Songwriter asks voters to put weight behind Weight 

February 28th, 2013 – News Reporter Emma Jackson’s story

EMC news – A Greely musician is hoping his song can help the world put an end to suicide.

Larry Pegg wrote his song Weight last October while attending the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention convention in Niagara Falls. The upbeat but emotional song was motivated by the grief he’s endured since his daughter died by suicide at the age of 20 in 2007.

The song’s message, Pegg said, is to convince everyone to slow down and let others help you carry your burden.

“We all carry weight, and there are times when we feel crushed by the burden of it and darkness can become frightening and unbearable,” Pegg wrote on his blog. “My objective with this song is to try and help those that have lost hope to reach out and at least to find some comfort in and through the music.”

Pegg took his song and message to the next level through CBC’s Searchlight contest, a national competition to find Canada’s next big artist.

Under the artist name LPGroove, throughout February Pegg was busy mobilizing an army of voters to help his song win the contest with the promise that all proceeds – from the prize money to future album sales – will support the mental health and suicide prevention cause at large.

At press time, the first round of voting had not been concluded to decide which songs made it into the top 20.

The song’s lyrics climax with the words, “You’ve got to wait/Just share the weight/This love is great.”

Pegg said it captures the feelings of every parent who has endured their child’s suicide.

“You’re screaming out, ‘please wait, don’t do it, come back, we love you,’” he said through tears at his kitchen table. “This has become my raison d’etre.”

Pegg said that if his song can win the contest, which is currently in its regional voting phase, everyone will win because “the world will be healthier.”

“CBC sees it merely as a popularity contest, but I see it as an opportunity to focus the power of the mental health and suicide prevention network, and music.”

He plans to donate 100 per cent of the prize winnings, including a paid gig in Toronto and the opportunity to make a music video, to mental health causes. The video, he said, would be used as a tool to get the message out that suicide is not the answer.

Voters can secure him a spot in the top 20 by Feb. 24 by voting every day until then. If he makes it to the number one spot in Ottawa he will compete against other regional winners across the country for the national title.

But win or lose, Pegg said the contest serves as a convenient platform for suicide prevention.

“It will be a way to keep sending the message,” he said.

After the contest, Pegg plans to release his first album during Mental Health Week in May, featuring Weight and another nine to 13 songs.
Titled Before and Afterlife and the Theory of Positivity, the album will feature collaborations with a number of Canadian and international musicians.

All proceeds from the album’s sales will also go to mental health programs, although Pegg hasn’t decided which organizations will benefit from his music.
To vote for Weight visit cbcmusic.ca/allinaday.

LPGroove Commits proceeds of CBC Contest to DIFD – Quick Voting Link — Just added! 

CLICK this LINK:
http://music.cbc.ca/polls/vote.aspx?pollQuestionItem=NTkyOA==

If you have problems, copy and paste this short link:
http://r3.ca/0YAo

Vote Today and every day and help the cause of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. It’s a Quick Click and you’re done.
Please throw your weight behind Weight. Thank you.

You can listen to Weight at the above CBC link too, and Read my bio while you’re at it.

Thank you for your support for a great cause. We are all part of the solution.

Time to Vote! Put Your Weight behind Weight for Suicide Prevention 

Why should you be voting for Weight IN THE CBC SONGWRITING CONTEST? See link below.

Weight is donating 100% of the proceeds (including the winning prize of $20,000 and all future sales and royalties) to help the cause of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Joining the Weight Campaign will change your life and others for the better and a large part of the world too. Details to unfold shortly, so bookmark this website and start spreading the good word.

How to Vote?
CBC Contest: Click here to vote for the cause.

To the right of my bio, you’ll see a Vote for this Artist in yellow. Simply take 2 seconds. Then Bookmark this page and vote everyday for the cause of Suicide Prevention. Hugs to you and those we’ve lost.

Voting Details for the CBC Searchlight Contest – Voting starts Monday Feb. 18th 

Hey, To help make it easier for you to help me bring Weight to this competition. Monday Feb. 18th, I will receive an email notice from CBC and it will contain a voting link. I will then be posting the link here, as well as Tweeting it and FB and possible text. This link will allow you to vote for the Searchlight Contest. More importantly, you can pass this link on to your friends and family, wherever they are.

Here is the scoop from the Contest Rules: All Submissions will be posted on the Website where public voting will begin on February 18, 2013 at 12:01 a.m. ET until February 24, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. ET to determine the top 20 from each Region (“Regional Semi-Finalists”).

Each vote is extremely important and will help me to help the cause (to raise funds and awareness) for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.

If you have lost someone directly due to suicide, you can share the Weight with me. If you can’t imagine what this loss would be like then support Weight and you will be helping bring awareness to this crisis issue.

