Alberta is proud to cheer on:

• Michael Rault (Edmonton);
• Lindsay Ell (Calgary);
• Brett Nelson (Medicine Hat);
• Stephanie Bosch (Devon);
• Calum Graham (High River); and
• Patrick Dunn (Edmonton).

Way to go guys! Bring home the GOLD!

U22 had a fabulous day at the first annual Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues Tradeshow. We had a wonderful booth decorated with U22 CD’s, pictures, posters and plenty of information about our mentorship programs.  Our intention is to run U22 mentorship programs designed to inspire our youth in every community in Edmonton.

Many thanks to Brian McLeod, Lyra Brown and Paul Cresey for providing entertainment throughout the day.  Their performances generated big interest from the community leagues and they certainly gained a whole new fan base!

Our next big presentation takes place on February 4^th for The Alberta Teachers Association.  U22 is ready to launch our mentorship program into schools throughout the Province!  It’s going to be a fantastic year for U22!

December came and went in what feels like a heartbeat.  To be honest, I’m not a fan of the hyped up commercial aspect of Christmas. Where I find the spirit of the season is in it bringing friends and family together.

I offer a heartfelt thanks to everyone who came out to support the first ever U22 Fundraiser in December.  The Haven Social Club donated their space and supporters filled the room.  The entertainment was stellar!  Folk music icon and U22 mentor Karla Anderson kicked off the evening with a fantastic set and was followed by U22 artists, Robert Mulder, Tatum Williams, The Juice, Marty Pawlina, Ty Cerda and mentors band, Wool on Wolves.  It was truly a night to remember.

The most magical time of year for me is New Years.  It causes me to pause and take a look at where we have been and ruminate on where we want to go next. There have been so many fantastic things happening for U22.  So much has been accomplished and yet there is so much more to achieve by way of providing mentorship and inspiration to so many more young musical Albertans!

Speaking of New Year’s Eve, U22 was just thrilled to be invited to perform on New Year’s Eve at the CBC Center Stage!  Many thanks to Lyra Brown, Sarah & Charlotte Command and Joe Nolan for providing top notch, crowd pleasing entertainment to the masses who came inside Edmonton Center to escape the frigid temperatures!

2010 will focus on the direction of U22.  My primary focus will remain true to our mission statement :  “To provide mentorship, inspiration and credible performance opportunities to Alberta songwriters aged 22 and under.”   Mentorship is heart of  the program and inspiration is the soul.  Watch for great things to come!

Arts Touring Alliance and Joe Nolan's CD Release

It's been crazy busy since my last blog - I'm overjoyed at the success of the U22 Program - it's a dream come true - just like in "Field of Dreams". If you build it - they will come. Wonderful things are happening! Here's a rundown of a few recent events:

In October, a selection of U22 artists had the great opportunity of performing at the Alberta Arts Touring Alliance Showcase. My hat is off to Brenda O'Donnell and the wonderful staff who programmed a spectacular and diverse event. The weekend was a musical smorgasbord of jaw dropping talent served up at the beautiful Dow Centennial Centre. What an accomplishment!

And speaking of The Dow, that was the location of Joe Nolan's CD release concert on November 7th. The theatre was packed and Joe put on a show unlike I'd ever seen before. Every aspect of his performance was brilliant from start to finish. Everyone there knew they were witnessing the birth of a performer destined for greatness. Joe Nolan has arrived. Opening the show was the wonderfully original Lyra Brown. She wowed the Dow and sold out of CD's. At 17, she is already causing quite a stir on the music scene and has a very bright future.

Night of Artists

U22 artists were the featured entertainment at this years Night of Artists weekend event at The Arts Barns. The afternoon performances were well attended and featured Jonathan Drachenberg, Alanna Clarke, The Command Sisters, Brian McLeod, Lyra Brown and Erin Faught. Joe Nolan was the special guest performer in the evening. Night of Artists is presented by Phil Alain and brings together artists of every kind to showcase their talents under one roof. From start to finish, it's a visual kaleidoscope of color, lights and sound!

Board Meeting & Fundraising

U22 is a not for profit society and as such, we met recently to elect our Board of Directors. I'm thrilled to welcome Ron Cresey as Chair; Steve Diloretto and Marty Pawlina as Vice-Chairs; Pam as Treasurer; Monica Chattaway as Secretary and Kennedy Jensen, Wayne Saunders and James Leder as Directors. The support from the board will be fundamental in moving forward.

U22 is such a worthwhile venture and the rewards are great. By offering mentorship and encouragement and credible performance opportunities, we create a strong, supportive and vibrant community of outstanding young songwriters province wide. Our journey has just begun and to ensure we continue, we are in need of operational funding. We are not eligible to apply for an operating grant until late spring and in our current status as a not for profit society, we are not able to issue tax deductable receipts. We are however, able to accept donations. If you would like to contribute or have fundraising suggestions, please contact me. Your support of U22 programming is deeply valued.

U22's at the Blue Chair - Nov 14th

The New U22's at The Blue Chair was a stellar success! The night featured 8 new U22's in songwriter in the round sets. Performing were: Tatum Williams; Robin Gannett; Alexander Chemist; Kessler Douglas, Jenna Jacobson; Jonathan Drachenberg; Kayla Patrick & The Command Sisters. Three U22 tier 3 mentors were on hand to give constructive feedback to each of the performers and then gave a fantastic set to end the night. Big thanks to Harold and staff at The Blue Chair and special thanks to Chris Martyniuk for running sound and recording the evening for podcast on YEGlive.ca!

Sunday Night Songwriter Stage & YEGlive.ca

The Sunday night songwriter stage continues to build in success. Each week, the Hydeaway is filled with emerging talent eager to share their songs with their peers. The community that is developing is inspirational and I encourage all young songwriters to come out and be part of it. Sound tech Chris Martyniuk and myself donate our time to run the Sunday night stage. Entrance is by minimum $5.00 donation at the door. All donations collected go toward maintaining the U22 website and continued programming initiatives. The podcasts are available on Edmonton's newest live listing site at YEGlive.ca.