Prairials are a Musical Feast for the Senses

Seeking lonely single (or married) cat lady…wait this isn’t Craigslist is it? Right the band thing.

Hey everybody, this is our first blog post. We’ve only been a band for three months so cut us some slack! But hey, Prairials has done a lot of exciting things in that time. This whole project has been moving pretty fast for two brothers from small town Saskatchewan.

It all started this cold Canadian winter. We released our first track “Face In The Mirror” in December and had the chance to perform it live on 94.9 CHRW fm in London (Thanks Jennifer Lawrence!) We also did an on-air interview to help people get to know about the new project. The song really took off and we had quite a few interesting offers coming in, including an invite to a festival in the Netherlands, but more importantly a management deal with Rosner Management which we are excited to be a part of.

More recently (as in yesterday), we released our third video for “Busker’s Song” and I have to say, we’re pretty @#%$#$^ ecstatic about it. The song is about pursuing your passions and doing what ever it is that makes you happy. Because that’s what life’s all about isn’t it? (Well and them cat ladies…) We had the chance to work with some amazing people on this one! We worked with Mariah Fridgen of Black Eyed Susan, who sang on the track. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re a grunge band that’s definitely worth checking out. Our drum’s came all the way from Denmark, with the help of professional drummer Joel Stumbaugh. Also, this is the first time we’ve looked for professional actors for a video and boy are we glad we did! We had a great time shooting the video alongside Tracy St. Germain who has acted in many projects including the movie “5 Year Engagement” and the HBO series “Hung”. Walter Riggi, owner and founder of Riggi Media International stepped in as well, not only as an actor, but also as the mixer of our new song. A special thanks goes out to Darcy Gross of The Melville Advance for publishing the story of this song in the newspaper!

To promote Busker’s Song, we released it alongside Rosner Management’s Cyber Tour, an event that showcases different artist’s works. Viewers can vote for their favourite artist and the winner gets the chance to donate $500 to a charity of their choice. If won, we will be donating our money back into the source of our musical interests. Proceeds will be going to our hometown’s band program. The Melville Comprehensive School will be using the money towards purchasing necessary percussion instruments. We are hoping to give back in a way that will help others discover their love for music so that they can follow their dreams like we (and one of the characters in Busker’s Song) have done. If anyone wants to vote, they can head over to    http://www.rosnermanagement.com/contact.htm  and say that they are voting Prairials in the message section.

Nice talking to y’all. We’ll be sure to write to you more often, so stay posted! Check out our new song if you’d like and as for me… well it’s back to Craigslist.

Bye for Meow,

Prairials

Rosner meets Vij!

 Rosner Management on the Right Track: Vikram Vij

 

What an amazing time with @VikramVij of CBC's Dragon’s Den. Very fun, intelligent man! I found myself reassured that I am on the right track with many things. One story that he told was particularly interesting. When starting out, he decided not to take reservations in his restaurant. The reason was that Ghandi believed everyone is equal, therefore the amount of money or status would not get you seated before anyone else. He had to stick to his guns, as Pierre Trudeau walked in one day with son Justin. Yes, he made him wait. All was good and Pierre loved the meal. When outside influences put pressure on you to change or conform, stick to your gut, do what you know is right for you and things will work out. Vikram liked the artistdeals.ca sponsorship program... I believe it is the future of the music business!!! Thanks to all the artists, sponsors and @KatrinaBoguski for your belief and hard work.

Welcome to the Future of Music

Check out Who's Who in the Rise Up Tour - Spring 2015

I would like to show you a video that in my mind is the future of the music video. Artistdeals.ca is a web site that will change the way business in music is done. Music has become a sideshow to things like sports and video games, but what if we were to begin to reverse the trend, to where culture and expression through music was once again valued monetarily. I ask you to watch this video and imagine….. What if every time someone bought something online, an artist got paid!?! Imagine how that would change the plight of artists everywhere. Suddenly they could afford to pursue their highest art form possible, with less and less constraints on budget. We wouldn’t be losing our best and most talented artists to other fields of industry. If you are a business that needs growth, artistdeals.ca can help. As a very wise person said, “Be the Change”.

Please watch the above video to see the artists you can look forward to, both online and in person, in the YouTube Challenge, and at the spring "Rise Up" tour!

You need to check out Lucky Widmore on YouTube!

YouTube Challenge Day 1- LUCKY WIDMORE

Hello!  My name is Lucky Widmore.  My real name is not important because the name Lucky Widmore represents the very essence of who I am as an artist.

