Indie rock mainstays the National take part in a benefit concert for new Syrian Canadians Friday (June 3) at Hamilton’s New Vision United Church (24 Main West).
An offshoot of the Supercrawl music festival, Welcome To Hamilton also includes sets by Hayden, Kevin Drew and Terra Lightfoot to raise money to help Syrian newcomers become better integrated into their new home.
“There are a lot of people in need of a lot of help,” says Matt Berninger, frontman for The National. “It’s that simple. The community of Hamilton is doing more to help them than most nations, including my own.”
Berninger, originally from Cincinnati and now based in L.A., speaks a hard truth: the United States has only accepted 2,600 refugees, while Hamilton alone has taken in 1,200.
“There are only nine cities in Canada carrying the responsibility of helping these people get into the fold of Canadian life,” says the National’s manager Brandon Reid.
Berninger and Reid saw the challenges faced by Syrian refugees first-hand when travelling from France to Britain. They witnessed throngs of people in the Calais Jungle, where Syrians await admittance to the UK, living in a makeshift refugee camp of garbage bag tents, recently rocked by clashes with police forces.
Reid, who lives in Hamilton, saw an opportunty to help his new Canadian Syrian neighbours when the National signed up to headline Field Trip on June 4 at Fort York Garrison Common. “Canada does have this really great tradition of accepting people from other counties and then allowing them opportunity to become fully fledged Canadians,” he says.
Proceeds from the Hamilton show will go to three area organizations that help youth participate in arts and athletics. Resettlement of Syrian refugees in Hamilton is the responsibility of Wesley Urban Ministries, the event’s charitable partner, which lacks the resources to go beyond basic settlement necessities.
The $100/head fundraiser is sold out but can be livestreamed via Periscope. And according to Reid, fans can expect some interesting collaborations between the participating acts, which also include Crystal Journey, Max Kerman and Mother Tareka.
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