Area musicians, community leaders organize Gaylord tornado relief concert

GAYLORD — A number of musicians and community leaders have come together to host a one-day Gaylord Tornado Relief Concert next week.

The Tuesday, June 14 concert is aimed at raising funds for those affected by the tornado and, according to one of the organizers, was a no brainer.

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"Hands down it was a no brainer really," said one of the event organizers, area musician and The Marsupials frontman Tai Drury.

Drury is, and has been, in a number of bands with most having performed in Gaylord before and share a common love for the city that helped them grow as musicians.

"Jakey, from my other band Distant Stars, is a Gaylord guy and we've been performing there for so long. Gaylord's really supported us and our art since we started playing music. This is our way of giving back and helping out now," he said.

The upcoming concert will act as a sort of block party to lift spirits and bring people out for a fun night of entertainment and community.

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The concert will take place from 1-10:30 p.m. in Gaylord's Pavilion on Court right downtown and will feature a number of bands including Drury's bands Distant Stars and The Marsupials as well as The Third Degree, Syd Burnham Band, Aldrich & Co., Jack Elliot, Radel Rosin and Sandra Kennedy.

"Some of the finer details are still getting worked out but basically we are throwing a big block party with great music from both local and regional artists, speakers, people talking about the impact of the tornado and a day for us all to come together," said Drury.

A number of downtown Gaylord businesses are also participating in the event with special menus for both drinks and food and, with Gaylord's social district, people can grab a drink and come down to the concert.

"Linda Durant, myself, city council and the United Way are organizing the whole event and we all have our own roles in helping," said Drury.

"Jordan Awrey will also be streaming a portion of the shows and we will all be around collecting donations that will go back to Gaylord locals affected by this tornado," he added.

There is not an entry fee for the upcoming relief concert, however, donations will be collected throughout the duration of the show. All funds raised will be split between the Otsego County United Way Disaster Relief Fund and the Otsego Community Foundation Tornado Response Fund.

More information about the upcoming relief concert can be found online on its Facebook event page at www.fb.me/e/20polH4SI.

Contact reporter Sean Miller at smiller@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @seanmillerpnr, and Instagram, @sean_everest.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Relief concert to raise funds for those affected by Gaylord tornado