Just Watch Me finds role as an anthem song
Just Watch Me is the right song at the right time for The Brothers Wayward
When Dean Kush invited Alex Runions and JJ Voss to his cabin at Sandy Beach two summers ago for a songwriting session, it wasn’t with the intention of creating an anthem song.
Yet, with that session serving as a foundation, the three man have come up with Just Watch Me, a powerful song that was recently unveiled as the cornerstone of a fundraising campaign for the Saskatchewan chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society.
The initial idea for the song was a friend of the three men who had a five-year battle with cancer. While that was the genesis of the song, the songwriters drew from experiences in their own lives to shape the lyric and fashion the story it had to tell.
So after that initial writing session, did they think they had a hit song on their hands?
“I think we knew that the lyric was pretty special. I know we all liked it, but I don’t know if any of us thought it was a smash hit right off the bat,” said Runions, who was recently named male artist of the year and entertainer of the year at the 2016 Saskatchewan Country Music Association Awards.
“Well, I’m just the opposite — I think every song I write is a No. 1 hit,” Voss said with laugh. “I thought we had something pretty cool, but you can never be sure until you put it in front of people and see if it translates. You know what you’re saying but will other people get it?”
The opening verse set the tone for the song: “Watch me walk across that river Look the devil in the eye Watch me catch a bolt of lightning Toss it clear across the sky I know that might sound crazy But just watch me”
It was the opening lyric that caught Voss’s attention.
“Watch me walk across that river, look the devil in the eye — that’s a pretty powerful statement that makes you sit up and pay attention,” said Voss. “Every verse in the song, I can relate it to my own struggles that I have on a daily basis. It isn’t cancer, for luck, but that’s where a song becomes relatable to the average listener.”
Even after the song was completed, they still didn’t realize exactly what they had in their hands. It was only after people began hearing the song that they recognized that Just Watch Me might be more than a run-of-the-mill song.
“When JJ went on his OSAC (Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils) tour and starting getting those positive responses to the song, that’s when we started realizing that people were not only getting something out of the song, which is what we intended, but they’re getting it at a higher level because of some personal experience,” Kush said.
It was then that the three men, who have christened their trio The Brothers Wayward, decided to push forward and see where they could go with the song. They were invited by Steve McLellan, the CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, to play at their annual meeting. The song connected with the audience — “We played the song and a half an hour later there was $5,000 donated for us to work with,” Voss said.
The funds were held in trust by the SCC and, as work was done on the project, whether it be studio time or video recording, invoices were then submitted to cover those expenses. The group has also benefitted from the generosity of others.
“There have been so many businesses, individuals and volunteers who have helped us to do this thing ,” said Kush. “It would have been impossible without them. I think on our partners page on our website, there’s a list of 40. They essentially were laying the foundation for us to get to this point.”
The Canadian Cancer Society came into the picture through Kush’s friendship with Keith Karasin, executive director of the Saskatchewan division of the CCS. Ten days after their initial meeting with Karasin, the decision was made to move forward with the CCS.
“It’s incredibly powerful. We knew as soon as we listened to it, we were sold on it right away,” said Karasin. “Once the staff starting listening to it, the staff team got together and said, ‘OK, what do we have to do?’ It’s an incredibly powerful song and who they are as young men and wanting to do this and support us has just cemented the deal.”
The campaign has a number of different methods for people to become involved and donate to the cause, with 100 per cent of donations going directly to the CCS. The song is available online for download for $1 at www.justwatchme.ca. The Brothers Wayward will also be hitting the road for songwriter cafés, but perhaps the most interesting method is the Community Challenge, where one community extends a challenge to another community to see which can raise the most funds for the campaign.
The Community Challenge will end on Oct. 31 and the most successful community (total funds raised per capita) will receive a special package from The Brothers Wayward. The prize package will include a performance/concert or cabaret featuring The Brothers Wayward, other performances in schools and seniors centres. The CCS will also work with the community to have special events.
Donations can also be sent to the CCS with donors asked to write “Just Watch Me” in the memo line of the cheque to ensure the funds go to the campaign.
The campaign has a goal of $100,000.
“The whole success of this is all about people spreading the word and making those donations, because we need those communities to become involved,” said Kush.
“We don’t think that $100,000 is an unreasonable goal. There’s not anyone who hasn’t been touched by cancer, so hopefully they will want to help out.”