ALAMOSA—Texas singer-songwriters Kevin Welch and Dustin Welch will join Alamosa’s own Don Richmond for the 6th Annual Concert for Cancer Relief songwriter-in-the-round on Saturday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Society Hall, 400 Ross Avenue in Alamosa. Doors open at 7 p.m. The concert benefits the San Luis Valley Cancer Relief Fund.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at The Green Spot in Alamosa, the Narrow Gauge Newsstand in Alamosa, The Windsor Hotel in Del Norte, or online at slvcrf.org. This event has sold out the past two years so be sure to get tickets early.

Kevin Welch is often described as a songwriter’s songwriter. He has charted five singles on Billboard Hot Country Songs and released numerous albums on his own label, Dead Reckoning Records, and on others such as Reprise and Compass. Ricky Skaggs, Waylon Jennings, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and Don Williams have all covered his songs. Don Richmond jokingly calls his own band, the Rifters, “a Kevin Welch cover band”, and adds, “Kevin has the uncanny and uncommon knack of being able to sum up all of human existence in three or four chords and about a dozen words - an elegant blend of depth and simplicity.”

Dustin Welch grew up in Nashville, the songwriter center of the universe, and being Kevin’s son absorbed the art and craft of music from his first breath. He has taken that auspicious beginning and run with it, bringing into being a style uniquely his own - one that he says he heard in his dreams decades ago, which he describes as  “Celtic and Appalachian folk music set to driving rock and dexterous jazz rhythms”, with big harmonies sung in a “gritty and raw,” “archaic” sounding language. “It was profound,” he recalls. “It felt like horses running wild. And I’d never heard anything like it.” His songwriting often features stories resonating with mythic and mystic overtones of the hero’s journey, of everyday people overcoming the adversities life brings. Dustin is also known as a gifted multi-instrumentalist, often performing (and accompanying Kevin) on several instruments.

Both Dustin and Kevin have also become active in the “Soldier Songs and Voices” program in the Austin area, helping armed forces veterans find their voices and express their often difficult and painful feelings and experiences through songwriting, leading workshops and providing support and guidance.

Richmond has been playing music for more than 45 years and has been described as “practically peerless as a picker, singer, producer, and arranger.” Richmond is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who plays just about anything with strings and because of this, is often in demand to accompany musicians touring Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, besides performing with his band The Rifters and as a solo act.

Richmond has become a staple of the annual concert having been through the cancer journey himself.  “I received incredible community support when I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. When Teri (McCartney, currently treasurer of SLVCRF) became a board member and asked me to help with a fundraiser, it seemed like a great way to give back to this community that supported me in so many ways though cancer.”

After the concert, the SLV Brewery is hosting a late night happy hour and a percentage of beverage sales will go to the Cancer Relief Fund. Stop by for a beverage after the concert and continue to support the cause.

The SLVCRF acts as a channel, collecting money through fundraisers and memberships, and then passing that on to local cancer patients. The organization continues to grow. In 2016, the board was able to increase the patient stipend from $200 to $300 and gave “Christmas bonuses” to all receiving chemotherapy at the Valley’s local infusion center during the month of December. The annual Concert for Cancer Relief is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

“Cancer touches all of us,” said McCartney. “We all know and love someone who has been diagnosed with cancer. It’s not an easy journey and being able to give even this small stipend shows community support and good wishes.”

SLVCRF President Tracy Doyle states, “all of the money stays right here in the Valley going directly to cancer patients. We are proud of that!”

The SLVCRF is a totally volunteer organization with a 6-member board of dedicated women who have been touched by cancer and want to help others in that journey. The bulk of funds raised comes from individual/family memberships and fundraisers like the Concert for Cancer Relief.

Individuals wishing to become members can send a check to the San Luis Valley Cancer Relief Fund, PO Box 1297, Alamosa, CO, 81101. Businesses that wish to become concert sponsors can contact McCartney at [email protected] or at 719-588-3452.