24 gigs, 24 venues, 24 hours

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This article was published 19/10/2017 (3210 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you’re looking for something to do 4 a.m. Saturday morning, local alt-rock band the Treble has you covered. They also have you covered at 2 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 8 p.m. and all the hours in between.

Starting Friday night at 8 p.m., the Treble — who dropped their debut full-length, Modernaires, earlier this year — will launch the fifth edition of 24 in 24; 24 shows in 24 hours at 24 different locations all around the city. Every hour on the hour the five-piece will set up at a new location and whip through a quick set of at least two songs; some sets will be acoustic with a busky vibe, while other venues can accommodate a plugged-in, turned-up, electric rock set.

“The last show of the night will be at the Good Will Saturday night. That one we do try to play a full set but obviously we are going to be a little tired, so we go for as long as we can,” laughs pianist Colin McTavish.

“The second one we did, I think it was maybe four songs and then my voice died,” adds vocalist Mark Brusegard. “I kept trying and it just didn’t happen so we had to stop. But the goal is to do a full set, and it’s a pretty cool bill with local acts, just to make sure everyone gets a good show.”

In exchange for a performance, the band asks hosting venues for a minimum donation of $240, all of which goes toward a charity. For the shows in public spaces (such as the legislative building and in front of the Winnipeg sign at The Forks), the Treble has been pitching other local companies and businesses to be sponsors. This year, all proceeds from 24 in 24 will be given to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

“Without going into any personal details, because it’s the fifth one, we’ve done it for a whole bunch of different charities, and we just wanted this one to be a bit personal and we’ve all had our own struggles with mental health related issues, but the one thing we’ve always had is the band and each other and that’s something that has been an interesting outlet to help deal with that stuff,” says Brusegard.

“A lot of people don’t have that, they are without those kinds of support systems and the CMHA is really good at directing people to where they need to go and helping them out and giving all sorts of different communities a network to give people a chance to find what they need.”

Many of the hosting venues have gone one step further and donated proceeds from certain food and drink sales during the week leading up to the show, and One Great City Brewing Co. has created and donated a special beer just for the Treble — the 24 Caramel Macchiato Ale — which will be on tap at the Good Will Saturday night and available at One Great City for a few weeks.

Since its inception, 24 in 24 has raised more than $20,000 for different charities in Winnipeg and Toronto.

For those who’d rather take part in the event from the comfort of their own home, the band and participating businesses will be streaming all of the concerts live on Facebook.

“The really interesting part of the whole thing is the way technology has changed, it’s kind of wrapped it up in a neat little bow because the first [24 in 24], the incentive for businesses to jump on board was that they were going to be in a music video we were filming, and the cool thing this year is instead of doing that, the whole thing is going to be on Facebook Live, so every single show is going to be broadcast live on location… if you aren’t at a show you’re still going to be able to tune in,” says Brusegard.

For more information about 24 in 24, including a full schedule and ways to donate to the cause, visit thetrebleband.com/24in24.

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @NireRabel