How Canadian musicians are dealing with loss in the L.A. fires

Canadian trumpeter Jens Lindemann says his love of music will help carry him through the devastating loss of his family home in the Pacific Palisades wildfires.

The 58-year-old Edmonton musician is about a month away from taking the stage in South Carolina for a concerto written by legendary jazz composer Wynton Marsalis.

He said preparing for that performance will be "a healing moment for the soul" as he faces life after the destruction of the California fires, which continue to burn with tens of thousands of people still under evacuation orders.

"This means more to me than any concert I have played to date — and I'm not overstating that," Lindemann said in a video call on Monday.

"If I can immerse myself in that work, then I get distracted from the horrible reality that is going to be there for my wife and I for quite a while."

"Music will heal," he added.

As he and his wife fled on Thursday, Lindemann grabbed eight of his 35 trumpets, his Order of Canada pin and a few other items. Their home was engulfed in flames several hours later.

Other Canadian musicians and artists based in Los Angeles face similar displacement.

Brian Hughes, a longtime guitarist in Loreena McKennitt's band, lost all of his recording equipment and a collection of guitars when the Eaton fire destroyed his Altadena home and studio.

Greg Wells, the Grammy-winning music producer for Wicked, lost his family home in the Pacific Palisades, as well as his state of the art studio, just as he was preparing to work on Wicked: For Good, he told Variety. 

"I know a number of people have died, but the people immediately close to me and my family, we're all healthy and safe — and kind of depressed and bewildered," he said.

"The clock is ticking because we're trying to record the orchestra in May this year; last year (for Part One) it was June, so there's a lot to do between now and then," he added. "And I've lost all my computers except for one. There's just a lot to replace and figure out where I'm gonna do this and how I'm gonna do it. And that's all manageable. I'll figure it out."

Actors Eugene Levy and Joshua Jackson are also among the Canadians whose homes were lost.

Hearing stories like these motivated the Darcys to take action over the weekend. 

The indie-rock act, which originated in Toronto, lives in the Echo Park neighbourhood of L.A., a safe distance from the fires but close enough to feel the toll it was taking on the people around them.

"Without having children or pets of our own that we had to protect, we realized that our sense of wanting to take care of people was for ... our community," said band member Jason Couse.

Turning to their fans on social media, the band members crowdsourced enough money to fill their large tour van with non-perishable food and other essential items.

Loaded up with bottled water, diapers, face masks and protein bars, they drove between the donation centres in the affected areas. 

"We were a small and mighty team," bandmate Wes Marskell said of their 2009 Chevrolet Express.

"And we're lucky to have a job that allows us more time to keep accumulating supplies or moving things around for people."

While the wildfires continue to burn, Lindemann said the numbing reality of the past week is slowly starting to set in. In some ways, he said, it has forever changed him.

"When you go through something like this, it's something you'll talk about the rest of your life," he said.

Other musicians impacted by the blazes include Cola's Tim Darcy, who also lost his home in the fires.