November 15, 2015

Paris Climate Summit, ISIS, One & The Same

In light of recent ISIS terrorist events in Paris, I delayed posting this One & The Same Climate Change video. My heart bleeds for not only the lives lost in Paris, but as well Beirut, Africa, and the other 125,000 hearts that stop beating this past weekend in Japan & Mexico! The world needs CHANGE on so many fronts. The world is broken. Plus, the scientific data on #climatechange is indisputable.  Is this the legacy we want to leave our children & grandchildren?

I’m inspired that the Climate Summit will forge on in Paris, later this month. Our world leaders, and especially Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, & new Minister of Environment & Climate Catherine McKenna, need to ensure Canada shows our leadership, and willingness to change.  This summit, is now, more than ever needed to show the world can unite, in peace, in solidarity, and ‘do more than just’ desire to create a better planet for future generations! We need ACTION!

We can do this! #climatechange CAVEAT: We need #peace… It’s TIME!

https://youtu.be/yn-I9-5FHDw

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October 4, 2010

One and The Same Update & RadioStar

Sorry it has been so long since I have sent an update on the fate of ‘One & The Same’ & everything else musical.

I am very happy to say that ‘One & The Same‘ made the top 55 in in Canada out over 700 songs for the David Suzuki Playlist for the Planet Contest. Unfortunately, it wasn’t selected to make the final top 11 in Canada. I am so pleased it did as well as it did… and couldn’t have done so with out the help of all my friends voting every day on CBC Radio 3.  Thanks again!!!

This qoute sums up my feelings:

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” ~Michael Angelo

On to my update for today. This afternoon I attended the Canadian RadioStar Songwriting Workshop held at the Park theater in Winnipeg. Not only did I receive a live panel critique of ‘One & The Same’, but as well took away some amazing songwriting tips from Dan Hill. For those of you who don’t know Dan is one of Canada’s true songwriting geniuses, who has penned songs for the likes of Celine Dion, 98 Degrees, Brittney Spears & 100’s more. The advice I received WILL make me a better songwriter and I can’t wait to show YOU some of the stuff I am working on. I also was able to meet Renee, of Keith & Renee, the artist(s) whose song ‘The One‘ ended up being one of the Playlist for the Planet Winners. Congrats again Renee and it was great meeting you.

Lastly, I have selected my next two songs to go into the studio with; The River Runs & Three Guitars. These are two very different songs that will reveal two completely different sides of my writing! I will be trying to get into the studio over the next several months and so look forward to updating you soon.

Thanks a million for your support and make sure to post your thoughts as a comment and or send me an email to stay in touch.

Cheers,
Lee

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September 1, 2010

Round 2 Voting for Playlist for the Planet

(In about 20 minutes) 06:30 am PST Wednesday, September 1st Round two voting for David Suzuki’s & CBC Radio 3’s Playlist for the Planet officially gets under way. Please keep reading as I need YOUR help over the next week (explain more at the end)…

With over 750 songs entered in the contest & after all your voting in round one, ‘One & The Same’ has made the top 5 songs in Manitoba & with your help this week it could be chosen as the number one environmental anthem in Manitoba, and be put on the Universal Music album being released this October! All proceeds from the sale of this album will go to help saving our planet through the David Suzuki foundation. Our children deserve to inherit a healthy planet!

For the next seven days please  vote once per day to help ‘One & The Same’ go down in history as an environmental anthem next to such great artists as Joel Plaskett, Bruce Cockburn, Broken Social Scene, k-os, Gordon Lightfoot, Randy Bachman (with Sarah McLachlan and Nikki Yanofsky), DOA, Tom Jackson, Johnny Reid, Raffi, LIGHTS, Jessie Farrell, Rush, the Trews, Great Big Sea, and Tanya Tagaq.

Here is how you vote:

1. Please go here & vote once per day for  ‘One & The Same’ until  Wednesday,  September 8th: http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/polls/?pollId=73 (Login if you have already registered as a free member or take 2 seconds to signup)

2. If you want me to keep you up to date & hear how this all turns out please enter your name & email on the left side of this site or select the ‘Become a Fan’ button this page: http://radio3.cbc.ca/play/band/Raito/One-and-The-Same

3. Please share this with anyone & everyone you can..

Lastly, I can’t thank you enough as I couldn’t have come this far with out you & all my other friends!!!Now, lets go & win this thing!

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August 24, 2010

One and The Same FAQ

Did you write One and The Same specifically for the Playlist for the Planet contest?

Yep. June 25th, 2010 I started writing the song while my daughter Grace was in the bathtub (It’s our semi-regular Daddy Daughter routine & where I have written many of songs)! I have no doubt that my three daughters, and thoughts of my my future grand children, are the reason this song came together so quickly. Within 5 minutes, I immediately could hear the violins, female duet & everyone singing along in my head.

I made the decision right then and there that I would do whatever it took to get the song completed for the contest. From there it took a little less than 4 weeks of part time studio work & an awesome producer engineer by the name of Len Milne (Bedside Studios, Winnipeg) to bring One and The Same to life.

Who is that amazing female singer that comes in after the first verse/chorus?

That would be the amazingly awesome Samantha Rech. She is my voice coach, who just happened to owe me about an hour & a half of back lessons. So I convinced her to sing on my song instead of rescheduling more lessons. I’m so glad she agreed!!!! You can find out more about her on her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/samantharech

Who are all the people singing along in the last half of the song?

I love the fact that almost every musician that played on the song also lent their voice for the gang vocals (truly amazing musicians & Winnipegers). The most amazing part is that I was also able to get my Mom, Dad & Mother In-Law to participate in the group sing along (more stories about that for another time:). It’s one of those small things that I can pick out in the recording that makes me smile. If we are going to save the planet, just like this song, we have to all take ownership, regardless of race, generation or gender, and come together and have fun saving ourselves! I truly believe we can do it.

What musicians play on ‘One and The Same’?

Lee Raito– male vocals & two acoustic guitar parts.

Samatha Rech– Lead Female Vocals

Len Milne– Electric Guitar, Egg Shaker, Engineer & Producer Extraordinaire

Blaine Badiuk– Violin

Todd Lesage– Drums

Travis Hauge– Bass

As more questions are asked I will be happy to answer them. I’m just so happy that people have connected with this song and want it to win Playlist for the Planet. Regardless of whether or not it wins, this song makes, and will continue to, me think every day before I make decisions that might impact our environment and planet earth. This song & our earth are part of your an my legacy! You and I really are the world, One and The Same, it is up to you I to sing along and save her.

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