blue light valley

Cori grew up on the farm south of Swift Current. She has written poetry and songs her whole life. She is inspired by the beauty and stories that surround us, from prairie landscapes to city life. A pianist, choir and worship band musician for decades, Cori tried her hand at guitar a few years ago in an attempt to inspire her students to learn something new. This new love led to a personal pandemic challenge to write a song a week during lockdown. Now Cori enjoys performing folk music with her fabulous band mates Byron and Sarah.

Cori is influenced by songwriters such as James Taylor, Miranda Lambert and Dolly Parton. When songwriting, Cori loves to combine word play, prairie imagery, and emotion. Although a lifelong musician and writer, Cori began publicly performing a few years ago. She finds inspiration in connecting to a diverse audience.

Byron was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan. His love of music started at a young age, listening to his parents records in his bedroom. Early influences included The Monkeys, Kenny Rogers and The Beatles. Byron grew up appreciating poetry and after having his poem “Grandfather” published, began to take his writing more seriously. This has led to Byron’s current love of writing music and lyrics. Byron describes his music style as singer/songwriter folk/country, which blends well with Blue Light Valley’s sound. He is passionate about the healing aspects of music and the connection it brings. Byron’s journey has aligned him with current band members Cori Knelsen and Sarah Adams. Their band, Blue Light Valley, has provided Byron an opportunity to grow through musical collaboration and performance.

Sarah grew up in Regina, SK where music played a big role in her life early on. She sang constantly around her home, and like an early 90’s kid, loved boy bands and that easy pop listening! However, she always had a love for the old folk that her grandpa used to sing. She learned how to play the piano early on, but then switched to the guitar in high school and has never turned back. Singing however will always be her number one passion.
 

Sarah immersed herself in music throughout high school and university. She made it her career choice to be a music teacher to foster the love of music in youth.

Last year, Sarah finally decided to put herself out there and made her own Instagram page called @sarahashleysings to share her covers and original songs with the world. This led her to an inner circle of songwriters where she was given the chance to start performing live at local establishments. This is where she formed an instant bond with bandmates Cori and Byron. They decided to start jamming and their musical connection and blended sound formed Blue Light Valley. Sarah is so excited to see where this trio will take her!