Living in Red is living the dream

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This article was published 05/10/2011 (5096 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For most bands, performing on television for the entire country is only a dream.

But for St. Vital-born -and-raised Dana Jerlo and his band, Living in Red, it’s a dream come true.

Living in Red is the only band from the Prairies on the CBC show, Cover Me Canada.

The show is an American Idol-style music competition in which undiscovered bands cover iconic songs from Canadian artists, aiming to make the songs their own.

The winner of the competition will earn a $100,000 cash prize, a recording contract for its first original single (to be released by Universal Music Canada), and featured airplay of the single on CBC Radio 2.

“It’s awesome, it’s not something you get to do everyday. Sometimes when we’re sitting around we can’t believe this is happening, it’s surreal,” Jerlo said.

One twist to the show is that a band can obtain immunity from weekly elimination by gaining the most votes on the Cover Me Canada app, likes on Facebook, activity on Twitter and views of its performances on YouTube.

“I’m on Facebook about five to six hours a day posting videos,” said Jerlo.

After the first week, other bands in the competition skyrocketed with their online hype, which disappointed Living in Red, Jerlo added.

The band members decided to ramp up their online presence, resulting in their YouTube views going from about 1,500 to 2,700 in two days. They currently have over 5,000 views.

Right now, the band is in Toronto filming the show that airs every Sunday.

“Sunday, Monday, and Tuesdays are stressful days because we perform on TV on Sunday. If we’re not eliminated get our next song on Monday, and have to write a different version and record on Tuesday morning,” Jerlo said.

Marc Girardin, the band’s 21 year-old lead guitarist, said he’s having fun, even with the hectic schedule.

“It was overwhelming at first, but now I’m getting the hang of it,” said the West Kildonan-based musician.

Jackie Mohr — the 23-year-old lead vocalist, who goes by Jack — said she is having an “incredible” experience on the show.

“We get treated like rock stars out here,” said Mohr, who hails from North Kildonan.

“We’re staying pretty level headed, but we’re excited,” she said. “We don’t need to be super rich and famous, we just want to be able to play music for a living and get by.”

Even if Living in Red doesn’t make it to the end of the competition, the band members are excited about the exposure and following they have gained from the show.

Drummer Joel Leonhardt, 23, said he is “open-minded that something beneficial will come from the show,” and looks forward to seeing friends and family once the show is done.

“We’re living the lifestyle you can only dream of living. Eat, sleep, and breathe music. We’re all such good friends, it’s like a vacation out here, it’s business and pleasure,” said the East St. Paul-based Leonhardt.

Cover Me Canada airs Sunday nights on CBC at 8 p.m.