Dahlia Kurtz interviews me on September 10, World Suicide Prevention Awareness Day 

Yesterday, September 10, 2013, was It’s World Suicide Prevention Awareness Day. Dahlia Kurtz, whose show airs weekday afternoons from 1 to 3 on 680 CJOB in Winnepeg, interviewed me, and the audio of the interview is streaming in the SoundCloud player below – please have a listen. 

Here's the note from Dahlia's show page at www.cjob.com/dahlia:

"Larry Pegg’s daughter took her own life, and now he’s committed to raising awareness around suicide prevention, in a very interesting way…"

Thank you so much, Dahlia. 

Even in the Cold celebrates legacy of Pierre Elliott Trudeau – pass on for Canada Day  

Hello musical friends,

I hope you’ll enjoy this tribute to Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Excuse the Rah! Rah! Canada...but Trudeau was/still is the Gretzky of politics. The Great One. Forever...
Pass on for Canada Day if you think it’s commendable.

In advance of the September 10th release of his debut album, “Before and Afterlife: The Theory of Positivity,” Larry Pegg introduces Even in the Cold, the first song that celebrates the legacy of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Here’s the link to listen http://lpgroove.ca/eveninthecold.cfm or click on the podcast link at the bottom of this post.

About Even in the Cold?

I wrote this song in October 2000 after Pierre’s funeral in Montreal. I had attended the ceremony with my thirteen-year old daughter. I was moved to attend Pierre’s funeral for a number of reasons. Primarily, I was very moved by his legacy, but on a human scale, his loss of his son Michel in 1998 affected me the most. It showed us all that public figures are still fragile and vulnerable people like the rest of us. They deserve our respect.

Many believe that Pierre's loss of Michel was his undoing, and that he lost his will to fight and ultimately to live. I felt this viscerally. My heart went out to the family. In a sense, this song was about my shame that many Canadian’s, literally hated the man. Many still do today, and I believe that this is a dark side of Canada that needs to be exposed, and put to rest.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/cms/binary/3673662.jpg?size=620x400

Above picture of a family’s crushing loss was taken by the Montreal Gazette.

Why is this song on an Album supporting Suicide Prevention?

Little did I know that my visceral connection to the Trudeau loss would be a parallel for my own life, as I was to experience the same devastating anguish when I lost my precious daughter to suicide in 2007.

From the darkness of ongoing grief, symptoms of PTSD and depression, I’ve found the way to express my own feelings of loss, and more importantly, to try and bring some help and a sense of hope to others through this musical offering, part of my life's collection of music. The Trudeau song is an important part of the story behind this project.

Like all my songs, Even in the Cold was written on acoustic guitar. It was always intended to be epic, telling both Trudeau’s and Canada’s story. Ironically, the song runs 6:37, about the same as Lightfoot’s "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. A full string section was envisioned, however we rocked this version out with the amazing guitar style of Fred Guignon. Fred’s frantic power chords and soaring whammy bar notes and the Gabriel-esque epic ending are fitting for any celebration of our collective passion for Canada. Special thanks to James Clugston for believing in this song and hitting those Canadian Rocker BG vocal highs and Ross Murray for fine drums/production, Edmund Eagan (continuum operator), Pat Guinta (bass), Jeff Rogers (keyboards).

You’ll have to be the judge if it captures some of the passion that we all felt for Canada’s most memorable Prime Minister. A video would be an amazing next step.

Thank you.

Larry Pegg
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SamaritanMag names <i>Weight</i> Charity Song of the Month 

SamaritanMag.org, which publishes original news stories about good deeds by individuals, charities and businesses, has named Larry Pegg's Weight as Charity Song of the Month. Here's an excerpt of the post by Karen Bliss, who covers music for Billboard, RollingStone.com, MSN, AOL and many others—and who recently won Music Journalist of the Year at the 2013 Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards:

"Weight was the catalyst that gave Ottawa roots musician Larry Pegg the will to record another album after the crippling loss of his daughter to suicide in 2007. The song was written, literally between tears in his hotel room, while attending the 2012 Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention's National Conference. Pegg is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from downloads of Weight — and 50 percent of the full album download proceeds [from the album Before and Afterlife: The Theory of Positivity] — to D.I.F.D., started in memory of 14-year-old Daron Richardson, who took her own life.

Read the full post on SamaritanMag.


Song <i>Ogdensberg</i> featured on television news story in Watertown, NY 

My song Ogdensburg and the story behind the music was covered in a story on WWNY TV channel 7 and WNYF Fox 28 in Watertown, New York, on June 3. Thanks to reporter John Friot. Watch below or visit the station's website.



Here's an excerpt from the story:

"Ogdensburg was a connection to mental health, to grieving, to rising from the ashes...We can find hope, even in the ashes of grief," said Pegg.

While his eyes have seen the tragedy of losing his 20 year old daughter to suicide, Pegg says using his voice and guitar is not only a form of musical therapy for him, but also a chance to bring hope to others.

He's using his talents to draw attention to suicide prevention and mental illness.

"I'm really hoping that we can all do this together through music," said Pegg. Read more

Don’t Stop Stompin’ Tribute to the late Stompin’ Tom Connors (album Bonus track) 

Released today (May 17th), "Don't Stop Stompin'", co-written, co-performed and co-produced with Edmund Eagan, is a free bonus track the 5 song pre-album release. Go to Download Section.

During the NHL Playoffs, 50% of the proceeds from all sales will go to support DIFD (Do It For Daron). WE hope that hockey fans will help make a big difference.