One of the Yukon’s own will be bringing home a Western Canadian Music Award after the ceremony was held in Winnipeg on Sunday. Lana Rae beat out Bob King, Rick Scott, She and Graham Walker for the Outstanding Children’s Album award on her 2005 release of I Gotta Be me.

The release is her second solo album following I Just Want To be Little. …Lana Rae’s “I Gotta Be Me” will have as much appeal to adults as it does to children while it journey’s through  childhood using life experience as its creative force. Rae has used her experience as a mother and teacher in trying to bridge the gap between children and parents. “Parents everywhere in the world share so many of the same experiences,” she said in a statement which also notes that her songs take on a “universal, humorous look at childhood and parenting while avoiding the temptation to talk down to kids.”

Among the 11 songs titles on I Gotta Be Me are  I’m Gonna Plant A Piece Of Pizza, Kung Fu Granny, and My Mom Was A  Teenager Too. Rae’s award for outstanding children’s recording was among the 20 to be handed out Sunday.

Rock band Harlequin was also honored with an induction into the Hall of Fame. Most of the awards were handed out at the Burton Cumming’s Theatre. …

LANA RAE –I GOTTA BE ME!

WINNER of the 2006 WESTERN CANADIAN MUSIC AWARD for Outstanding Children’s Album

Yukon singer songwriter is thrilled to take home her Western Canadian Music Award for – “Lana Rae-I Gotta Be Me”.    

Arriving back in the Yukon to fanfare and a beautiful white limo, Lana Rae proudly held up her award, which was won in Winnipeg at the 2006 Western Canadian Music Awards.

It was an exciting weekend that included a performance with Bob King and House of Doc at the awards show and sharing the stage with Jann Arden while the awards were presented.

After an early morning interview with CBC, Lana Rae headed for Calgary to do some school performances before making her way back to Whitehorse.

“Yukoners have been absolutely wonderful in their support. I am so proud to bring this home to them to say thanks to everyone who has encouraged me, bought CDs, attended concerts and believed in my music.”

Parents are saying, “It is simply the best kids CD we own”,                                         “Thanks for the hours of enjoyment with our three kids…It’s absolutely delightful!”

Lana Rae is a Mom, teacher and songwriter whose songs are able to bridge a gap between kids and their parents. Her songs take a universal, humorous look at childhood and parenting while avoiding the temptation to talk down to kids.

Lana Rae loves to talk to Moms and Dads about her source of musical inspiration because, “Parents everywhere in the world share so many of the same experiences ….”

Gumball Records and Quizam Media congratulate Lana Rae on her 2006 WCMA AWARD for Outstanding Children’s Album –Lana Rae-I Gotta Be Me!,

Yukon singer songwriter, Lana Rae, hits it big with her 2006 Western Canadian Music Award Nomination for Outstanding Children’s Album- “Lana Rae-I Gotta Be Me”.              

Parents are saying, “It is simply the best kids CD we own”,                                         “Thanks for the hours of enjoyment with our three kids…It’s absolutely delightful!”

Lana Rae is a Mom and teacher who uses her music to bridge a gap between kids and their parents. Her songs take a universal, humorous look at childhood and parenting while avoiding the temptation to talk down to kids.

The title track, “I Just Want To be Little” off her first children’s CD, has become an anthem of sorts for kids from one to ninety-two!                                                    “…teaching grade three, I looked around at all the little faces and realized how lucky they were not to have all the responsibilities of adulthood and wondered why we were pushing them to grow up so fast!”

Lana Rae loves to talk to Moms and Dads about her source of musical inspiration because , “Parents everywhere in the world share so many of the same experiences ….”

Gumball Records and Quizam Media congratulate Lana Rae on her 2006 WCMA Nomination for Outstanding Children’s Album –Lana Rae-I Gotta Be Me!, and wish her good luck at the awards.

The WCMA awards will be held in Winnipeg MB at the Burton Cummings Theatre Sunday October 22, 2006.

Kids entertainment is a highly demanding discipline that requires a powerfully dynamic stage presence.

