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Earl Stevenson

Updated Wed. Jun. 18 2008 11:38 AM ET

There are two Canadian provinces that can lay claim to being the homes of Earl Stevenson, as he has spent most of his life living between various cities in Alberta and Saskatchewan. While he currently calls Lloydminster, Alberta, home, his Saskatchewan roots still run deep.

Earl has spent a lot of time travelling across Western Canada to pursue his passion for snowboarding. "I have had so many great days snowboarding with friends at Mount Seymour in British Columbia; some of my greatest memories are there."

Almost two years ago, Earl injured his knee while boarding, and was sidelined from riding for the winter season. Not one to remain idle for very long, he decided to move to Hawaii, where he started playing music as a hobby. Almost overnight, his talent for singing and playing the guitar flourished and he began writing songs.

Earl draws a lot of similarities between his passion for snowboarding and his love of music. "Whether it's learning a new trick on my snowboard or getting used to singing in front of large crowds, the combination of fear and excitement gets me in the moment. You get into this zone where you're concentrated and not thinking about anything else."

While his voice and style may draw comparisons to the likes of Jack Johnson, James Taylor and John Mayer, Earl tries to avoid modeling his career after other musicians. "I don't want to follow anyone's path because it limits your artistic outlook," he says.

Besides making it into the Canadian Idol Top 24 this year, one of Earl's greatest accomplishments is building a house with his father - a unique experience that took seven months of non-stop work to complete. "When you look at a house, it seems unfathomable to think about how you'd build it. But when you do it, you break it down piece by piece and work on it step by step, and you see that you really can do it, just like anything else."