February 15, 2012

Last November, musician Randy Ponzio died. He was a Vancouver songwriter and musician known as much for his heartfelt tunes as he was for his humanitarian efforts and love for his three children. This Friday, a large group of musicians is playing a benefit concert, 'Randy Ponzio: For the People', at the Commodore Ballroom. Tickets are $40 in advance, with all proceeds going to Randy's family.

The massive list of performers demonstrates how many lives Randy and his work impacted. Here's the full line-up: Hey Ocean!, Kyprios, Chin Injeti, Tonye Aganaba, Beauty vs Facts, Valerie Ponzio, Jess Vaira, Alex Maher, Dan Ross, Mario Vaira, Airtights, Un-1, Aspire, Jessi Nicholson, Heads Hang Heavy, Atma, Little T, Kelsey Klassen, Ed Lam, Chantel Upshaw, Asha Moyo, and Foundation. Tickets are available at Red Cat Records, at 4332 Main Street, and Highlife World Music at 1317 Commercial Drive, or you can get them via the Facebook event page right here.

Beyond the musicians playing at the benefit, Randy's legacy lives on in the music and performances of many other Canadian artists - at a show in Vancouver last November, Shad (who helped organize Randy's benefit concert) opened his set with a dedication to Randy, and closed it with a cover of Randy's song 'Bigger Than You and Me'. Randy also leaves a legacy of humanitarian work in places like the Philippines, Mexico, and various East African countries including Kenya, where he worked with needy children.

After Randy's death, 200 of his friends gathered in the rain to remember him and sing one of his songs. That video is below.

And here's Randy himself performing 'Bigger Than You And Me' on a Vancouver street:

Sources:

Vancouver Observer on Randy's benefit concert