What never ceases to astonish me is how hard the folks at CBC Radio work... even while locked out of their jobs. It's particularly amazing to see the work being done by contract staffers who don't even have the luxury of benefits or job security in the first place. Today, right by the picket lines at 250 Front St. West, Garvia Bailey and Tori Allen (both locked out radio staff) have organized an incredible volunteer concert in support of their colleagues.

The CBC Lockout Love-In takes place today between 1:30pm and 7:30pm. It's going to be a free concert featuring a a long list of great Canadian talent... K'naan, Dana Edmonds, LAL, Lindy, Maracatu Nunca Antes, Masia One, Robert Priest, La Bomba, Belladonna, John-Rae Fletcher, Brian MacMillan, Janine Stoll, Isis, and local DJ's like Chris Thinn, DJ Chocolate, and General Electric. A few more are likely to show up as well I'd bet.

In explaining why they've decided to organize the show and how they managed to get so many talented artists to donate their time, Tori Allen says,

"All of the artists involved in Thursday's show have had some sort of contact with Garvia Bailey or myself. We've either covered them through our work as CBC Radio producers or they are personal friends who want to support us during this lockout."

"The concert itself is an opportunity to give the public a first hand look at some of the local emerging artists who care about the CBC and the service that we provide and at the same time be entertained for an afternoon. No one is getting paid for the event, all of the artists have volunteered their time and in some cases equipment."

As mentioned, the show is on all day til 7:30ish this evening, so stop by after work for some great CBC - but not - programming.

*photo courtesy of google and Paquin Ent.