Bono. Oprah. Tiger Woods. Lady Gaga. The Treble? Not a name that you’d normally see grouped with prominent Hollywood figures, but in the philanthropic sense… absolutely.

Local band The Treble is the most recent in a long line of do-gooders hoping to use their music not only to gain fans and live some dreams, but to also help out a great and fairly unknown cause - the crisis in the Horn of Africa.

“There are so few charities that are actually able to provide assistance,” vocalist Mark Brusegard explains. “We were aware that the Red Cross was already involved (so) we got in touch with them and they’ve just been really accommodating.”

Formed in early 2008 as a small acoustic act, The Treble quickly expanded to a five-piece and released its debut album, Shaking Hands and Taking Names, this past August.

With an already impressive list of live shows played, the band plans on helping out the chosen cause in a way we have yet to see here in Winnipeg: playing 24 shows in 24 hours.

“There’s actually a music video by a U.K. singer-songwriter we like named Frank Turner. In his video for The Road, this was the concept,” Brusegard says. “While we were discussing ideas for our Red Cross fundraiser, this just seemed to fit perfectly.”

The Oct. 14 event will be filmed for release on iTunes with all proceeds being donated to the Red Cross.

“ Watching this event take on a life of its own has really made us appreciate music’s potential as a unifying tool.

Mark Brusegard, The Treble

In terms of the actual 24 performances, the goal is to garner donations from local businesses in exchange for advertising with their logo on posters, a live performance outside or within their business and having a part in the video.

While The Treble hope for an end goal of raising awareness and some money, the band has ideas that go well beyond that.

“A broader theme is the idea of showcasing how eager people and small businesses in the city have been to rally around a cause,” he says. “Our position within the Winnipeg music scene doesn’t afford us the opportunities like that of an artist with global recognition, but watching this event take on a life of its own has really made us appreciate music’s potential as a unifying tool.”

With those goals set out and future plans to continue the fundraising efforts even closer to home, what does The Treble have planned immediately following the performances?

“Sleep - lots of sleep,” Brusegard says. “We’ll be planning a Christmas show soon, and a tour in March. Mostly sleep though.”

If you are interested in giving The Treble the opportunity to perform in front of, or within, your establishment or would like donate to the cause, Mark and the band can be reached at 470-5145 or by email at [email protected]. In order to learn more about the Treble, please visit www.facebook.com/thetreble.

Published in Volume 66, Number 7 of The Uniter (October 12, 2011)