Sheena Grobb

Manitoba Singer/Songwriter Sheena Grobb will release her EP Safe Guarded Space, at the West End Cultural Centre on Thursday August 3, 2006, show starting at 8:00 p.m.

The popular venue will be familiar territory for Grobb, who counts opening for Andy Stochansky and Loudon Wainwright III among the highlights.

Sheena recently performed songs from Safe Guarded Space at the 2006 Winnipeg Folk Festival where the long awaited EP sold over 120 units during a limited four day pre-release.

Tickets for the album release are priced at $10 and go on sale today at the West End Cultural Centre. Tickets can also be purchased in advance at McNally Robinson, Folk Fest Music Store, Into the Music, Music Trader, and will be available at the door on August 3 for $13.

The EP will be available on August 4th at both McNally Robinson locations (Grant Park and Portage Place) and the Winnipeg Folk Festival Music Store.

Safe Guarded Space was produced by Micheal Glucki, engineered by Neil Cameron and Lloyd Peterson at Private Ear Recording, Howard Rissin at MidCanada Production Services, Nolan Balzer at da Capo Productions, mixed by Neil Cameron, mastered by Peter J. Moore at The E Room and released by local label, Wonderlab Media.

Full Electronic Press Kit available at www.sheenagrobb.com or visit www.myspace.com/SheenaGrobb


-30-

- General

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2006

FROM BRANIACS TO BMXERS: THE GENERATION B CAMPAIGN
CELEBRATES CANADA'S COMMUNITY ROLE MODELS

Sheena Grobb, Winnipeg singer/songwriter Selected Among The New Faces of Bootlegger

(Vancouver, BC / Winnipeg, MB) – Instead of looking for the newest celebrity to grace its ads, Bootlegger has taken inspiration from the streets of Canada's communities with its Generation B campaign. As part of this new program, Bootlegger chose exceptional youth from coast-to-coast to appear in its latest ad campaign. Sheena Grobb was chosen from Winnipeg, Manitoba for her flourishing singing and songwriting talent.

"We, at Bootlegger, wanted to do something bold in our new ad campaign and acknowledge the youth that make up Canada's cities, " said Dustin May, Bootlegger's Director of Marketing. "We are truly inspired by the young role models we found to be part of the Generation B campaign. The candidates are all distinct, yet possess such strong leadership skills and passion for their community,"

Each candidate from the 55 communities across Canada was flown to Vancouver in July to participate in a photo shoot. The ad campaign will appear in stores and on the newly redesigned Bootlegger website beginning September 1st. When the ads are posted on the website, residents of each community will be encouraged to vote for their representative. The candidate who receives the most votes will win $10,000 to invest in their passion. Voters can cast their vote online by simply visiting Bootlegger's website at www.bootlegger.com or by visiting any Bootlegger store across the country.

Profile | Sheena Grobb

After releasing her debut EP "Safe Guarded Space" this past summer and playing at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, she now aspires to bring her music across Canada. Sheena is currently attending the University of Manitoba, completing her final year in the Faculty of Education, with a major in chemistry. Sheena hopes that support in this campaign from the Manitoba community will give her the encouragement to continue developing as an artist. For more information on Sheena visit www.sheenagrobb.com, myspace.com/sheenagrobb and www.sonicbids.com/sheenagrobb.

Known for its community involvement, May notes that the Generation B campaign is an extension of the grass roots initiatives Bootlegger already supports. Founded in 1971, BC-based Bootlegger opened its first store in Vancouver. Today, the privately owned company has 102 stores nationwide, providing brand name jeans and causal fashions to young Canadians seeking current trends in clothing and accessories. Bootlegger prides itself on knowledgeable and friendly staff trained to help patrons find the perfect pair of jeans or outfit. From brand name jeans such as Silver and Mavi, to trendy tops, bottoms and accessories, Bootlegger provides Canadian guys and girls with the latest casual clothing at great value.

– end –

Media Inquiries

Re: BOOTLEGGER/GENERATION B
Melany Chretien | Kim Sonmor | Interim Communications
Tel: 1-866-333-9630
Email: melany@interimcommunications.ca
- Interim Communications

SHEENA GROBB, WINNIPEG SINGER/SONGWRITER, MAKING EFFORTS TO
DONATE $10,000 TO THE CANADIAN BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION PRAIRIES/NWT CHAPTER


(Winnipeg, MB) – Local musician, Sheena Grobb, is attempting to win the $10,000 grand prize from the Bootlegger Generation B campaign of which she was selected to represent her community as an exceptional youth role model. Sheena has decided that should she win this competition, she will donate the $10,000 to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Prairies/NWT Chapter. Touched by breast cancer when her grandmother passed away from the disease, Sheena made the decision in the spirit of supporting the cause to redirect her efforts from one of personal benefit towards something that would make a difference for so many others.

Grobb notes, "The Generation B campaign winner receives $10,000 to go towards their passion. Supporting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation local chapter is something I feel incredibly passionate about. I want to win this for them."

Sheena is up against over 50 other exceptional Canadian youth from coast-to-coast who are appearing in the Generation B campaign. She was selected to represent the Winnipeg and Thompson Bootlegger locations for her flourishing singing and songwriting talent. Sheena has recently made in-store performances at the Polo Park, St. Vital, and Kildonan Place Bootlegger locations to gain exposure in her efforts to win the competition in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Prairies/NWT Chapter.

