By Tam Maiuri
March 29, 2016
HD families all go through similar hardships, and so share similar experiences. Most members of the HD community have had the uncanny experience of meeting someone that shares their own story–it’s something that brings us together. I recently had my uncanny experience at the CHDI HD Therapeutics conference. There, I met a woman my age, whose mom has HD. My mom has HD. I soon learned that she plays in a band. I play in a band. Her husband is the lead singer of her band. My husband is the lead singer of my band. We even play the same genre of music.
Kate Miner’s band is called Miner, and they recently released their second album, written while her family was undergoing genetic testing. I can certainly understand the need to use music as a creative outlet during this agonizing time. It’s a beautiful album with soaring harmonies and instruments traditional to folk and rock: guitar, mandolin, harmonica, banjo and keys. You can hear it here.
Our band, Eli & the Straw Man is using music to raise awareness for HD. We’re excited to be partnering with HSC for our first major tour, in the hopes of reaching audiences that have probably never heard of HD. This is our small step to generate understanding and familiarity of the disease, in hopes that in the long run, public awareness will influence the government to fund things like support for HD families, and HD research to find a treatment, and to provide legislature for genetic fairness.
What I may have underestimated when we set out on this partnership was how much our music would allow us to connect with the HD community. Even now, in the planning stages, we’ve made so many connections with folks from HSC Chapters across the country. Can’t wait to meet you all on the road! We’ll be travelling from Ontario to BC between April 7th and 28th. Show dates and venues are listed here, where you can also hear the three tracks from our EP.
Both Kate and I have found a way to use music as an outlet for dealing with the impact this disease has on us. Ok, so we have pretty big shoes to fill as the musicians representing HD. But as our hero Woody Guthrie said, “The human race will sing this way as long as there is a human to race.”
See the trailer for our tour here.
Tour dates and locations:
Thursday April 7: Dakota Tavern Launch, Toronto, ON
Friday April 8: Lop Lops, Sault Ste Marie, ON
Saturday April 9: The Apollo, Thunder Bay, ON
Monday April 11: Common Cafe, Moose Jaw, SK
Tuesday April 12: Buds On Broadway, Saskatoon, SK
Wednesday April 13: Buds On Broadway, Saskatoon, SK
Thursday April 14: Burnsy O’Flanagan’s, Leduc, AB
Friday April 15: Mikey’s Juke Joint, Calgary, AB
Saturday April 16: Empress, Edmonton, AB, 4-6pm
Saturday April 16: Fionn MacCool’s, Edmonton City Centre, AB, 8-11pm
Sunday April 17: Last Chance Saloon, Wayne, AB, MATINEE 2pm.
Monday April 18: Roxy Cabaret, Vancouver, BC
Tuesday April 19: Fernando’s, Kelowna, BC
Wednesday April 20: Tracks Pub Olds
Saturday April 23: Cavern Club, Winnipeg, MB
Sunday April 24: Apollo, Thunder Bay, ON
Thursday April 28: Dakota Tavern, Toronto, ON