Change the world

Toronto singer-songwriter tours Canada to raise funds for War Child

No leopards were harmed in the making of this couch: Toronto singer-songwriter Liam Titcomb.

Music had always played a big role in raising awareness of global issues. Joining the ranks of activist-musicians is 22-year-old Liam Titcomb, son of folk musician Brent Titcomb, and promoter of War Child, an internationally recognized charity that supports children and families in war-torn areas.

Titcomb started an ambitious project this past July that will see him busking across the country raising money for War Child. He began in St. John’s, N.L. on July 18 and plans to wrap up the non-profit tour in Victoria, B.C. on Sept. 11. By that time, he’ll have played 50 shows in 60 days.

Titcomb was inspired to do the tour last year after seeing the success of a War Child fundraiser in Toronto called ‘Busking for Change.’ Celebrity musicians busked on the city streets to raise money, Titcomb explained after his show in Winnipeg at the Forks last week.

“I just couldn’t get over the fact that people were throwing five and 10 and 20 dollar bills into the bucket. [I]t was really working and people were getting the message.”

Titcomb first connected with War Child when his music was released professionally for the first time on their 2003 benefit album Peace Songs.

“I had just started [working] with Sony at the time,” Titcomb explained, “and I had this song called War that the president knew I had, and she asked me if it was OK to pitch it to this project, and I said of course it was.”

Before Peace Songs, Titcomb was mostly playing young performers stages at festivals while his father played the main stages. It was at one of Brent Titcomb’s CD releases that Liam was approached to record his own music.

He has since recorded a self-titled album in 2005 and more recently, his second album Can’t Let Go . And after he’s finished the War Child tour, he plans to hit the studio again.

In the mean time he still has many days and many kilometres to cover. He doesn’t mind, though.

“Some people go to Africa and build schools, or do whatever they want to do to make a contribution,” Titcomb said. “[But] music is such a great tool because, for me, it is not that hard to get up and do what I love.

“Everyone wants to hear music, and music is something that everyone can relate to.”

For more information, visit www.liamtitcomb.com/warchild and www.warchild.com.

Published in Volume 64, Number 1 of The Uniter (September 3, 2009)

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