Singer/Songwriter Justin Hines wants to give back. It might be by giving audiences a good time or by giving to local charities across the country, promoting positive social change. Hines will be in Yorkton on September 10, with proceeds from the concert going to YAIL Harbor.
Hines says that the show expresses a love of storytelling and music. He also says his primary goal at every show is to connect with the audience and to give them an experience on an emotional level.
"We're really fans of an experience that people can relate to on an emotional level. That's our goal, and we play music about what we want to communicate. Hopefully people are having a good time," he says.
Hines recently released the album How We Fly, which is an optimistic album recorded during a difficult time in his life, when he says he wasn't sure he could even sing anymore. The resulting record bears the mark of the time it was recorded, but remains hopeful in spite of any hardships involved.
"We weren't sure if it was a good time to make an album, we were going through some physical challenges, and things like breathing and singing were a little bit challenging. It's pretty hard to make a record when you're in that zone, but we decided to plough through it and luckily enough we're at the other end of it now, and things are good now. It's interesting to make an album in that kind of time.
"I've always been a relatively optimistic guy, and like anybody you go through peaks and valleys, and it was one of the bigger valleys I can remember. Naturally, when you're creating something, it's hard not to channel what you're dealing with."
With this tour, all proceeds from ticket sales will be going to local charities. This was accomplished by going to crowd funding to sponsor the tour, using pledgemusic.com and with the amount of money raised the band could plan as many stops as possible within that budget. With the tour funded, that means all of the proceeds can go to a good cause, with a focus on local charities. In Yorkton, YAIL Harbor and their Pathway Homes Project will see the benefits of the Yorkton show.
"We wanted this tour to be not a typical music tour. We wanted to do something that was meaningful and not forgettable. We thought this would be an interesting way to support charities and people we have had a lot of respect for and want to help out. On the same token, we can tour and meet a lot of new people, so it was a win-win situation. We've met a lot of amazing people so far and the journey continues."
Hines lives with a condition called Larsen's Syndrome, but he says that he wanted to go beyond organizations he could relate to, because it's important to recognize everyone's challenges, whether external like his own, or more internal.
"I can relate to physical challenges, that's a big part of my life. I've been in a wheelchair since birth, so my road has been a little different. By the same token, I don't look at myself as different or unique, we all have our stuff, mine's a little more visible, but it's relative."
The tour is going until the middle of October, and Hines says that they have been amazed by the amount of support they have received for the project.
"It's been a long journey, which means that we have accomplished a lot of our goals. We still want to keep going."
The show will be at Sacred Heart High School at 7:00 p.m. on September 10. Tickets are $20, and available at YAIL Harbor at 115 Darlington St. E., Hearn's Westview Pharmacy at 265 Bradbrooke Dr., Louck's Medi-Health Pharmacy at 115-41 Broadway St. W. and LR Future Insurance and Investments, at 7 Broadway St. W. More information can be found at www.justinhines.com.
