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LOCAL ACTRESS CHRISTINA GOODING UNITES ARTISTS FOR OPERATION EYESIGHT *SEEING EYE TO EYE* CHARITY EVENT JANUARY 14 AT THE ROUNDHOUSE
IN SHORT…SEEING EYE TO EYE is a charity event for Operation Eyesight on January 14 at the Roundhouse Community Centre, Yaletown. Music, art and theatre collide for one night. The Adam Woodall Band, Friends With Liam, Tessa Amy, The Racoons, and Fully Loaded perform inside this gallery event featuring a short theatre performance. Tickets are $37 for adults and $22 for 26 years and under with 100% of the ticket sales going to Operation Eyesight. Online tickets are available at http://www.stubmatic.com/seeingeyetoeye/event/237 or by phone at 604 803 0555. Further information is available at www.seeingeyetoeye.ca.
DECEMBER 16, 2008, VANCOUVER, BC, IN FULL… North Vancouver actress Christina Gooding is bringing artists together for Seeing Eye to Eye, a fundraiser for Operation Eyesight, on Wednesday, January 14. Music, art and theatre collide for one night at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown in support of this charity event. Local groups the Adam Woodall Band, Friends with Liam and Fully Loaded are joined by Squamish singer/songwriter Tessa Amy and Victoria’s The Racoons on stage throughout the evening event for thirty minute sets. The gallery will highlight work from Vancouver’s artists Lindsay Mclennan, Eleanor Rosenberg, Simon Haiduk, Amy Alto and many others. Starting the evening will be the short play Katie And Frank by Theresa Rebeckfeaturing Christina Gooding.
"Seeing Eye to Eye marks a new era in charity fundraisers,” said Christina Gooding. “The event is geared toward all ages in that it features the vibrant work of a wide selection of Vancouver's professional art community. There are so many different young artists out there that don’t have the venue, opportunity or a million other reasons to get themselves out there. This is a way to spread the word, share ideas, collaborate and intermix many different groups of people. I hope this will spark more ventures of young artists in the city and bring different communities together.” The event Seeing Eye To Eye is an Artistic Fundraiser for Operation Eyesight. The goal is to raise funds and awareness for the organization while exhibiting several different artists, in a myriad of medias, to express themselves in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of the community and ourselves. “As an actress,” said Gooding, “I have a life long goal of creating a better understanding of our global community. I see this event as an opportunity to gain more compassion for the people of our local community and in turn, have more support to reach out and help our international community.” Since 1967 Operation Eyesight has worked with local health officials in South Asia and Africa to alleviate the highly preventable forms of sight loss that affect millions of people. 75% of those treated make a complete and lasting recovery. This gift is truly miraculous. Seeing Eye to Eye is on Wednesday, January 14 at the Roundhouse Community Centre, (Pacific and Davie), Yaletown. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with the evening events beginning at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $37 for adults and $22 for 26 years and under with 100% of the ticket sales going to Operation Eyesight. Ticket includes evening entry, one beverage and Fully Loaded’s latest album. Online tickets are available at http://www.stubmatic.com/seeingeyetoeye/event/237 or by phone at 604 803 0555. Further information is available at www.seeingeyetoeye.ca.



Above: Fully Loaded Top Right: Tessa Amy Bottom Right: The Racoons
ABOUT OPERATION EYESIGHT Every day, the rising sun paints the world's horizons for all to enjoy. But for millions of people in developing countries, that vision is eclipsed by blindness, a condition that for the great majority is actually treatable - even preventable. Operation Eyesight is a Canadian non-profit organization, working since 1963 in places like South Asia and Africa to support local eye doctors, educators and community leaders in their efforts to fight blindness. www.operationeyesight.ca
ABOUT CHRISTINA GOODING A recent graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City, Christina Gooding returns to Vancouver to pursue further opportunities in the film and television industry. Since graduation in 2007, Gooding has appeared in The Guiding Light, Sex and the City: The Movie, Modern Times as well as several other short films and music videos. The film And the Winner Is… featured Gooding’s international debut when it premiered at the Oldenburg Film Festival in Germany and continues on the European festival circuit. While in New York City Gooding appeared Off Broadway at the 45th Street Theatre in Happy Hour and filmed a role for the feature film The Invisible Life of Thomas Lynch directed by James Merendino. Since arriving back home in Vancouver, Christina has been involved in several creative pursuits, through which she has developed the concept of Seeing Eye To Eye. Christina Gooding is represented by Candace Fulton at Kirk Talent.
