hello blog - it sure has been awhile!

the song quest has come and gone... still so proud of little waskada for winning that thing!

just wanted to pop in and share this article from the winnipeg free press...

it perfectly captures what it is like to grow up in waskada, going to waskada school. yes it's small, but it was wonderful.

enjoy!

-b

Where do we go from here?

It appears that I wasn’t alone in some of my sentiments from Monday when the song was released. You can see that others across the country are chiming in on the CBC Radio 2 Blog and the CBC Radio 2 Facebook page about their thoughts on the generally high quality of the songs and the awesomeness of the contest… but the sense of disappointment that Waskada didn’t really get a song!

I’ve had lots of questions about where people can write to Chantal to let her know we feel let down. I would caution folks against posting things on Chantal’s Facebook page … unless you feel like being the brunt of some serious attack by some very serious and devoted fans! I did a bit of research and found that her record company is Maple Music. You can find on that link emails for the people that do her Marketing and Publicity. I think that is the best option available.

I was reminded today by a couple different people, including a co-worker, an old friend from Waskada who posted on my Facebook page, and my mom… that despite the song being a disappointment, this was still an incredible experience that brought a number of good people together to do something absolutely extraordinary! This has been such a positive thing for so many reasons, including the following:

1. Waskada won the contest with the votes of community members, former community members, and extended networks of friends and family. Could there be anything greater to demonstrate what good people can do when they work together to achieve something? This taught us all something about the power of people and the ability for the little guy to win!

2. Waskada got exposure nationwide… interviews on CBC broadcast across the country, where we got to talk about the great things about the town and why it’s such a special place.

3. On the selfish side… this was a dream come true for me. I was interviewed by Tom Allen! As a self-professed CBC Radio junkie, this was pretty much the coolest thing imaginable. And to record a podcast… that is an experience I will never forget!

4. This contest was remarkable in the way it brought people together and made people more aware of the wealth of Canadian musical talent and beautiful Canadian geography. I’ve listened to all 13 songs and the majority of them are simply awesome! Not to mention the extra gems that came from Connie Kaldor and the other people from across Canada that sent in songs. CBC really did run a remarkable contest.

I still believe that even though we didn’t get our song from Chantal… there is someone out there who will write a song for Waskada someday. I am not finished with my quest to get a ‘song for Waskada’… I know that many of you may be ready to put this behind you, but I will keep working on trying to find a way to get a song that truly captures the heart and the spirit of this little town that could!

Thanks again to everyone for all their comments, love, and support through all of this. It has been a bit of a roller coaster... with some BIG highs and some lows... but I must say, I am really glad, for all the reasons mentioned above, that we took the ride. Hope you were too!

Bryna

The big reveal... 

on CBC Radio 2 Drive with Rich Terfry happened this afternoon. I adored the way the songs were revealed, I loved the conversations between Rich and the artists that happened. Congrats to CBC and to Rich for putting on a great show this afternoon. Wow!

Some absolutely incredible pieces of work... some artists that really got the spirit of this contest... who clearly researched the places they were writing about and who wrote some very heartfelt songs. Oh Susanna's "Tough City"... Dana Sipos' "Time Before Bones"... Deep Dark Woods' "Charile's (Is Coming Down)... Hawksley Workman's "Where They Left it Wild"... etcetera. I was blown away by the incredible musical talent and the heart that was put into some of these songs.

It has been a bit hard for me to listen to these other great songs and hear the artists talk about how the places inspired them. The difficult part is knowing what beauty and what magic there could have been in the song about Waskada, if we had the good fortune to have an artist who clearly cared about the spirit of this great contest.

I enjoyed all the songs... some more than others, of course. I will even go so far as to say Chantal's song is 'pretty'. It just happens to be about Winnipeg and not about Waskada. Truth be told, we were expecting something like this, after reading the following article in the Winnipeg Free Press. But even the article stated that "she changed the words to be about the winning place". I never in a million years dreamed that it would blatantly reference Winnipeg so many times. Could she perhaps have gone to the effort of replacing Win-ni-peg with Was-ka-da? Two fairly similar, three syllable words. Too much to ask? I guess so.

We couldn't hear Rich Terfry talk with Chantal about the song because she's off 'on a jet plane'. Every other artist took the time to speak with Rich personally. That also says something about her commitment to the spirit of the contest. Her recorded message before they played the song didn't mention Waskada once... she did say she loved having this 'assignment' because she has always enjoyed assignments from her early school days.  I'm thinking that Chantal gets an "F" on this assignment for lack of research and being completely off topic. Agreed? I think I could hear the strain in Rich Terfry's voice when he was speaking after the song about how Manitoba got a "two for one" deal with Winnipeg, the runner up, also being immortalized in the song. I actually feel for CBC... I suspect this situation was not easy for them to deal with. You've done well, CBC. This contest has only raised my level of respect for you and the organization.

