Out of tragedy comes art thanks to The Prophets of Music
Article // Jodi Brak
Published // 15 August 2016 // Calgary Journal
Scholarships will help Alberta musicians hone their craft.
Hailing from Edmonton, Rend is a fusion of gritty rock and roll with angsty electro-pop. The group was presented with their scholarship by Dan Owen (centre) and includes Carole-Lynn Quinn (centre left) on vocals and keyboards, Jeff Quinn (left) on bass, Steve Roe (right) on guitar and Jordan Dempster who was not able to attend the event. The group is excited to be a part of the Prophets of Music program, getting a unique opportunity to learn from some of the best mentors in Canadian music. // Photo: Jodi Brak
The Prophets of Music Emerging Artist Scholarship Program recently unveiled the first three artists who will be taking part in a new initiative, the next step in a long process that helps create artistic beauty out of tragedy.
In a special reveal event at the newly opened National Music Centre (NMC) Aug. 11, Dan Owen, owner of OCL Studios, announced the Calgary folk-pop group The Ashley Hundred, beachside pop wizard Brett McCrady and Edmonton based alt-rockers Rend will be the first three Alberta artists to take part in the program.
The Prophets of Music was formed in early 2015 to commemorate the murders of Joshua Hunter and Zackariah Rathwell, two talented musicians and members of the Calgary group Zackariah and the Prophets.
Also killed in the tragic attack on April 15, 2014, were Kati Perras, Jordan Segura and Lawrence Hong, friends attending a Brentwood house party to celebrate the end of classes at the University of Calgary. Matthew de Grood faced five charges of first-degree murder, but in May he was found not criminally responsible because of his mental state at the time.
While the murder of five young people shocked the city — repeatedly deemed to be “Calgary’s worst mass killing” by local media — the deaths of Rathwell, 21, and Hunter, 23, had a big impact on the local music scene. The duo and their band were honoured during the Juno Award festivities in Calgary in March, while Kyle Tenove and Barry Mason, the two remaining members of Zackariah and the Prophets, joined many local musicians in raising funds to commemorate the loss of their kindred spirits.