The community is encouraged to rally behind Sheena and vote online before the campaign voting closes on September 30.

1. Visit www.bootlegger.com
2. Click on the "Generation B" campaign link
3. Select "Sheena Grobb, Winnipeg" from the drop-down list
4. Click on "Vote for Me" to place your vote.


Profile | Sheena Grobb

After releasing her debut EP "Safe Guarded Space" this past summer and playing at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Sheena Grobb now aspires to bring her music across Canada. Sheena is currently attending the University of Manitoba, completing her final year in the Faculty of Education, with a major in chemistry. Sheena hopes that support in this campaign from the Manitoba community will give her the encouragement to continue developing as an artist and touch the lives of others. For more information on Sheena visit www.sheenagrobb.com, myspace.com/sheenagrobb and www.sonicbids.com/sheenagrobb.


– end –

- general

Review by Fiona Muldrew

Sheena Grobb’s first CD, Safe Guarded Space, is anything but guarded. “I aim for the back row with good form,” sings Grobb in “Back Row,” letting her voice carry her song as far as it will go. In true Ani Difranco form, Grobb challenges the exclusive young and old boys’ club of the music scene. Grobb’s courage to step out of the safe spaces pays off with poetic lyrics, varied styles, syncopated rhythms, beautifully discordant piano stylings, jazzy guitar licks and a breathy, pure and powerful voice. “Head On” highlights Grobb’s mastery of metaphors with a tribute to the Montreal Massacre. Grobb writes:

“Before the steady aim became a skill, backwards thinking engrained. ‘Cause I find food for thought in poison fields far-reaching. Bare-handed fought pulling roots long leaching the ground.”

Grobb is inspired by “footsteps trespassing in safe guarded space” –the women who rejected the judgments and labels of the poisoned fields of patriarchy. Playing it safe is not in Grobb’s repertoire as she belts out “we will be heard facing this head-on.”

Musically, Safe Guarded Space is stunningly diverse, with flowing quartet accompaniment, classical guitar sequences, funky drumming and Grobb’s unique and soothing vocals and harmonies. Grobb opened for Andy Stochansky on a 2005 cross-Canada tour and his influence is heard in the upbeat djembe drumming of “Clean and Discreetly.” The highly singable song “Character” is a moving dedication to Grobb’s grandmother, a friend and all AIDS victims who died with “strength of character.” When Grobb tearfully performed “Character” at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Ferron aptly stated: “You men in the audience are lucky to witness us women in our power.” You will be lucky to hear Grobb trespassing old familiar territory in a new, courageous way with Safe Guarded Space.
- Herizons Magazine, Winter 2007

Thursday, December 14, 2006


When Kwagala foundation cofounder Katie Muirhead approached local songstress Sheena Grobb about playing Kwagala’s first benefit show, the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’

“I love being involved in community-type fundraisers.” Grobb says. “I love getting behind someone’s vision, and this one in particular is unique. I mean, Katie is this 19-year-old girl. To be so passionate about something like this at her age is incredible.”

Recognizing early passion is something Grobb certainly knows about. The 22-year-old singer/songwriter has been penning songs since the age of 10 and has been playing piano for even longer than that. Getting into music professionally was pretty much a given for a girl who’s been honing her musical chops for almost her entire life.

“I’ve been playing music since I was old enough to speak,” Grobb says. “I started playing piano and violin and then eventually focused on piano. A few years ago I picked up the guitar an taught myself, which was new for me, playing out of feeling, not knowing. I always knew that music was something that was inherent in me. It’s what I know that I am.”

She adds: “I never excelled at the taught music. Something very different happened in me when I played something that I wrote and that empowered me.”

Grobb explains that piano lessons, the type that seemed to be mandatory in childhood, didn’t really allow Grobb to flex her songwriting muscles. The Winnipeg Folk Festival’s Young Performers Program, however, did allow her to develop her writing talents – whether she was aware of it or not.

“It’s funny. I didn’t really know what it was when I started,” Grobb laughs. “It was just a way for me to play music for fun. It was definitely a huge part of my development. And Andy Stochansky (who worked with the Young Performers’ Program in 2004) was a huge part of my musical life.”

Gigging with numerous musicians, Grobb garnered a following as a life performer. But when you’ve been playing music since the time you were figuring out how the whole colouring-in-the-lines thing works, you get understandably anxious to put together a record. “Safe Guarded Space”, Grobb’s debut EP, came out in August to much excitement.

“It felt like a long time coming,” the singer/songwriter says. “It was life-changing. It was sort of like 22 years of experience and close to 12 years of writing all coming to a head. Nothing will feel like that again. No record will have that hugeness.”

The record wasn’t the only definitive moment of Grobb’s summer. The musician actually got the opportunity to play on the main stage at Folk Fest, between the Wailin’ Jennys and Bedouin Soundclash.

“Leading up to the weekend, I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle it,” Grobb says. “I knew it was an important moment to seize. I decided the night before that I play a new song, one that I wasn’t totally comfortable with, on the main stage. When I got onstage I played it with everything I had. That was a big moment for me. I hope that I take risks like that throughout my career.”
- Uptown Magazine - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - Jen Zoratti