“Songs for Haiti” -- one night only (Thursday!)

Tomorrow night, while relaxing in the boho comfort of Portland’s Aladdin Theater, you can contribute to Mercy Corps’s Haiti fund while being serenaded by outstanding Oregon musicians and vocalists. As organized by the tireless Stephen Marc Beaudoin,

Some of the marquee Portland performers appearing in “Songs for Haiti” include pianist Thomas Lauderdale (bandleader, Pink Martini), the Portland Cello Project, acclaimed hip-hop artist Cool Nutz, Grammy-nominated pianist Janice Scroggins, the legendary Storm Large, Oregon Symphony concertmaster Jun Iwasaki with pianist Grace Fong-Iwasaki, Broadway veteran baritone Douglas Webster (Les Miserables), singer-songwriter Holcombe Waller, and local choral ensembles Flash Choir, PHAME Academy Choir and the Grant High School Royal Blues. Oregonian columnist Margie Boule and KOIN Portland 6 reporter Tim Joyce are the event co-hosts. (emphasis very much mine)

Sweet! Thirty bucks gets you in the door and contributing to disaster relief, and you get to attend one of the most fun events of the whole season.

As a teaser I’m including this video of Thomas Lauderdale -- an inapposite choice, really, since Thomas will doubtless be far less sedate tomorrow evening. But I plop this footage here anyway because it’s from another event Mr. Lauderdale was instrumental (sorry) in bringing to fruition -- the 24/7 concert of last year acknowledging just how long we’ve been mired in a different catastrophe, the war in Iraq.

I was sitting just a few feet away from Thomas when this video was shot, and I will be again tomorrow night. See you there.