Former Bienfait resident Andy Shauf received tremendous support from fans and other people after his band’s van and trailer were broken into following a May 5 concert in Atlanta.
In a post on Facebook, the singer-songwriter reported he had four keyboards, three amps, eight drums, a number of pedals and numerous pieces of audio equipment that were taken.
The thefts forced his band to cancel a show on May 6 in New Orleans, and then the tour resumed the following night in Houston, as the equipment was replaced as quickly as possible.
A Go Fund Me page was set up after the theft, with a goal of $15,000. It reached the objective within 24 hours.
The page was shut down shortly after the goal was reached. Shauf received a total of $16,196 from 442 donors.
Shauf took to Facebook on Tuesday to thank everybody for their support.
“Every donor gave what they could give. Every dollar has helped to replace gear stolen in Atlanta and keep our tour afloat,” wrote Shauf. “These situations happen when you're least prepared for them, so it is really encouraging to know that there are so many people out there who care.”
Shauf was born in Estevan, raised in Bienfait and moved to Regina when he was young. He has released three full-length albums: Darker Days in 2009; The Bearer of Bad News in 2012 and The Party in 2016. The latter was his first since signing with Arts and Crafts Productions for his Canadian releases, and ANTI for International distribution.
He has also released two Eps: Waiting for the Sun to Leave in 2010 and Sam Jones Feeds His Demons in 2012.
He has been nominated for numerous awards, including three 2017 Juno Awards – breakthrough artist of the year, adult alternative album of the year for The Party, and Recording Engineer of the Year for his songs To You and The Magician.