Just an FYI... CBC is asking for feedback on the songs. I've posted on their Facebook group as well as on their Website. Some others are echoing similar sentiments to mine. If you want to add your voice, feel free.

CBC - you ran a great contest. It was incredible, really. What an awesome experience for Waskada and thank you for the exposure. So amazing!

Maybe Waskada will get a song from someone who wants to take the assignment seriously someday (any takers?)... but in the meantime, we will continue to celebrate our achievement in being number one in this contest and the fact that this allowed us to get coverage nationwide... so much thanks to CBC for helping to make this happen! :)

Thanks for listening... it feels good to get all these thoughts and feelings out there. To the people of Waskada - I'm sorry that we didn't get our song, but I'm not sorry about any other aspects of this amazing experience. Hope you've had fun too...

Signing off... thanks again everyone!

Bryna 

It's not about the song. And the song isn't about Waskada.

In my last blog post, I spoke about being fearful that the song wouldn't capture the heart and spirit of Waskada. Well, I've heard the song and it looks like those fears have come true. I downloaded the song and the album from iTunes this morning.

Waskada's song mentions Waskada exactly one time, and mentions Winnipeg at least 3 times if not more (the chorus is about Winnipeg). Unfortunately, it's not a 'song for Waskada'. Do I feel let down? By Chantal, absolutely. She clearly wrote the song about Winnipeg, Waskada was an afterthought. So disappointing. If you want to let her know, she has a Facebook page, or you could try to find a way to write to her.

But as I also said yesterday, it is not about the song and it never really has been, for me. I do not feel let down by the people at the CBC, who put on an incredible contest and who gave us the opportunity to get Waskada's name out there across the nation. To CBC Radio 2, and CBC Manitoba, who have given me the chance to interview about Waskada, to do a Podcast about Waskada, you have not let me down.

To the people that supported Waskada, to everyone who voted and who helped Waskada to win the contest, you made this happen! You absolutely did not let me down - quite the opposite! You were the reason why we won this contest... why the 'little town that could' actually did! It is an incredible achievement.

We still won this contest with heart, with determination, and with spirit. And I will hold my head high today and say "we won"... we saw the little town that could make it all the way to the top. It is not about the song, not for me. 

Hey... now here's an idea to keep our positive momentum going! Maybe there's some kids at Waskada school that are looking at this blog or other community members. If you have anything you'd like to share about Waskada, email me at brynasclater@hotmail.com and I will post some of the responses on the blog. Perhaps you would like to share some memories of Waskada and things you love about the town. Perhaps you have your own "Waskada" song lyrics you'd like to submit? I have been talking on this blog for a long time - maybe it's time for some other voices? I would love to hear from you.

Thanks again everyone... it's too bad the song is a big of a letdown, but hey... I'm going to keep focusing on the positive and what an awesome thing it has been for Waskada to win this contest!

Bryna

3 More Sleeps!

Only a few more days now until the big reveal for the CBC Great Canadian Song Quest! From what I gather having listened to Bob, Tom, Rich and the gang at CBC Radio 2 all week, the new songs will be revealed on Monday, November 23rd on the "Radio 2 Drive" program, hosted by Rich Terfry.

Radio 2 Drive airs from 3:30pm to 7:00pm in all time zones. You can listen live by going to http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/ and looking under the "Listen Live" area on the right-hand side of the website. You'll see the program name - simply click on Radio 2 Drive at 3:30 to listen. You can play around with the time zones... for example, if you live in Waskada, you can listen to the Atlantic version of the program starting at 1:30, the Eastern version starting at 2:30, the Central version starting at 3:30... well... you get the picture. I have no idea at what point during the program the Waskada song will air!

A couple of other small things... before the Waskada song airs, you'll hear my voice doing a little 30 second intro about Waskada. I tried hard to capture all the wonderful things about our community in 30 seconds, but it was sure tough! :)

Also, I'll be on CBC Manitoba in the morning on Monday. The interview will air around 7:15am Manitoba time for anyone who might be tuning in.

We are in the final stretch everyone! I am going to be honest, the anticipation of hearing the song carries mixed feelings for me. I'm excited... and hopeful that the spirit and heart of our beautiful community will be captured... but on the other hand, I'm also fearful that it won't. I suppose this is a normal reaction - when you've put this much effort into something, when you love your hometown as much as I love Waskada, you just want the song to perfectly capture the spirit and heart of this little prairie town! But I am hopeful, especially when I hear things like Connie Kaldor's inspiring song about Love, Saskatchewan (see full post below) and the many songs that people from all over Canada have submitted to CBC as part of this contest. I urge you to check them out, there are some beautiful gems there!