The GOAL: Placing high will help gain momentum to sell this music and through sales when the album is released in May 2013. Winning is not impossible because the cause is strong, It has been gaining strength and attention for some time and we are well positioned to get attention for the music, but most importantly for this issue. I’m hoping that this song will be remembered as a link that made a difference.

My album is scheduled for release during Mental Health Week in Canada (May 6-12, 2013).

CBC’s Bandwidth features Music of The Hockey Project 

CBC’s Bandwidth cbc.ca/bandwidth is leading Saturday’s show (5-6pm) with We Love Hockey by TheHockeyProject.ca. Thx to CBC’s Amanda Putz.

Amanda Putz and I met on Twitter and then the phone today and we had a great talk about the power of music and life. She knows all the players that are working on the album with me and she looks forward to it. Amanda’s first class all the way, with a new baby girl for her and hubby to celebrate and hold close. Congratulations and Thanks Amanda.

– Larry Pegg (@lpgrooves)



CBC Songwriting Contest and the inspiration of Lynn Miles and CASP 

Weight by Larry Pegg



Weight was written and recorded on October 14th, 2012 in my hotel room while attending the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) National Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario and it was entered into the CBC Lynn Miles Song Writing Contest that same day. This downloadable version was recorded on my Mac laptop using the on-board mic. Although Weight is an uplifting and hopeful song, tears were falling on my laptop and my guitar as I worked and those uncontrollable tears are now recorded in this version. Those tears were for my beautiful daughter lost 5 years ago to suicide and for those others that we’ve lost. Those tears were also for more, much more, and if you’d like to know more, you can keep reading.

Although Weight did not officially win the contest, it did finish top 5 and it won hearts and minds, providing me and others with a chance to get the music and the message out. This is a start, not an end.

Congratulations to ERIN SAOIRSE ADAIR and Dean Watson for their collaboration on the winning song. You are fine artists and deserve this recognition. Also, thanks to all the songwriters (approximately 65) that participated. I hope to be there this Friday Oct. 26th along with some of my peeps to cheer you at the victory performance and to celebrate Lynn.

How did Weight Unfold?
Per the contest guidelines, songwriters were tasked with using Lynn’s lyric line “It is the desperation of a late-night telephone call” from her song “Loneliness”. This lyric provided the perfect line to help me unleash my feelings of anger and pain, pent up for many years after the loss of my daughter in December 2007. Weight also gave me a chance for bringing light. I hope you will feel this light.

For context, I met Lynn for the first time only a few weeks after my loss, and a few times since, and she has been caring and gracious, and this connection and the timing of this chapter in my my life has become part of the energy for me. Did Lynn write this for me? No, but let’s just pretend that Lynn is channelling our innermost needs and let’s celebrate her for the artist that she has become. Thank you Lynn.

“Stepping out from the Darkness”
The theme for this years CASP Conference was “Stepping out from the Darkness” and it could not be a more appropriate theme as there is darkness for those lost to suicide and to many of those that are left behind, the survivors. I am a survivor, and even after almost 5 years, I’m suffering intensely, PTSD, depression are now familiar and through music, healthy eating, good friends and physical activity, I’m trying to get by . It s no secret that many survivors will carry the scars of their losses forever. These scars can be unbearable and often hidden. WE all need to try to be brave and step out from the darkness. That means try your best to find a path to communicating. Don’t hide. Reach Out!

About the Song/Lyrics?
We all carry weight, and there are times when we feel crushed by the burden of it and darkness can become frightening and unbearable. We are all part of the puzzle in a difficult world. For survivors, their world has broken apart. Dreams and families often shattered. We too need to Step out of the Darkness, so my objective with this song (and soon others to come) is to try and help those that have lost hope to reach out and at least to find some comfort in and through the music. The lyrics can be viewed by clicking the link.

How to Reach Out?
If you’re feeling the weight of suffering, my message is to ask you to wait, and to consider the crushing burden that your survivors will carry forever if you don’t. You are needed. You are loved. You matter. Reach Out!

Please step out from the darkness and find someone, anyone, who will listen to your story. If you don’t have someone close, then reach out to the compassionate networks of caring people in your community. They are trained and they want to help. You can find these services in your community. Perhaps listening to this song is a start? If you need help, for yourself or a friend or loved one, you can call, or text, or find an online Crisis Chat service. Just wait…there can be and will be another day if you try. I know it isn’t easy.

Finally, thanks to Lynn Miles for her 25 years of songwriting and for the inspiration with the opening lyric/line of Weight. You deserve this celebration. You have an incredible gift. Thank you. And thank you for sharing it.

One more thing! Your download purchase of Weight including any royalties through radio play etc. will see 100% of those funds going to support Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.