Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Culture

From left to right: Mitch Porterfield, Rebecca Chad, Steven Franssen and Joshua Du Chene. See them perform Friday Nov. 16 at Main St. Coffee.

We've all heard about what's going on with Hurricane Katrina and the crisis in Darfur, but have you been paying attention to what's being done for them?

Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It caused devastation along much of the north-central Gulf Coast. The greatest loss of life and property damages occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. The hurricane caused severe destruction across the entire Mississippi coast and into Alabama. Katrina was the eleventh tropical storm, fifth hurricane, third major hurricane and second Category 5 of the 2005 Atlantic season.

The Darfur conflict is a crisis in the western Sudan region. Unlike the second Sudanese War, which was fought between the Muslim north and Christian, Animist south, the current lines of conflict are seen to be ethnic and tribal, instead of religious.

With this, a few students at Western have decided to put on a concert benefit for these two destructions that have happened and are still happening today. Steven Franssen, along with many others that have helped accomplish this; such as the singers that are going to perform; Rebecca Chadd, Rob Leathers, Mitch Porterfield, Joshua Du Chene and Steven Franssen.

I interviewed Steven Franssen to get the facts about this benefit.

Why did you decide to do a concert benefit?
"I wanted to do some good…it's all about the music, I just wanted to help someone else out other than myself... It feels nice that it's for someone else rather than for yourself."

Have you done benefits in the past?
"Yeah, they've all been concert ones; a few, maybe about a fifth or sixth of my shows have been benefit concerts, that I get invited to play at; but this is the first one I've done all by myself."

How much money do you hope to collect?
"Any amount would be nice to send to them, as long as it's more than $100.".

What other performers are involved?
"Rebecca Chadd, Joshua Du Chene, Rob Leathers, Mitch Porterfield and myself."

How long did it take for the preparation?
"As far promotion it's taken about a month. The music we have a running set list, to add new songs to."

Continued...

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