I will be honest. This is really not about the song for me... the song is the result, but what I take away from this experience is much richer than that. It's about the people of Waskada, and the friends and families of those who know people from Waskada who came together and voted. It's about the power of people to come together and make something really incredible happen! It's about the underdog winning. It's about the 'little town that could' (Tom Allen, thank you so much for that one). It's about having the opportunity to write this blog and rediscover though the words and the pictures I've posted here just how much I love my hometown and just how special it really is to me. It's about my beloved CBC putting on this great contest and about how awesome they have been to give Waskada the opportunity to get this kind of national exposure on the radio. It's about learning about all these great spots across the country that were part of this Song Quest adventure as well!

What an amazing journey... I never in a million years thought that we would even make the final five, let alone win... it just shows you what you can do with a bit of determination and a lot of heart!

I owe thanks to so many. This has experience has filled me with gratidude to know so many wonderful people who put their hearts into making Waskada first in Manitoba! THANK YOU!

Bryna
xo

This week, while listening to CBC Radio 2 in the morning at work, Bob Mackowycz shared a great story, which I feel compelled to share as well.

One of the 5 top spots in Saskatchewan for the CBC Radio 2 Great Canadian SongQuest was Love, Saskatchewan. One of the 5 artists for Saskatchewan was the lovely Connie Kaldor.

Neither Love nor Connie were chosen in Saskatchewan. The winning spot was actually a Regina pub called Good Time Charlie's. Bob interviewed Connie - a wonderful interview - in which Connie said that she was a bit sad that the Good Time won over Love (and what does that say about the way things are?). 

So she took matters into her own hands and just sat down and wrote a song about Love... Saskatchewan.

I cried when I heard the song the first time (and it continues to bring tears to my eyes on each listen) - it is such a beautiful song. Love is a very small town, similar to Waskada (even smaller, in fact)... so the lyrics struck a chord deep within me. A gorgeous piece of work by Connie Kaldor... if all 13 songs that come out on November 23 are as stunning as this one, we will be fortunate indeed!

Thank you Connie for your song, and for giving us another incredible, inspiring moment in a contest that has been filled with so many of them already!

"If you're heading in to Love, don't expect a four lane highway. It's off the beaten track but I'm sure you'll find the way..."

My 15 seconds of fame have stretched a little bit further...

About a week ago, I received a phone message from Lily at CBC Radio Podcasting asking me if I'd like to participate on an upcoming episode of the CBC Radio 2 Great Canadian Song Quest Podcast!

I sent her an email back saying "...the answer is, of course, an unequivocal yes!"

A couple days later, I received a response from Lily asking if I'd be interested in hosting the Podcast, as she thought it would be fun to have a "listener takeover".

After jumping up and down for about 5 minutes, squealing, and nearly dying of excitement, I typed my response... which basically went something like this:

"I wish you could have seen my reaction when I read your email - picture a kid opening the best present EVER at Christmas, and that comes close. I didn't think this experience could get better than the opportunity to talk to the wonderful Tom Allen on the radio... or Waskada winning the contest! But I may have been mistaken - this would be yet another dream come true for me!"

So Lily wrote an awesome script based on a bunch of the stuff from the blog... and we recorded on Saturday morning (such a cool experience!)... and now the Podcast is available for your listening pleasure here!

I want to thank CBC Radio 2 yet again for this incredible opportunity, and special thanks to Lily at CBC Radio Podcasting for coming up with this idea that meant so much to me, writing the wonderful script, and for being so sweet to me through this process.

What a dream come true! I am just so incredibly grateful for this experience and there are many people to thank... the most important of all being all of you who supported Waskada, voted for Waskada, passed the word on to others to vote for Waskada... you are the ones that made this all happen and I just am so thankful!

My favourite little spot in the world won the contest! And we are going to get a song! Hurrah!

November 23 is coming up quickly now...

Bryna

xo

dear tom,

i'll miss you in the morning.

this isn't song quest related, but it is CBC radio 2 related... as those of you who are loyal blog readers know, a big part of how this whole thing started was because i have a daily morning ritual of listening to tom allen. i get to work, sit down at my desk, start on whatever project i'm working on that day, put on the headphones, and listen online to tom's morning show.

i listen to radio 2 for the better part of the day, so i enjoy julie nesrallah's tempo, as well as tom allen's shift and rich trefry's drive... but it was tom's morning show that was always the closest to my heart. something about his smooth voice, his humour, the way he just sounds so enthusiastic and full of passion with whatever he is talking about (from music to numerous other subjects...) just was the right way to start the day. tom allen and a nice cup of warm tea... a great way to get down to a day at the office.

i will always be grateful, especially now, that i had the chance to be on tom's morning show to talk about the song quest and waskada. and i'm so grateful still for the way he was genuinely interested and excited about 'the little town that could'.

so, change is coming on monday... tom will no longer be on in the morning. change is part of life, i will learn to adapt... and i will continue to be a loyal cbc radio 2 listener... and of course, i'll still get my dose of tom with 'shift'. and i am sure i will enjoy the new hosts of radio 2 morning as well!

tom... wish you all the best.

bryna
xo