show on Osborne Street as Winnipeg's music community ralliedto support the musicians who lost their equipmentin a massiveinferno two weekends prior.

An early morning fire on July 22 consumed a warehouse at 274 Jarvis Ave.that was used as storage and studio space by local musicians and artists.

While gathered in front of a lit-up stage inside the refurbished Park Theatre, music makers and lovers alike reflected on the damage the fire wrought.

Drummer Jillian Claphamawoke to the sounds of sirens and the dings of text messages to her husband's phone. She said she could smell the smouldering and hear the building crumbling to the ground that night.

"It was pretty shocking. It took a while [for it] to settle in," said Clapham, whose band,the Sorels, played the Osborne Village fundraiser on Friday.

"My husband was one of the musicians who used the warehouse as his studio space to write and rehearse and record music so, I mean, that's a pretty huge loss for us," Clapham said.

A rocking party

Cory Thomashelped run the benefit show, which involveda mix of genres from punk to rock andblues. He saidallfunds raised wouldbe divided among the affected musicians and the Park Theatre wouldmatch the funds collected.

"It's not much when you compare to all the gear that they lost."

Thomas said event organizers decided to raise funds for musicians after the Winnipeg Art Gallery launched a fundraising campaignfor the artists.

"Let's just do this for the bands," he said ofthe decision, which led to an outpouring of support from thelocal music scene.

"We all support each other," Thomas said.

As a singer herself, Julie Fergusoncan relate to the artists and musicians who may never recover their lost recordings and priceless possessions.

"It's devastating. It's awful. Soanything that Ican do to help those people get any kind of money back or even just the inspiration of being like 'Yeah, we care about you,' that's exactly why I'm here," she said.

Ferguson finds itinspiring to live in a city that comes together in trying times.

"You don't even know half the people that are supporting you, but everybody wants to do something to help," she said.

"Everybody pitches in a little bit."

Local musicians will be playing other benefit shows inthe city this week. There will be concerts atThe Pyramid Cabaret and the Royal Albert on Saturday.

WATCH:Fire consumes Jarvis Avenue warehouse

Wall collapses in blaze

5 years ago

Duration 0:40

A wall collapses in front of a firefiighter battling the blaze at 274 Jarvis on Monday.