Drew Parker

Drew was recently interviewed on Rock 95's The New Rock Hour about the March 26 worldwide release of his "Christine" music video, as well as the televised launch party at The Last Class in Barrie. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P5KGTgxKto&feature=related - Rock 95

http://www.simcoe.com/community/barrieinnisfil/article/655225

Drew Parker makes video debut

BARRIE - Drew Parker had better get used to seeing himself on the small screen.
The Barrie singer/songwriter is set to debut his first music video, all while filming a music documentary for NTDTV.

Parker will debut his video Friday at Georgian College’s The Last Class.

The video for his single Christine was filmed at the college, including The Last Class, last year.

“We knew we wanted to do a video as part of the natural progression of promoting my music and for my music career,” Parker said. “The studio that produced my album has an independent record label, but they also work in print design and web and video and photography. So, it was natural for us to use them for the video.”

The video was shot in one week in a number of locations around Barrie.

“We are proud of our accomplishment. We did it with no budget and no crew,” Parker said.

The video sets up a long-distance love story, featuring Parker singing to his wife who is at home, while he is on the road.

The singer tapped into his high school acting roots to be able to make the video’s love story believable

“It was a learning process. I had done a lot of acting when I was younger. I did a lot of stage acting and I got the lead in a lot of musicals because I could sing,” he said. “I hadn’t done any film acting, it’s a different world.”

The video release party will be filmed as part of Parker’s other TV project, a documentary for English/Chinese network, NTDTV.

“For a long time I have been using my music to spread awareness about the persecution of Falun Gong in China,” Parker said. “Falun Gong is a peaceful Chinese exercise practice that is based on the principals of truth, compassion and tolerance. It’s something really positive and something I have done for a long time.”

Parker said the Chinese government has been persecuting people who practice Falun Gong. He has been advocating and raising awareness about the human rights situation related to the practice.

“I wrote the song Mother China, and had been playing it for a few years. It’s on my album,” he said. “NTDTV contacted me about doing something about Falun Gong and my efforts and music. It’s a great way to educate people about the practice and what’s happening in China right now.”

The video release party will be held The Last Class on March 26. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. This is a 19 + event.

The event features performances from Alliston’s Grant Boyer and Parker. - www.simcoe.com

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2516478

Local artist garnering worldwide Internet fame

Posted By SUSAN DOOLAN

Posted 5 days ago

Drew Parker's new music video has moved into one of YouTube's top spots for Canada within only a few days of being posted on the web. The local singer-songwriter showed the video, calledChristinefor the first time at a concert/ release party event at Georgian College last Friday.

"So far the video is doing really well on YouTube -- (It's) one of the top ones in Canada for the week with 3,800 hits," said Parker, 30. "So we're excited about that. For the amount of exposure up to this point, it's a really good accomplishment, we think, and it's all word of mouth."

Part of the reason for last week's party was in celebration of securing world-wide distribution of the video.
It will be available through online and mobile retailers, but at the moment, can be seen for free at Parker's website, www.drewparker.com.

The video was shot in Barrie last fall, features scenes of the downtown, and includes some of the students at Georgian College.

The release party also marked a concert where Parker sang some of the songs off his debut albumOn My Way Home.Area residents may have heard Parker's music on local radio and television or at the Barrie New Music Festival, where he won the 'Best Folk' award. The album also made the short list for the 2009 Grammy Awards.

The video release and concert marked the beginning of shooting a documentary on Parker's life and music. Documentary producer Aaron Goldman was onsite as some scenes from the concert will be included in the film.

More of the documentary will be shot later this summer and Parker expects some of it to include scenes of Barrie. When it is completed, it will air on NTDTV's (New Tang Dynasty TV) English channel (Roger's cable 817). The company, which has headquarters in Canada and the U.S. also airs programs in Mandarin Chinese.

The interest in filming Parker came about, in part, because of his support for Falun Gong. He describes it as a peaceful slow-moving exercise program, similar to Tai Chi, which is based on truth, compassion and tolerance.

"It's just about trying to become a good person," said Parker, who likes to use his music to raise funds for cancer and awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong in China. "It just helps us to be more understanding (of others)."

It was while he was at a conference focusing on the mind/body exercise called Falun Dafa, that Parker met his wife, Christine.

Born in Orillia, Christine is the subject of the single (song) that is featured on the music video and she is also in the video. They have been married seven years, have three children together, aged six and under, and live locally.

