Saskatchewan artists are stepping up to help musician Gillian Snider and her roommates recover from a house fire last month.
An old type of electric wiring combusted on the third floor of Snider’s home on the evening of Jan. 29.
Snider, her partner, three roommates, three dogs, five cats and pet tarantula all survived the fire.
Snider said she is still waiting to finalize costs with insurance, but the Avenue G North home will likely have to be gutted. However, all of the instruments were saved.
“Someone walked in and said, ‘Oh, this is a musician’s house.’ They grabbed the guitars, the electric piano, accordions, the amps and put it all under this huge tarp. The tarp itself had about a foot of water on it,” Snider said, adding that she’d like to thank the firefighters for saving her livelihood.
Artists arranged a GoFundMePage for Snider and hosted a benefit concert on Sunday evening to help Snider and her roommates get back on their feet.
More than a house
The house itself has been a rest stop and venue for many Canadian musicians travelling through Saskatoon.
“If they’re not playing here, they’re staying here,” Snider told CTV News in the empty house.
“I hosted Geoff Berner and Joe Wiseman, and then a friend of mine who is a promoter in the Maritimes said, ‘I have a fellow coming through can you host him?’”
According to Snider, she has hosted about 75 shows in her home.
