OFF TO PROJECT WILD
CITY MUSICIAN A FINALIST FOR PROJECT WILD
Shaela Miller accepted into the Project Wild artist development project
Don’t stop believin.’ That could deservedly be the mantra of Lethbrige musician Shaela Miller after being accepted into the Project Wild artist development project.
Following in the footsteps of fellow city artists Leeroy Stagger and Trevor Panczak, Miller is ready to make her impact felt on the Alberta music scene.
Performing since she was 16, Miller is a veteran of Alberta stages who recently learned she’d made the Top 12 of Project Wild.
Miller, who mostly plays guitar, applied for the project last year but never made the cut. After encouragement from friends, she applied again this year two days before deadline.
And second time was the charm for Miller, who is married to bandmate Ryan “Skinny” Dyck. Miller also has a full-time career as a hairstylist and is the mother of two children so the next several months are going to be hectic for her as she goes through the Project Wild bootcamp, which includes several musical showcases and some intense instruction on all aspects of the music business.
“I’ve been doing this for years,” said Miller who in the early days of her career would perform at the old Tongue ’n Groove in downtown Lethbridge.
“The performance thing I’ve got in the bag but I know there is more to it,” Miller said in an interview this week before the first showcase Saturday afternoon at Knoxville’s Tavern in Calgary.
The showcase, featuring 20-minute sets by the 12 finalists, runs from noon until 6:45 p.m. at the venue located at 840 9 Ave. S.W. The showcase is open to the public.
Each finalist earns a $5,000 development award and will participate in a one-week workshop that covers songwriting, performance, accounting, media and tour strategy, marketing, social media and the music business itself.
The top award is $100,953, second place is worth $75,000 and the thirdplace finisher takes home $50,000.
Born in Victoria, B.C., Miller has spent most of her life in Lethbridge.
On her website, shaelamiller.com, her music is described as: “honky tonk. But that’s certainly not all it is. Tear in your beer ballads, dance hall shuffles and dark alt-country craft work are all part of the package.”
She is a previous winner of the South Country Fair songwriting competition.
On Saturday, she will be performing with her band of husband Ryan on pedal steel guitar, Evan Uschenko on lead guitar, Paul Holden on upright bass and Tyler Bird on drums.
For Miller, making the Top 12 is an accomplishment that will help her career.
Winning would be amazing but being in the program is really a win. We’re all going to learn so much. It’s a no-brainer that this is going to be a career advancement.”