I came up with this name by taking the first pet I ever had and the first street I ever lived on.  Some of you would recognize this pairing of names as the porn star name game so yes, Lucky Widmore is my porn star name.

It kind of started as a joke and just stuck because it was catchy to me and I think if I was going to do porn I would use this name.  I am chuckling to myself.  

As I am writing, though, I realize that the name is so much more then a goofy game.  It represents a history and nurtured love of music for me.  The first pet I ever had and the first street I ever lived on takes me back to my child hood.

From a young age I was immersed in music.  From listening to the Beatles and Van Morrison records that my dad would spin to dancing along to his own band "Midlife Crisis". I was hooked!

I got my first guitar when I was four.  I didn't really know how to play it and I found the lessons from my father very frustrating and when I look back I think I was a little too young to start but I never lost my love for music and before long I was able to strum along with my Dad at our family jams around the fire.

In the '90s two things happened that really sealed the deal for me musically and changed my life forever.  The first was it was time for me to take that coming-of-age step to high school.  So I am sitting in my room perusing the course booklet and much to my delight I see the school is offering a guitar course. "Well sign me up!" I said to myself.  

Guitar class was awesome!  When the teacher's back was turned, a few like-minded aspiring musicians and my self would jam out to early 90's rock tunes like "No Rain" by Blind Melon.  This is where I really got both excited and comfortable with jamming with other players and I morphed from a clumsy soloist to a proficient band mate.  

Also, in guitar class I developed  the confidence to play in front of others and  a great love for performing.  Most of the students trembled with nervousness when it was their turn to play their exam piece for their peers but I reveled in it!

The second thing that happened to me is that one day I turned on the TV and the angst inspiring grunge rock anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit", by Nirvana, thundered through the speakers.  I watched in complete awe as this amazingly charismatic dirty blonde haired man strummed his guitar and growled into a microphone with such ear pleasing ferocity, and from that day forward I knew I wanted to be that person.  I wanted to write and perform songs that would inspire and awe a teenager crowd of misfits just like Kurt Kobain did.

And that was the day I decided to become a song writer! 

Enjoy the music video of "You and Me Tonight" on YouTube above and please like, comment, and share!

Hear Michelle Simpson's Rocking Voice

A Classic Rocking Singer Songwriter

Well here it goes....my first Blog ever!  Wow, what can I say- this has been an amazing year! It was a very busy year; it cruised by so quickly. It was filled with highs, lows and a lot of personal growth.  

Entering 2014, I suffered the biggest loss I have ever experienced in my life.  I had to say goodbye to my Mom.  She was and always will be one of the most amazing women I know.  I used to always say to her that she was my angel here on earth.   Now she is my Angel in Heaven!  

She always taught me to believe in my dreams and to work hard to accomplish them.  My Mom was and will always be my #1 supporter!

Musically it was an incredible year!   I released my single “Waiting By the Phone” (produced in L.A., by David Snow).  I also have been working with JF Roy (His band is JFR), to complete my 2nd album.

I am very excited, as it will be released in the spring.  

Working with Rosner Management, has provided some amazing opportunities for me as well.  The spring and fall Cyber Tours were great.  I got to work with some pretty amazing talent.  Team Rosner Rocks!

I will also be releasing my first ever music video for my song “Love Gives You No Guarantees”.  What an amazing experience.   I cannot in words tell you how amazing everyone was.   I am so grateful to everyone who was a part of making this such an amazing experience!!! Thanks a million to everyone who helped make my dreams a reality! I also want to give a huge Thank You to our sponsors: SA TRACKWORKS, BRANDMAX and TED MATHESON MEN’S WEAR.  

There are so many wonderful things happening in 2015!  With the YouTube Challenge, Cyber Tour 2015, as well as the launching of Artistdeals.ca, as well as the Spring “Rise Up” Tour in May- and that’s just the beginning!  I will keep everyone posted for upcoming events and happenings.  Once again, thank you for your support!

-Michelle Simpson

Mark Rosner is Standing Up for the Sedins!

Standing Up for the Sedin Twins

Mark Rosner has a message for Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, after hearing them slander the Vancouver Canucks stars Henrik and Daniel Sedin on a radio show called "The Bob and Dan Show":

Well guys, you are completely classless and showing your immature attitudes. You sound like a couple of BULLIES on a playground- exactly what we are trying to teach people NOT to do in our society. You weren't even funny. Do us all a favour and leave the comedy to those that can actually do it! Just play hockey, go home and abuse your money. The Sedins are talented hockey players and great people. In Vancouver, there hasn't been a greater example to our city and children in the history of the Canucks (except for maybe Trevor Linden or Markus Naslund ;) - Editor). The Sedins did not reply to you but I will!!!

