On Sunday, October 28, the Arts and Culture Center in collaboration with the Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc (MIANL), produced a concert of Emerging Newfoundland artists that are up and coming in the music scene. Performances by Silverseed, Ray Lake, and Rasa rocked the auditorium for nearly two and a half hours.

The concert began with a few words from the host, Denis Parker, the Executive Director of the MIANL. Parker spoke about the purpose of the tour, and what it hopes to achieve by exposing these rare talents. The speech was followed by the first performers of the night, Silverseed, a vibrant group of four young men. Six foot-tapping songs were played, including "Sick and Tired", "Stop", "Shakin' Like a Leaf", and an unrecorded song called "Can't Rest My Head". For the most part, the band had a ‘pop' musical edge, but the most memorable song they played was entitled "Could Care Less", which is slightly similar to the style of the popular band Creed.

Silverseed was the ‘baby band' of the night, with their first CD Bronze just released. It was easy to tell from the audience's enthusiastic appreciation of Silverseed's performance, that it certainly wouldn't be their last CD.

The second artist of the evening was the irrepressible Ray Lake, introduced by friend and renowned Newfoundland author Kevin Major. In his introduction, Major read an excerpt from his latest novel which inspires some of Lake's music. Some of you readers may be familiar with Lake's work, if you happen to be a fan of Newfoundland music. He recorded 'Seaboat' in 1999, and recently released 'There's Gonna be a Time Tonight'. But even if you aren't, Lake's upbeat, humorous attitude on stage will make you a fan.

For the concert, Lake played several popular Newfie tunes from his two CD's, such as "Out In The Bay" and "Did You See John B Last Night?" For every few comical songs, there were a couple ballads. "Waltzman Rita" dedicated to his mother, and "The One I Got", dedicated to his wife were both touching and enjoyable songs. To top off his energetic set, Lake and a four man band played the classic "There's Going to be a Time Tonight", a surefire ploy to get the audience clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and singing along.

Next on the player's list was Rasa; a Newfoundland based duo of Erin Best and veteran guitarist Sandy Morris. With a folk sound, Best could be a sound-alike for solo artists like Sarah Maclachlan or Natalie Merchant. The pleasant chords created songs like "Suggestion," "Sumo," "Helix," and "Hey Lucy",. A couple of the songs were written for the maturing teenager woman, which at least half of the people in the audience could relate to. A variety of instruments were used to accompany lyrics to create a more interesting sound. Organ, bass, drums, harmonica, and sax to name a few. These songs can be found on Rasa's CD entitled Neoprehistoric, which would be a staple in your music collection if you enjoy relaxing music and introspective lyrics.

The Emerging Artists concert was covered by a live webcast presented by CBC Radio Canada and Newtel, so if you couldn't make the concert in person, it was just as simple to join in the fun via computer. The tour ran from October 28 to November 2, but judging by its success in St. John's, the tour will hopefully run again next year.

Links:

Music Industry Association of Newfoundland & Labrador

Arts & Culture Centres in Newfoundland & Labrador

CBC Newfoundland & Labrador