DESCRIPTION:
"THE NEXT BIG THING" 2012 WINNER:
Myshel Pajuaar & The Midnight Roses
Video filmed by Terry Hoknes at hoknes@hotmail.com
The Finals show of Big Dog 92-7/Astral Media's "The Next Big Thing" country talent competition was held last night at The Pump Roadhouse in Regina, with Blake Berglund (Kennedy SK), Jannecke (Saskatoon SK), Myshel Pajuaar & The Midnight Roses (Swift Current) and Foxx Worthee (Regina) aiming to convince an esteemed panel of judges that they should be selected as this year's winner. Following confident performances by all four artists and a nail-biting wait for a decision by the judges, Myshel and her band was declared the winner.



Myshel has been performing all her life, emulating her favourite artists Patsy Cline and Hank Williams, and moved to Swift Current in 2007. You will often see her backed up by fellow Swift Current musicians Eliza Doyle and Paula McGuigan, and most recently has been joined on stage by Big River's Liza Holder. These ladies bring their years of touring experience, album releases, and songwriting skills together in the group they call The Midnight Roses, which was born in 2010. This unique formation of singer/songwriters hopes to bring a fresh and lively sound to the country, roots and bluegrass music scene.



The Next Big Thing started out with a pool of video submissions from all across Saskatchewan, which was narrowed down to ten Semi-Finalists by a music industry jury. Another music industry jury then selected the Top 4 artists to perform in the live finals, where artists each performed an original set that was evaluated by the judges on criteria such as vocal ability, songwriting, overall performance/stage presence, originality, market potential, and audience response.



A large and enthusiastic audience was on hand to enjoy the performances. Four music industry professionals formed the judging panel: Chris Foord, Music Director/Drive Home Announcer, Big Dog 92-7/Astral Media; Skip Taylor, SKIP: Artist Services and Performing Arts Coordinator, Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils; Brianne Deslippe, Director of National Promotion, Open Road Recordings; and Erin Aldridge, Director of Marketing & Artist Relations, Invictus Entertainment Group (formerly the Cressman Sakamoto Agency).



This year's winner receives a custom-tailored prize package worth over $15,000, including $10,000 cash. The artist will meet with SaskMusic to decide upon a plan of action for investing the prize into their career and taking advance of additional opportunities. It is hoped that the prize will have a true and lasting impact on their career.



Big Dog 92-7/Astral Media and SaskMusic congratulate the six semi-finalists who rounded out this year's Top 10:

Amy Nelson, J.J. Voss, Kerri Senkow, Stephen Maguire, The Bystanders, and Val Halla. Thank you to The Pump, our venue sponsor. A portion of last night's door charge went to the Big Dog Kids' Fund.



- 30 -



For information regarding The Next Big Thing please contact Lorena Kelly, SaskMusic, 1-800-347-0676 or lorenakelly@saskmusic.org.



Regina's True Country Big Dog 92-7 launched on February 20, 2008, and is owned and operated by Astral Media Radio, which operates 83 radio stations across Canada. SaskMusic is a member-based, non-profit corporation that stimulates the growth and development of the Saskatchewan music industry through leadership, promotion, training, advocacy and partnership.