Mark Rosner

Hello from Simon Henley-Léveillée

Hello from Simon Henley-Léveillée

Simon Henley-Léveillée has been a guitar player for more than twenty years. Metal, 

classical, progressive, jazz, Latin, Manouche, Folk, Blues and Rock… styles are numerous

in his compositions. Many musicians inspire Simon, but Sting is without a doubt his 

biggest influence. With a heartfelt voice and a one of a kind guitar technique, his 

unique style is to be discovered.

Hello! I'm playing with very good musicians on March 19th 2015 at Bar le Sacrilège, rue St-Jean, Québec City. And I've signed for Mont Ste-Anne the following month, on April 25th. (I'll create a FB event after the Sacrilège). I'm also finishing my Bachelor of Arts in Education at Laval University (English as a Second Language); meanwhile, I've been teaching all ages for 6-7 years. I have worked for 38 years now to become what I've always wanted to be... an artist/educator. I am able to do great things now :)

-Simon

Check out Simon Henley-Léveillée's Facebook page here: facebook.com/simon.henleyleveillee

Check him out on BandCamp here: http://simon-henleyleveillee.bandcamp.com

Arkavello's Rock Music Has a Message

Arkavello - Caught In a Fantasy

For our inaugural blog entry we have chosen to discuss our songs, what they mean to us and what they could potentially mean for you. Now of the songs we have posted on sites such as CBC Music, Soundcloud and YouTube, you come across titles like "Off to Nunavut", "Clandestine Spirit Head", "Vanilla", "Caught in a Fantasy", and "Here We Are". Pretty cool names right? Of course our opinion will be biased towards our song titles and songs, 'cause well, after all, we did write them - haha.

Let's begin with "Caught in a Fantasy". What does that mean for you? To find yourself caught in a fantasy? For starters we should delve into what a "fantasy" is. A fantasy is usually associated with a picture that we all have in our minds, be it playing Wembley Stadium in a few years for a band, or just having all your bills paid and a bit of money saved up as you enter into retirement. But that could be misleading couldn't it?

Here is what we want you to think about. Money has become a necessity; you can't eat, sleep indoors, or go anywhere without it. It has often been preached that with without a source of income you will most certainly perish. But is that entirely true? When we think about our tune "Caught in a Fantasy" it reminds us where mankind is. We are all stuck, forced to go to work to pay off things that we don't really need, such as a giant house, or a wicked sports car. Its been drilled into us from birth. Success is "what you have" not "what you are", and the idea of success seems to grow ever more forceful through the media, advertisements, and many other things that are just part of being alive in the 21st century. Weird hey? You are told what to buy, you are told what to wear, and you are told what to drive. Your life has been predetermined; you go to school when you're young to learn what will make you a contributing member of society when you are older. You're forced to be smart enough to do your job, but dumb enough that you won't question why you're doing it, and that is the life that we all have to deal with... Or is it??

In creating this society based on debt, and pre-determined futures, the leaders of our world, not the figureheads, but the people trying to pull the strings, have forced humanity into this comatose state, in essence, creating somewhat of a sleeping giant, and the longer they keep that going, the longer they can live in their fantasy of power, and the longer we are forced to slave away in our fantasy that we are told to have. As more and more people begin to wake up to the idea that we are the majority, and we truly do have the power to change the world, the elite fall into this fear like state, because as soon as humanity understands that we can peacefully co-exist with EVERYONE on our planet, they have nothing to make money off of anymore. Think about it, no wars means governments can't profit off of wars to bring itself out of debt. As more and more people understand that you can make yourself well if your sick, simply from using the tools that nature has provided us with. The complex world of pharmaceutical business falls on its face.

The more you see acts of terror and war on TV and news the more it scares you into wanting to become dependent on the state for protection. And they want you to be dependent on the state because it is literally the only thing that keeps governments alive, our fear of being unprotected. yet the more we depend on them the more unprotected we slave like we become. That's what they've come to understand, the more love, the more peaceful coexistence that we see everywhere that has started to come into view over the last 50 years between people of all races. and this scares the shit out of the ruling class, they know their days are numbered, and that their fantasy is soon at an end, and humanities fantasy is soon to become reality, for all of us. We will no longer be "Caught in a Fantasy".

-Arkavello