CBC Searchlight winner The Long War to play NAC July 2nd
If you’re a fan of Canadian music and follow CBC, you’ve probably heard of the CBC Searchlight contest. It’s a competition that attracts thousands of submissions from musicians across the country, and the search for the nation’s most talented undiscovered performers occurs over the course of several months. In its fifth year, CBC has partnered up with Canada Scene and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in the annual competition.
The contest has wrapped up with Vancouver’s The Long War being crowned winners (and, coincidentally, also have an Ottawa connection). The west coast folk rockers took the prize with their song “Breathe In Breathe Out,” beating out singer-songwriter Jaryd Stanley, as well as Saskatchewan trio The Wolfe and hip hop/R&B phenom WILL, who moved to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago at the age of five.
The Long War are set to play their biggest stage yet, Ottawa’s newly-renovated National Arts Centre on July 2nd. The night will be hosted by Canadian songwriting staple Royal Wood, who worked with them during their residency at The Banff Centre, and will also feature exhilarating performances by the runners up.
I spoke with The Long War’s singer Jarrett Lee about the CBC Searchlight competition, and the road ahead. Read the interview and watch their performance of “Breathe In Breathe Out” below.
The CBC Searchlight Live! event will be held on Sunday, July 2nd at the National Arts Centre’s beautiful Babs Asper Theatre at 7 pm. Find ticket information and purchase links here.
Interview with The Long War’s Jarrett Lee
Now that the CBC Searchlight competition is over, what was your biggest takeaway from the contest? Did you learn anything from the process as a whole?
Our biggest takeaway is something that we continue to remind ourselves everyday and that is Searchlight is an opportunity. We need to work hard and take full advantage of that. There’s a lot to learn in the music industry and we need to embrace those learning experiences while continuing to grow musically as a band. We’re so excited for what’s to come, and so grateful CBC and Searchlight has helped put us in this position.
What does it mean to you to come play in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre for Canada’s 150th?
Ottawa is a special place, it’s like a home to me. The first stage I ever performed on was in Ottawa. I met my bandmate Chad in Ottawa when he was cutting his teeth in the music scene before moving to Vancouver. The NAC is an incredible venue, I saw one of my favourite bands Wilco play there. And to be playing a venue so renowned on Canada Day 150 alongside Royal Wood to my family and friends is truly surreal. It’s an important chapter in this journey and we’re so thrilled to be a part of the celebration.
Winning the competition is a huge feat, with so many other acts that entered from the start. Did you get a chance to listen and become a fan of any other artists? If so, whom?
There were a lot of talented artists in Searchlight, I’m a fan of Will, Jaryd Stanley and The Wolfe all of whom will be hitting the NAC stage July 2nd. They were our Searchlight finalist peers and we spent some serious time together going through the process. That experience was a special one that we all shared connecting us in a way. They’re also really great songwriters and awesome people worth checking out.
What was it like playing “Performance in the Park” in from of a sold out crowd in Banff?
It was like nothing I’d ever experienced! There were two thousand plus in the crowd, the weather was cold and wet but people came out and were so interested in sharing in the experience of live music and so engaged in the performance. We have a song called “Lake Louise” and everyone sang along. Magical things happen in Banff.
How much longer will it be until the Vancouver Canucks win the Stanley Cup?
Great question! Patience is a skill, not a virtue. We’ve got a hard core Montreal fan in this band who I’m sure would love to answer this if he could. Missed opportunity, sorry Chad!
Moving forward, what does the future hold in store for the band? Do you feel like there’s a lot of music in you to give?
We’re releasing an album called “Landscapes” in January that we recorded at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga with Producer Kevin Dietz. We couldn’t be more excited about it. We’re always writing and already have lots of material we can’t wait to play. There’s plenty of music flowing through us, we’ve already planned our follow up album!