News Article

Live in front of thousands


4/2/2012 12:11:09 PM


Taylor Roberts, left, and Branden Boyd play their instruments while doing a sound check. James Churchill photo


The CNA band from left, Samantha Burke on acoustic guitar, Taylor Roberts on electric guitar, Steve Andrews on bass, Chris Reid on drums, Shannell Lewis on keys and shaker, and Brad LeRiche on electric guitar. Missing from photo, Branden Boyd on bass.

By James Churchill
 
Students from College of the North Atlantic (CNA) rocked the Persian Gulf on March 20.

A band consisting of Music industry & Performance students and Recording Arts students from the Bay St. George campus in Stephenville performed at the Global Village international cultural festival in Doha, Qatar, hosted by CNA’s international campus, CNA-Qatar.

Nineteen countries were represented at Global Village; it was the first time for the inclusion of Canadian students.

The CNA band, dubbed Mad Bass and Groovy Shakes, performed six Canadian songs: Paranoid Freak by The Trews, Keep on Rocking in the Free World by Neil Young, Where Have All the Good People Gone by Sam Roberts, Poets by The Tragically Hip, If Everyone Cared by Nickelback - and they ended with Rush’s Fly by Night.

The band had been practicing for months before travelling half-way around the world to perform. Sam Burke, a music industry and performance student from St. John’s, has been dreaming of such an opportunity her entire life.

“This is so fun and is always what I wanted to do – the Global Village is pretty epic,” said Burke, who sang and played acoustic guitar with the group. “I didn’t ever think I would be an international touring artist but now I am – so that’s pretty cool.”

After the band’s performance, people of all ages came up to the musicians and congratulated them on a job well done.  Branden Boyd, a bass player with the band, was all smiles after the performance.

“We got up on stage tonight and we just rocked out; it was just amazing,” Boyd said. “Everybody else who has been performing on stage has been amazing as well. We have seen acts from Pakistan, India, Qatar – and everything is mind-blowing.”

This year’s Global Village was originally scheduled for March 18-19, but a sandstorm forced organizers to delay event for one day. It was a blessing in disguise as the students were able to extend their trip.
Not only did the students perform on stage at the Global Village in front of over 2,000 people but they also did some sightseeing in Qatar as they stayed for a total of eight nights.

It was the sixth time the event has been hosted by CNA-Q in Doha. Diane Martin, public relations specialist for CNA-Q, was one of the main organizers of the Global Village.  She has been involved with Global Village since it started back in 2006.

Martin looks forward to this event every year and begins preparing for the Global Village six months before it starts.

Martin, originally from St. John’s, was adamant about having music students from her home province perform at the Global Village. She was amazed at how well the Newfoundland students performed on stage in front of thousands of people at the Global Village.

“Oh my God, they were brilliant,” said Martin. “They brought the place down.”

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For more on the 2012 Global Village, see these video highlights: 

Global Village 2012 Recap
 

 
Media Contact:

Tanya Alexander
Public Relations Specialist, Qatar Project Office
College of the North Atlantic
Tanya.alexander@cna.nl.ca
709.643.0811