When the members of the Okanagan’s Lakeman were recording their third album, they suffered a devastating loss.
“Our longtime friend and fan Phil Schumacher, he ended his life in 2019 and it really struck us down. We all loved him very much,” said Robert McLaren, former Lakeman member.
“He was just a supportive guy to our band and our friend. It was just a shock, so we really just wanted to do something in honour of him.”
Statistics Canada says approximately 11 people die by suicide each day which adds up to about 4,000 per year, with suicide rates three times higher among men compared to women.
“We were just finishing up the songs from Elegy and one of our band members passed away in April,” said McLaren.
“Warryn Berry, he was just such a creative force, he was always that wild card in our compositions.”
McLaren says Berry died due to health complications and now the surviving members of the band are hoping to heal their broken hearts with two benefit concerts, where they will release Lakeman’s final album.
“It’s been very hard balancing these two people that we lost during the creation of this. So, I’m just really looking forward to making this something positive for our community and everyone who supported us over the years,” said McLaren.
McLaren will take the stage with his new band, The Cavernous, alongside Pharm and Hardball to remix Lakeman songs Friday at Runaways Lounge in Kelowna, B.C. and Saturday at Highway 97 Brewing in Penticton, B.C.
All ticket sales will be donated to the Kelowna and Penticton Branches of the C.M.H.A. The album we be made available on their Bandcamp site.