Music has been a part of Parker's life from the time he was a young child.

It was one of the few constants as he moved from country with his father, an American diplomat.

Born in London, England, the songs Parker writes reflect many of the places he has lived around the globe.

Next week will see Parker performing at the Toronto Independent Music Awards, where he will be competing in the 'Best Live' category. - www.thebarrieexaminer.com/

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/32495/

Drew Parker Launches New Single 'Christine'
By Madalina Hubert
Epoch Times Staff

TORONTO—For Canadian singer/songwriter Drew Parker, making bright, uplifting music has become somewhat of a mission. With its refreshing lyrics and catchy songs, Parker’s debut album On My Way Home is already gaining an international following.

“The whole concept of the album is acoustic pop rock with a positive vibe. I want to make people feel good, give them hope, and make them forget about their worries,” Parker said.

Since the launch of his album in 2009, Parker’s songs have been getting air time on several radio stations in North America. He has also performed at various venues, including fundraisers and human rights events. Last year, the album made it past the first cut of the Grammy nominations—a feat for an indie musician.

Parker’s manager, Hugo Doucet, commented on the response to his musical journey. “It’s been absolutely fantastic. Drew leaves an impression on people after seeing him perform. If people watch him once, they still remember him a year after.”

This weekend, Parker launched the video for his single Christine, which made its international debut at hundreds of online sites and music retailers, including iTunes, YouTube, CinemaNow, Sprint, Bell, Verizon, Nokia, and Amazon.

The song, dedicated to Christine, his wife of seven years, won Best Folk at the Barrie New Music Festival.

Christine, who is also featured in the video, admitted the song made her feel “very special.”
“It’s a wonderful song about dedicated love,” she said. “It’s about our marriage, a marriage that will last forever. He’s a wonderful husband. If I could make music, I would write him a song in return.”

On My Way Home includes an upbeat piece called Something Bright, reflective pieces such as Forgiveness and Nothing’s the End of the World, and a playful number called Sticky Rice that tells of his experiences traveling around the world as a child.

“I think Drew’s music is very special. It has this unique positive vibe that a lot of today’s musicians lack,” said Malury Ibernon of Ingenious Records who produced Parker’s album.

“If you’re down, it brings you up,” said Ibernon, who feels a special connection to the project.

“He puts forward a desire to do good things through his music,” added Doucet. “Like his song Mother China, which talks about the persecution of Falun Gong. I think that this is something that touches people." Falun Gong is a peaceful meditation practice severely persecuted by the communist regime in China. The persecution has been condemned by governments and human rights organizations around the world.

Friday’s launch took place at Georgian College, in Barrie, Ontario where scenes of the video were filmed. Students from the college were also featured in the video, one of whom was Tyler Rodgers, who attended on Friday. Rogers said he was excited to be featured in the video and that he identified with the song.

“At the time, I’d been going with a girl and she lived about four hours away, and the song resonated with me,” he said.

The evening included a special performance by Parker and musician Grant Boyer who opened with acoustic folk rock renditions from his self-titled album. This is Boyer’s solo debut; he is also part of the rock band Entropy, and teaches guitar at the Modern Conservatory of Music.

Documentary maker Aaron Goldman, best known for his Canadian aboriginal music series Rez Bluez, was there to film the performance. Goldman is working on a musical feature about Parker.

“The songs are well produced,” he said. “[Drew] is bridging the gap between pop music and folk music.” The album is very positive in terms of message, but it also has the potential to do well in a popular market, explained Goldman.

Visit www.drewparker.com to learn more about Drew and to watch his new video Christine. - www.theepochtimes.com

Drew Parker understands the power of music and the great responsibility held by all of music creators. The twenty-eight year old singer/songwriter has created a masterful experience of “acoustic pop rock with a positive vibe” in his debut album, On My Way Home.
“I feel that music can reach people on a very fundamental level, in a way nothing else can,” says Parker.
“Music can really steer people’s emotions and touch their hearts. I believe as musicians we have to be mindful as to where we are leading people emotionally.”

On My Way Home builds gracefully at a soulful level, painting a warm picture of goodness and capturing a light-hearted, non-offensive experience through ten intimate acoustic songs.

“Most of the songs were a sort of self-reflection. Kind of like realizations occurring in a life-long journey.”
Parker’s chronicle of his worldly travel is especially sincere and endearing; the uplifting theme throughout the disc focuses on many different issues ranging from hope and truth to virtue and human rights.

