With everything happening at the Humboldt and District SPCA, Melissa Kainberger knew she wanted to help.
That is how the Fundraiser for Furbabies came about with six bands taking to the stage at the Capitol Music Club in Saskatoon on Jan. 20 with around 200 people coming to enjoy the bands and raise money.
Kainberger, who plays lead for Killjoy, got the ball rolling after playing Dog Days in the Park back in August 2017.
After hearing about troubles with illness and financial struggles, Kainberger knew she wanted to do something. Along with fellow lead singer, Christine Gedison, they organized the concert and got other bands on board.
“The SPCA is a close cause to my heart,” says Kainberger, “and I immediately talked to my band...they jumped on pretty quickly.”
After making an online post asking for more bands to help out, so many acts were jumping at the chance to help out that they had to turn some away, says Kainberger.
In the end, Mostly Wanted, The Key of J, Gargyles, Silver Hound, and Hearts&Knives joined Killjoys on stage to keep the party going until 2 a.m.
Kainberger is an animal lover herself with three dogs and four cats as her roommates.
“Animals have always been a big part of my life.”
Playing music in Saskatoon has been a really good experience, says Kainberger with many new experiences in the music scene before starting Killjoys in 2016.
The evening also included donated art pieces from Saskatoon based artists up for auction.
Angie Larochelle, board member for the SPCA, says it was very kind of the bands to step up and take on the task of organizing a fundraiser.
“It’s always going to help them with people hearing their music but first they wanted to try to make sure that we had some extra money for the animals.”
The world can be hard but having someone step up makes you happy about humanity, says Larochelle.
She estimates that the event raised around $1,600 for the SPCA.
