Safeguarding ‘Generation B’
Local songwriter promises winnings to charity
EVAN JOHNSON STAFF
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHEENA GROBB
Winnipeg singer/songwriter (and University of Manitoba student) Sheena Grobb is one of 55 young people chosen by Bootlegger (the clothing store, not the crazy old shifty-eyed bearded guy under the bridge down by the river who tries to sell you homemade whiskey out of his stained raincoat) to participate in their cross-country Generation B contest/search for a new advertising personality. The winner is determined through voting by the public, which can be done on Bootlegger’s snazzy website. Or, for those of us who prefer actual, physical spaces to all this virtual hokum, voting can also be done in-store.
The list of finalists is composed of various “exceptional youths” that for one reason or another, Bootlegger has determined might well deserve the $10,000 that is the contest’s grand prize. According to Bootlegger, “the candidates are all distinct, yet possess such strong leadership skills and passion for their community.”
Grobb was chosen for her exceptional songwriting talent, and though she was somewhat excited about the prospect of having the money to help her recording career and her school fees, she was also rather disheartened.
“I found it very discouraging to go out and self-promote for this contest,” said Grobb. "It wasn’t what I wanted music to be about, for me. $10,000 would be great, but [money] is not why I’m making music in the first place.”
Personally, I’ve always found that vague, ominous gestures and brutally coercive threats are the best ways to get people to do things, but Grobb’s approach is entirely different. Remarkably, she’s decided that, in the event that she wins the contest, she will donate the $10,000 to the Prairies Chapter Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
“I didn’t feel compelled until I made it about something that mattered to me,” said Grobb, whose grandmother died of breast cancer. Though winning the contest won’t provide Grobb with any hard cash, she hopes that support from the community will encourage her to develop her songwriting skills. She has already released an EP, Safe Guarded Space, and performed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and is currently enrolled in the faculty of education.
Voting for “Generation B” ends on Sept. 30. You could vote for, I don’t know, Cody Thornton, whose motto is “never say never,” if you wanted to. That’s a good motto, I guess. But the generosity of Grobb’s campaign makes PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHEENA GROBB it stand out from the rest.