As the legion of little fans who have been ripping out Lana Rae’s posters from all kiosks and public places last week can attest, Lana Rae has long had the goods to build up a strong core audience.
On the Arts Centre stage, she will be playing it up in style and in gusto, and you might not even have to bring kids along to enjoy the show and realize what a great talent we have in our midst.

                      JULY 2005

                         Gumball Records releases a new CD

    …..for the truly young at heart

LANA RAE—“I GOTTA BE ME”

Anyone who has ever wanted to hear the crunch of a certain “purple dinosaur” CD under the wheel of their car will love this latest musical adventure by West Coast Music Award Nominee Lana Rae.

As a survivor of parenting (she’s made it through the teenage years), Lana Rae has unleashed an incredible mix of music, humor and a rocking beat as the driving force  behind the 11 original, funky, laugh ‘til you cry, tracks that come alive on – Lana Rae “I Gotta Be Me”.

Track 1- “I’ve Been Looking at Bums”  lets us remember life from a child’s perspective … (or height at least!!) “My Mom Was a Teenager Too” is a reminder to both children and parents that times don’t really change too much! “Kung Fu Granny” –is based on real life and destined for the next reality T.V. show… and “Junkfood Queen” …hey ….we’ve all been there.

If you are, or have ever been a child, parent, or grandparent you are going to love this new extreme in children’s music. Remember…. kids will be kids…and so can grown-ups.

TSX.V Trading Symbol: TQ Telephone: (604) 683-0020
Email: ir@torqmedia.com
www.torqmedia.com
Facsimile: (604) 683-0045

(March 2005) Torq Media Signs Music Deal with Gumball Records for Quizam
Vancouver, BC –

Torq Media Corporation (“the Company” or “Torq”) (TSX-V: TQ) is pleased to announce that its Educational Software Division “Quizam” has signed a license agreement with Gumball Records. Under the terms of the agreement Quizam will be using the Children’s Album “I just want to be little” as the soundtrack for its new Software Study Tool Quizam. Every Quizam CD will now come with the full album randomly playing throughout the various menu screens.

The Album “I just want to be little” was nominated for Best Children’s Album at the West Coast Music Awards. The Album has also been selected by The Canadian Children’s Book Center Choice association.

Russ Rossi, president of Torq stated, “This brings Quizam to a new level. We’ve incorporated music into the study tool. In addition to users adding their own music, Quizam is now shipped with a first class music track that makes the software very enjoyable to use.”

About Quizam:
Quizam helps students to score higher on their tests by quizzing users from a database of randomly selected questions and answers on a variety of topics. The quizzes can be created by the user and emailed to other players. As well, the user can download quizzes from the Quizam website (www.quizam.com). Quizam randomizes questions and uses a database of answers to create a bank of answers for multiple-choice selection. There over 50,000,000 elementary and high school students in North American. This represents a market with $2.5 Billion of potential About Torq Media Corporation (www.torqmedia.com):

Torq Media is a member of the TSX venture exchange (TSXV: TQ). The company is involved in 3 business segments, IT Training, Film Production and Education Software. Torq subsidiary, On-Track Computer Training, is rapidly becoming a leader in the “IT” education and professional training market. According to IDC, IT education and training spending will exceed US$25 billion in just two years and is growing at 13% annually. On-Track is expanding its reach in this industry as fast as possible.
“Russ Rossi”, President

And she will discuss with the kids-and the adults-on the versatility of mud and the irritability of lumps in socks. These are important issues for children.

Any adult, who isn’t totally exhausted by the treadmill of survival, will understand. If they don’t understand, they may want to leave the Westmark Whitehorse ballroom when Lana Rae leads the little people in their very own pop anthem I Just Want to Be (as any Lana Rae fan can tell you) Little.

While adults can enjoy this weekend’s Comedy Arts Festival, the children and youth will inaugurate their own festival with Lana Rae and balloons and treats. When she found out she is kicking off the festival, she figured, “That’s very cool.”

When she was first asked a year ago, she didn’t know she would be the only Yukoner. “I hope this will be an annual thing,” she says.

And just because her act is for young people, it doesn’t mean she wrings the intelligence out of the lyrics of her songs-like some purple dinosaurs who will remain unnamed.

