Help replace stolen music equipment

Hello folks, Keith Mitchell here! .........for those of you who don't know me, I'm a musician based in Lancaster, England, with a long (40 years) history of gigging, running open mic nights and being a travelling 'Acoustic Jukebox'.  

I'm a well-established musician on the live music scene across the North of England and beyond.
Imagine the distress when I found that all of my gear/musical equipment was stolen from the back of my car on 21 December 2014!  I've always been so pedantic about bringing my gear into the house after a gig, but now as I live in a very quiet, off the road/safe area and had come home after a gig in the early hours of the morning and didn’t want to disturb my neighbours, I just brought the guitars in and covered the rest up in the boot, only to discover the next morning that someone had smashed the windows and stolen everything. Well, not quite everything – to add insult to injury they left behind a box of my CD recordings. No taste! But the bottom line is I now have no:-  PA speakers, amplifier, lights, microphones , guitar or microphone stands, effects pedals or even the leads to connect even a guitar to an amp or speaker.

Gigging is currently my primary source of income and it is vital to keeping me afloat.  

I have to say that the music community have been incredible.  Like most full time musicians this is the time of year when you are really busy, I have had so many gigs booked over the Christmas and new year period. And thanks to the overwhelming generosity of fellow musicians across the UK I’ve been inundated with offers to loan equipment, to keep me on the road and keep my gigging momentum going over this busy period, and importantly will not have to let the venues and gig going public down. But the borrowing can't last forever, and as a working musician I need to replace my kit as soon as possible so I can plan and take bookings for 2015 and beyond. So my hope is that anyone who has ever seen me play live, anywhere, be it in your local pub, restaurant or festival or on holiday or anyone out there who believes in keeping music live, will each extend to a donation, however small, that will hopefully add up to the full cost of replacing all the gear lost and keep me on the road. 

The full amount is a massive £4,390 (I know, I've invested in this equipment a lot over the years and it all adds up!).  I am hoping to raise some of this myself and through insurance, and try and raise some through 'gofundme'.  Should I be successful and raise more than I need, I'll donate the excess to a great UK charity which helps musicians: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/

Also, if any of my equipment is recovered (the musicians' network are keeping their eyes peeled!) I will also donate to this charity.

So please, share this with your friends and family, on your social networks, and please comment below if you feel my music has had a positive impact on your life.   Any help to keep me on the road would be gratefully received and I'll try to make it up to you somehow, even if it's just with good music in the future.

Thanks,
Keith Mitchell


 Full list of equipment stolen:
1. Bose L2 Tone Match PA System £2600 
2. Vocalist 5 Pedal £250ffects-Processor
3. Prolog stompbox £100
4. Irish Bazouki Tonewood and case £250
5. Boss pedal - Multi Guitar effects £100
6. SM58 Shure Microphone £90
7. SM58 Shure Beta Dynamic microphone £130
8. Music Stand for mixing desk £100
9. American DJ lights £80
10.  20+ Guitar and Mic leads £10/£15 each (£300)
11. Swan Speakers flight case (Specialist for BOSE speakers) £180
12. Stag speaker stand for lights £100
13. Assorted flight cases for carrying/storing gear £100
14. Mic stand Drinks holder £10