ABOUT THE ADAM WOODALL BAND With 7 years of live shows, in and around Vancouver, BC, a TON of songwriting, lots of great new friends and fans along the way, the Adam Woodall Band want you to hear what they've been up to. Enter SILVER RING, the brand new Independent release from the ADAM WOODALL BAND. The new record sees the band moving forward musically, while still honouring their rock, folk, and pop roots. All of the album's 12 songs, penned by Woodall, showcase each band member's signature sound. The opening track, "Let You Go", shows the band's ability to pair a great groove with their natural pop/rock sensibilities. Acoustic tracks, "Song For You" and "I.L.Y.", though quieter, prove to be no less powerful. The album's epic rock songs, "On My Way Home" and "Runaway" give the listener a sense of what the band does live. All leading up to "Break A Broken Heart", the most passionate and moving piece included in this group of great songs. Strong melodies, great guitar hooks, and emotional lyrics make this record a must have for old and new fans of the band. The Adam Woodall Band are: Jesse Godin, drums; Dave Hall, bass; Adam Woodall, vocals, guitar; Jesse Tucker, guitar, vocals. www.adamwoodallband.com
ABOUT FRIENDS WITH LIAM Somehow the success of the young always astounds and delights measurably more than the success of entertainers in their mature years. Not only because of their youth, Friends with Liam’s Keiron Drake, Liam Less and Tyler Dawson, delights listeners with an all embracing friendliness that glows out from the stage to warm the hearts of all who hear them play. Friends with Liam great songs and dynamic personal style transform every song into something a good deal more pleasurable to listen to.
ABOUT TESSA AMY This gutsy former folk pop performer who has opened for the likes of, The John Butter Trio, Xavier Rudd, Colin Hay and Jeff Lang has now landed with feet firmly planted on the synthpop electro-beat planet, with her new self-produced sound. Likened to bands such as Metric, Air, Hot Chip, Esthero, Zero 7 (and believe it or not... Madonna), Tessa’s strong vocal skills, synth lead riffs and varied electro beats scored her a gig at the headline-grabbing Pemberton Festival. With rave reviews and the release of her EP – Electro/Pop, Tessa has received steady play on CBC3 - touted as a “What’s New and Hot” performer as well as being a Featured Artist in September. Her catchy new sound fused with chilled synth-pop and soul is quirky, catchy and utterly engaging, leaving the listener with a thumb out, hoping to hitch a ride to whatever star system the follow-up performance will be playing at. Live, this singer/songwriter, musician and now, producer, continues to impress. The animated Ms Amy performs her own orchestral maneuvers, moving between synth, guitar, computer and mic, always wired, and always keeping the grooves fresh.
ABOUT THE RACOONS It's difficult to nail down The Racoons. Picture a band that can reconcile a love for Joy Division, Bruce Springsteen and The Cars. Now picture a second band that sounds like Frank Zappa, David Caruso and Animal from the Muppets. Now picture a cover band of the second band mentioned. Now picture a rival cover band of the first cover band that aren’t quite as talented and generally refer to themselves as a tribute band. The Racoons are that band. They are expected to release their first E.P. relatively soon. www.myspace.comtheracoonsmusic
ABOUT FULLY LOADED Fully Loaded’s brand of straight ahead rock has made them one of Vancouver’s most popular independent rock bands. Since winning the prestigious 99.3 The Fox Seeds Competition and Music BC’s Songbird West Award, the band has played to sold-out venues and performed hundreds of shows including Canadian Music Week, the Western Canadian Music Awards, Molson Mega Keg, the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival and more. Slated for release in the New Year, the band’s sophomore album was recorded with producers Jeff Dawson (Daniel Powter, State of Shock) and Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith). Their catchy first single release, “Honestly”, has attracted more than 75,000 fans to their MySpace page and is currently rocking radio airwaves across Canada. www.myspace.com/fullyloadedrock
ABOUT THE PLAY Katie and Frank is written by Theresa Rebeck (www.theresabeck.com) and stars Christina Gooding and Hamish allan-headley. Directed by Matthew Harrison it follows a couple engaged in their Saturday morning rituals. The two exchange bouts, advising the other to change. Katie urges Frank to listen to her and understand why she is going through therapy. The play highlights the importance of listening in maintaining a healthy marriage--especially if your partner is carrying a gun.