Joanne Goodall – The Aquinian
American bands have been singing songs about living in the gritty streets of the Bronx, in sweet home Alabama, and sunny Californ-I-A for decades. Canadian cities, for the most part, have been left out of this music trend.
CBC Radio 2 hopes to bring Canadian musicians back to their roots with a competition called, “Canadian Song Quest”.
Five artists from each province will compete online through Canadian public voting for their chance to win a musical collaboration with 12 other finalists. The public will also vote for their favourite Canadian cities, which will then be used in the written lyrics from the Song Quest winners.
Fredericton’s own soft-rock indie group, Olympic Symphonium, is one of the five New Brunswick bands to be selected for the competition.
Kyle Cunjak, a member of the Symphonium, is very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Song Quest experience.
“CBC is really good to us. They gave me a call this past summer to let me know we had been chosen,” Cunjak said. “I don’t know how they chose us but I’m pretty sure it involved a crystal ball.”
Canadian artists have inspired Olympic Symphonium to continue with their music, but for Symphonium member Nick Cobham, PEI’s Stompin’ Tom Connors is one of his favourites.
“I really admire Stompin’ Tom. He has written hundreds of songs about the people and places of Canada and doesn’t care to be recognized south of the border like most other Canadian songwriters,” Cobham said. “He realizes how important it is to sing about our place and give a voice to this country. I believe it is very important that Canadian songwriters write about their home-land and sing them loud to the masses.”
Though both artists have written songs about a well-known Canadian spot, the Saint John River valley, they hope that Song Quest will challenge their writing. They believe that this competition is important to Canada – no matter the amount of pressure.
“It’s always somewhat of a challenge when we get together to write songs, but it’s a fun one that we enjoy,” Cunjak said. “I find challenges get the creative juices flowing so if we get picked I believe it will work in our favour. This contest will help introduce unknown artists and places to the Canadian public and that is incredibly important. Canada is full of hidden talent and beauty that deserves to be talked about.”
Voting will continue on CBC’s official Song Quest website until October 23rd and contest winners will be selected and notified on October 26th. The final locations and songs will be announced on November 23rd.
