County resident Dustin Farr saw his province in a rut. First, it was the job losses from the tanking economy but then came the Fort McMurray wildfires and the thousands who've been displaced.
As a musician, he offered up something that's always lifted his spirits, a song.
"I wanted to tap into my creative side a little more because I gain a lot of joy from that," Farr said.
Farr's song is called We Are Alberta, an acoustic country anthem he wrote on May 4 in about 20 minutes. He recorded it the next day, posting a video to Facebook. Since then, the clip has been viewed more than 250,000 times and counting.
The song is an ode to the province and its resilience.
Farr, his wife and two daughters live southwest of Olds. He has a background in agriculture but works in reclamation for the oil and gas sector.
The negative atmosphere in that industry was part of the inspiration behind the song, he said.
So was the way people have rallied for Fort McMurray relief efforts.
"Hearing the outpouring of support for anybody impacted by the fires as well as all the support going up there absolutely blew me away. How many people lost their jobs in the province and maybe they're struggling to put food on their table or keep a roof over their head, but when they see somebody worse off than them, they drop it all and do what they can to help. That's a huge inspiration to me," he said.
When Farr first posted his song on Facebook, he thought a few friends would "like" it but didn't expect it to resonate with so many people. As an artist, seeing the online reaction was the most gratifying part.
"I guess I had the right combination of music and words and it was catchy enough that people grabbed onto that," he said.
Farr was connected to a recording studio thanks to his friend and fellow musician, Blake Reid, from Cremona. He hopes to get the song out on the airwaves and on iTunes, where sales will go to the Red Cross as it continues to help those affected by the Fort McMurray fires.
"To me, this is the people's song. It's for the people of Alberta. They own it now as far as I'm concerned," he said.
He's also contributing by organizing several fundraisers in the province, including performing at a benefit concert at Tracks Pub in Olds on May 27. The show starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased at the door. There will also be a live auction, one of the items being Farr's guitar.
"How many people lost their jobs in the province and maybe they're struggling to put food on their table or keep a roof over their head, but when they see somebody worse off than them, they drop it all and do what they can to help. That's a huge inspiration to me." DUSTIN FARR