“Mother China” is easily the album’s strongest effort. It is spurred forward with an undeniably catchy guitar line and carries a very important lyrical message. “It’s about a specific human rights subject: the persecution of Falun Gong,” explains the singer.

“The situation in China is utterly terrible right now…the torture methods used on [Falun Gong] practitioners would make your stomach churn. People have to know about these types of things, and that’s why I put the song on the album. At the same time we are donating all the profits from ‘Mother China’ to efforts in ending the persecution of Falun Gong.”
Drew Parker’s overall musical style has a story-telling vibe much like Florida alt-rock band Dashboard Confessional, and recalls the guitar playing antics of Dave Matthews. Songs are filled with a consistent “bounce” which, at times, provokes the hips to a groovy twist. The frequent highlight is Parker’s crystal clear voice and range, which has an innocent quality and overall strength that is quite impressive.

Each track enjoys an excellent arrangement that keep songs interesting along the way. On the serene “Let It In,” Parker invokes memories of Lennon in a sweet piano ballad where the singers cries, “It’s ok/ let it in/ no need to fear anything” atop bold guitars and percussion all the way to the epic finish.

The title track “On My Way Home” takes a jazzy dip back in time to a cool and laidback place, immersed in a low-key vibe—a perfect conclusion to the album. The singer closes the curtain appropriately as he sings, “I’ve been waiting all this time/ Waiting for the rest of my story/ I can’t wait to know how it ends/ Soon I’ll be on my way home.”

Drew Parker’s album On My Way Home is a highly recommended record that that has lots of character, is upbeat and fun to listen to and shows all the qualities of an artist who is inspirational and a role model for today. - By Chris Holehouse the Epoch Times

fter a long hard day at work with an hour long drive ahead of me, I was exhausted and pretty close to being in a very foul mood. I had recently received a copy of “On My Way Home” so I put it in my CD player to give it a listen. “Something Bright” was the first song to come roaring out of my speakers, not only was this song very catchy, but it also put me in such a happy mood. This song actually sets the mood for the whole album, and I would descibe each and every song as Uplifting and Inspiring.

The second song on this album is “Mother China” a song to support human rights in China. Drew is donating all proceeds from this single and a portion of proceeds from this album to efforts to stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

“Christine” the ninth track on this album is also a catchy tune and has been featured on the Peak FM’s Nothern Tracks program for the month of October. Not to mention that Drew wrote this song for his very supportive wife.

Not only was I lucky enough to have a chance to write a CD review for Drew Parker, but I also sat down and enjoyed a Tim Hortons tea with him. Within two minutes of our interview you could just feel how passionate Drew is about his music.

Drew describes his music as acoustic pop rock with a positive vibe, along the lines of John Mayer, and The Dave Matthews Band. I found his lyrics very thought provoking, as well as energetic but at the same time relaxing. Plus as an added bonus, Drew writes all of his own lyrics.

I also heard through the grapevine that Drew has been entered in the Grammys and has made it past the first cut in the nomination process. I’m rooting for you Drew and I am very confident that you will be there at the Grammy’s accepting your award and making Canada and Barrie very proud.

TRACK LISTING
1. Something Bright
2. Mother China
3. See Me Go
4. Let it In
5. Nothing’s the End of the World
6. Sticky Rice
7. Darling I’m Sorry
8. Forgiveness
9. Christine
10. On My Way Home

To learn more about Drew Parker check out his website at: www.drewparker.com - By: Joanne Blouin sugarcainentertainment.com

Drew performing "Sticky Rice" live on TV
Check it out at :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q69qFjBZhSg
- A Morning show

The Barrie New Music Fest took over downtown Barrie last month from September 10th-13th. This year's festival featured over 75 live touring artists of various genres, performing a series of concerts and showcases at ten of Barrie's finest live music venues. New to this year's festival was the New Music Awards which took place at The Mansion Night Club. This event highlighted over 20 independent music award categories, of which stand Drew Parker, Winner of Best Folk and featured live performances by numerous bands and artists. Overall, it was an amazing weekend and SNAP would like to congratulate the event co-producers, Paul Fairley and Doreen Harte on a fantastic festival! Thank you to all of the musicians for treating Barrie to an awesome weekend of live music! - SNAP Barrie