Hey guys and gals,
this will just be a quick one (don’t I always say that, and it never quite is?)! I NEED YOUR HELP! This is for BOTH Canadians, and Americans, or any nationality at all really!
I am applying for a “Culture On The Go” Grant again this year. This is a really cool grant the government of my home province Saskatchewan gives. They will award you with some money to pursue a tour, in the name of creating awareness of our Saskatchewan culture, or even in the name of experiencing other cultures to bring back new knowledge or outlooks to Saskatchewan!
Really this is about sharing artistic works, AND learning from each other. Our province is GIANT…almost as big as Texas I believe… however only 1 million people live in the whole place! The biggest city being about 190,000 people!
So because of this I think it is very important for people from here to have an avenue to get their creativity out on a national and/or global scale, and I think its very cool when someone down in McAllen, Texas can vibe on someone’s work, who is from way up here…even above North Dakota! There is a lot of desolation with that much wide open space, but there is NO SHORTAGE of creativity!
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HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN!!! If you have the time, and you fancy yourself capable of writing a quick note to the Saskatchewan Arts Board, who decide whom will be awarded these grants, I am looking for fans who could write a quick message either describing how a Val Halla show positively impacted your community, or your family, or your friends, or you personally! And even if it wasn’t a live show, perhaps it was a song, an album, or even a music video you saw.
(You can send letters of support or recommendation to val@valhallaonline.com
Please include your NAME – email – a phone number if you would like. THE CITY AND STATE YOU LIVE IN. And what you do for a living! If you like you can include things such as AGE, or if you are a musician, or if you once were a musician, or anything more about yourself that you feel would help back up your point of view, or that you would like them to know about you!)
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I am going to be getting some letters of recommendation and support from some people in the music industry as well, but I thought it would be really cool this year to include some from fans. That way I can show how the year of touring we did this past year in 2010 was not all in vain… or at least I hope it wasn’t!
It is sometimes quite a struggle as a Canadian to tour in the U.S. and keep the budget in the black and out of the red. I’m sure its quite a struggle to do that even if you are FROM the U.S. But I can honestly say that I have learned SOOOOO much about American culture in the last year. I’ve gone coast to coast and from north to south, and everywhere in between! That Johnny Cash song when he’s singing “I’ve been everywhere man”….I bet I can check off more than half of the names of places he lists now…. I’d bet I’m around the 65% area 
Hopefully I’ll get them all one day!
Just to add the final crushing blow on my point, I’ll tell you that the great Joni Mitchell was from Saskatchewan, as was the recently deceased funny man Leslie Nielsen. REST IN LAUGHTER MY FRIEND! The fellow who produced the last two Ozzy Osbourne albums is the multi talented Kevin Churko from Saskatchewan! And if you’ve seen SLASH on tour recently, you’ve seen his bass player Todd Kerns who is also a SASKY and one hell of a musician!
There are many more talented people still in Saskatchewan who continue to call it home, which is even more of a reason to lay down some serious pathways between Saskatchewan artists and other artists all over.
I know everywhere I’ve gone, there have been great conversations, we’ve compared notes on political systems, health care systems, radio stations, popular bands, the weather, the money, funny expressions like how I say “EH” and “PAAAAHHsta” instead of “PAW-sta” and how you guys say “Ruff instead of RoooooF” and I call a napkin a “serviette” LOL.
More than finding things we laugh at, and finding things we agree on, I really enjoy hearing the things that are different from the way I was raised. It is GREAT to hear another’s opinion, from someone that sees something differently, AND ACTUALLY HEAR IT. There is more to be gained, and to be learned about the world in general if we can actually LISTEN to the people who disagree with us. I’m not saying to agree with everyone, because most of you know I still have no problem making an argument for myself But I’ve remained very close friends with some of the people I disagree with the most, and that I think is something that is worth celebrating in these times. I have some great American friends of all different political backgrounds & ideologies. And being able to put music first, and our passion for doing something good for each other, above the bickering and name calling that so often seems to come with differing political views, is to me what real pride and real freedom is all about.
Freedom to truly believe your best friend is out of their mind, and still rock n roll together is one of the greatest things I’ve found about America and Canada both.
So in the name of the great cause of Rock n Roll, which probably needs us to fight for its life now more than ever, I’m asking for anyone’s help who has something to say! If you can write a letter of recommendation or support for another Val Halla tour to come to the U.S. or to your area where ever you may be, please write it to the attention of the Saskatchewan Arts Board.
Please send it to val@valhallaonline.com
I thank you in advance if you take on this cause!
In closing I will say this, that regardless if we receive this grant or not, we WILL be coming back to the U.S. starting in March for our 2011 Spring tour.
Some dates are already posted, more will be posted soon! So please check back often!
And I hope to see you all again very soon! After this next one… I think it’s time for another album So if this is my last chance to be playing the No Place album, you best believe its going out with a bang!!!
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Happy Valentines Day or Anti-Valentines day, depending on which you celebrate
ROCK N ROLL LIVES, BIEBER OR NO BIEBER!!!! Irrelevant!
-Val Halla