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Epic ‘Eh’ team brings new life to ‘This is My Canada’ song

Jeanette Arsenault in the Rose Room Toronto recording studio.

Jeanette Arsenault’s epic “Eh” Team has national attention on the re-making of her song ‘This is My Canada’ and the production of music and documentary videos.

“It was better than anything I could have wished for and better than anything I had dreamed of too,” said Arsenault. “I was blown away by how smoothly everything went. We were all in the studio on the same day recording all the stars laying down their vocals.”

And in true Canadian fashion, Arsenault said everyone was patient, generous, encouraging and sang out their pride in being Canadian.

Jeanette with Randall Dark

And though she’s sworn to secrecy about the performers, soon-to-be announced multi Juno award winners are singing lead and noted director Randall Dark told the group Canadian director James Cameron expressed an interest in viewing the video as did a team member of another famous director, George Lucas, of Star Wars fame.

“You never know where these things will go but being seen and heard is half the battle after completion of the song and the video,” said Arsenault.

Don Coleman

A Canadian team of multiple award-winning music industry professionals and session musicians were lined up to create a world-class recording of Arsenault’s song and professional music video earlier this month at the Rose Room Recording Studio in Toronto. A choir of 30 youth singers and three musicians, under the directorship of County-born Anna Lynn Murphy, also perform.

Music industry consultant Don Coleman, endorsed by Gordon Lightfoot, acknowledged by the Jeff Healey estate and recognized by AC/DC, flew in from New Brunswick to co-ordinate many aspects of the project as producer.

Jim Zolis, studio engineer

“Jim Zolis was the magic man fantastic engineer at the Rose Room and what a wonderful place to record – beautifully decorated and incredibly sound-proofed, I was told five layers deep, finished with gorgeous wood on the walls and ceiling. Most importantly, he and Don created a relaxed, friendly atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable and amongst friends.”

Arsenault recorded the guide tracks for the musicians to lay down the music tracks “and then the solo artists one by one thrilled us with their own interpretations. This is My Canada has been given new life. And I am humbled by what I have heard.”

Arsenault admits the joy and energy in the room brought her to tears.

“I cried more than a few times listening to them sing their pride in being Canadian and singing their lines in their unique ways that elevated the song to the next level,” she said. “That was my pure joy to watch my song spread its wings and take flight.”

It was Arsenault’s first experience in a recording session at this level, though having independently released eight albums in her career she came in with knowledge of the process and technical side.

She wrote the song in 1992 and featured it on her first album, ‘From the Heart’ in 1994. Since she as performed it before HRH Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Visit to Ottawa in 1992 and for the Canadian Olympic Team in Salt Lake City in 2002 and Athens, Greece in 2004.

“They took the song as their own and gave it their soul,” over four 10-hour days. “I heard the word ‘epic’ more than once during those few days. It sure was an epic effort, I can tell you.”

This weekend Arsenault heads to Moncton, New Brunswick to sit in on the music video editing directed by Canada’s Randall Dark, who has worked with Willy Nelson and Lyle Lovett, among others. Work on a feature documentary is also under way. Dark is a pioneer of HDTV and accomplished filmmaker, writer, director and producer whose credits include “Fast From the Past”, “Angels Sing” starring Harry Connick Jr.

“We shot a lot of footage of the performers singing and it developed into the making of a documentary, so we decided that with a corporate sponsor we can fund a documentary video that could be entered into film festivals.”

Arsenault has continued her Go Fund Me Campaign for the project. The campaign reached a $10,000 goal within a month and raised more than $1,000 toward phase two’s $5,000 goal, she hopes to reach by month end to cover costs. Click here to add your support: https://www.gofundme.com/ThisIsMyCanada

Arsenault said all will be launched nationally once everything is in place over the next two months. The charities receiving the proceeds from revenues will also be announced.

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