Sure, she won’t be smashing her guitar at the end of the performance and there is a good chance she won’t be crowd surfing, but the frames of reference her lyrics uses are at a child’s level.

For instance, what is the worst way to treat somebody?
Answer: Squish them like a bug.
Where is the best place to be?
Answer: Sitting on Mom’s knee.
What goes together as well as two friends?
Answer: Cheese and noodles.

These are messages that will be delivered with a sophistication the children really do appreciate-she can draw a note out in Lumps In My Socks that is appropriately full of angst-unlike aforementioned dinosaur.

Lacroix has an ability to see things from a young person’s perspective: “My Mother asked if I would ever be mature and responsible. I tried that once, but life is too funny.”

It helps that she has three children. Her son is the one who doesn’t like lumps in his socks. And it was a conversation with her daughter that made her realize cows just want to be pretty, too.

And, having been a teacher, she has had attentive audiences to practice on. I Just Want To be Little was written while she was placed in a school for two weeks while working toward her B.Ed.
Returning (to the same school for a full term practicum) eight months later, the children (now in grade 4) were still singing the song.

Lacroix knew the song had hit a chord recently when an adult shouted out a request for it when she took her country act to a Festival in Faro. And two 18 year olds in Haines Junction proclaimed,” Mud Is My Bud rocks!”

These are good signs she is maintaining her commitment to her young audiences. “I don’t want to condescend. Kids are not stupid. And kids are so honest; if I suck they’ll let me know,” she says, explaining why she gets just as nervous performing for a children’s birthday party as she does at a country festival

For both she will dress nice “But no funny hat. I’m not a clown.” And when she is singing country to an adult crowd, she won’t wear sequins. “I’m not a flashy person. I have a very keep-me-humble family…….I love having the kids come…and they sing to me…A little girl showed me her new polka dot socks,” she says smiling at the memory. “I get more of a thrill form that than anything.”

Just like any performer, she would like to become internationally famous. But it costs so much to promote a CD. “At least people tell me every day they sent my CD somewhere. There is a little person, somewhere in the Maritimes, listening to my CD.” Lacroix financed the production of her I Just Want To Be Little CD two years ago. Six years before that she produced a country CD in Nashville. The country CD did well, but the interest level in country is only six months whereas a children’s CD is timeless.

Lacroix is working on the financing for another children’s CD and she has just formed a new band. Lacroix is also working on a series of books to go along with her children’s songs. The first one is for lumps in My Socks. With all of this going on and her dining room taken over for a rehearsal hall, you have to wonder why she does it. ” Because I just have to, “she says.

About five years ago, Lana Rae Lacroix came into my office to talk about music. Back then the Whitehorse country musician was performing with her Mom , Norma Nichols. Today Lacroix hasn’t switched styles as much as audiences. The local musician has re-directed her well-honed country twang to children.

I Just Want to be Little is a whimsical romp featuring 11 child-friendly songs. But, more importantly Lacroix has written the album with adults in mind. That is, during the 14th listen on that long road trip, the adults won’t be prepared to leap from the moving car.

Helped along with synthesizers, the title track has an amusement-park feel. But the fun really kicks in on Cows Want To be Pretty Too, the album’s third track. Here Lacroix pulls on her former training to give the goofy song a country feel. “Cause cows wanna be pretty too, ” she croons in the chorus , backed up by a heifer or two. “Its what they mean when they say mooooo.” With Monsiur Chenille, Lacroix has penned a wonderful French ditty about a caterpillar. And Lumps in My Socks is perfect for any parent who has struggled to calm a child who’s ticked off by their socks’ seams. And, when it comes to kids, you can’t go wrong with mud. Lacroix exploits it through the rock-’n'-roll tinged Mud Is My Bud. “You can squish it in your toes; you can get it on your clothes,” sings Lacroix, backed up by some frantic piano work. “You can fling it -there it goes; but don’t get it up your nose.” Another stellar number is She’s My dog, which anchors the disc.

Recording with studio musicians at Vancouver’s Dark Horse studios, Lacroix has managed to avoid the flaw that befalls so many children’s artists-overblown sentimentality. Her disc is long on fun and short on syrup, which makes it a good choice for those long summer car trips.