Calgary band hopes to spread the word about bullying
Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter
Strathmore High School, SHS, students can look forward to a treat when the popular Calgary pop/rock band Seventh Rain visits the school. The band will be performing at the school Feb. 23, at 11:30 a.m. Before the concert the band will be discussing bullying.
“What we do is, we go into schools and we have a program we’ve built about bullying,” said bass player Luke Sheppard.
“We just tell our story and we say ok look, this is what I’ve been through, this is what happened to me at this point of my life. I was the bully, or my friends were the bullies or I was bullied, we’ve all got a unique perspective on it.”
Sheppard said they give a background of who they are and what they’ve done to offer encouragement.
“You maybe can’t help being bullied but there are ways you can handle it. We turned to music, for example.”
The band is in its fourth year of the anti-bullying campaign. Sheppard said they have had big success at shows for all ages, but bars are not their scene, and Sheppard said it’s not very rewarding to play in a bar. Sheppard, bass player for the band, had met the lead singer Ryan Williams through a friend and joined the band six years ago. Williams and guitar player Rich Macfarlane had gone to junior high and high school together and drummer John Byskal, joined a year ago. The band began promoting themselves and their anti-bullying campaign when the school Sheppard had been bullied in gave them a chance. He presented the idea to his former teacher, now principal of the school, and she agreed to it.
“The program has matured a lot since then. Back then we didn’t know how to use this anti-bullying message, we just knew we were a positive band, with positive music and that we loved playing for kids,” said Sheppard.
Eventually the band began to incorporate anti-bullying into it and decided to separate the two. The performance is done as two parts. It’s about a half hour presentation, during which they encourage the bystander to step in, followed by the concert. He said they bring the whole thing, a lighting system-PA, banners and gear. Sheppard said the concert and the message are separate but closely linked.
“The concert isn’t about being bullied and the songs aren’t about being bullied, but it’s a very positive substance,” said Sheppard.
“After the concert, we make a strong point of sticking around and if anyone wants to talk to us or has questions, wants an autograph, they have the opportunity.”
He said often the kids go to different members of the band, depending on who has been in what situation and who they can relate to the most.
“We have found a niche market that really works. We play to a packed house and the footwork is simply different,” said Sheppard.
“Really if you just save one person in each school, well that’s a success,” said Sheppard.
In August the band won $200,000 in the AMP 90.3 Rock Star contest, and their song ‘I’m Here’ is currently in rotation on AMP. The band has also shared the stage with Hedley, Live, Marianas Trench, Nickelback, Evanescence, Sum 41 and Third Eye Blind. On their website and MySpace links, they have an anti-bullying video that they encourage people to watch. Booking them is fairly easy to, just go to booking@seventhrain.com.