~~~~~~~~~rachaelpachelwasmyname

The Stage Acoustic Jam.............. week two!

2012-01-30T16:06:00.000-08:00

This week brought out some terrific talent, some of whom gave me literal goosebumps with their performances. We also had an entire band show up who didn't know it was an acoustic jam. (So.............. after the jam Paul let the fellas set up their gear and we dug it so much these fellas are going to be a regular Thursday night closer.)

Looking forward to next week, see you all Thursday!

Rach!

'the Stage' a new Acoustic Jam/Open Mic night!

2012-01-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

Brand new acoustic Open MIC in Tsawwassen.
Here is the video for week one. I'll be posting more videos on the facebook page.

Nice big stage, awesome sound/PA, friendly atmosphere, songwriters, acoustic duo's and groups welcome.
Thursday nights, starts at 7:00pm.
The Stage at Legion #289 in Tsawwassen (119th and 56th)
See you there!

Hosted by Paul and Rachael

Standing on iTunes.

2012-01-09T23:54:00.000-08:00

This the original version of Standing which was included on Stupid Cancer's, I'm Too Young for This Vol 2. Finally it is on iTunes as a single and available for purchase!

Now, when wonderfully gracious arts supporters offer to trade me some money for my music I'll actually have a place to send them to and they don't even have to spend a whole loony in the deal. Thank you iTunes, and Reverbnation. (and to Steph and Billie Woods for the graphics help)

PS, there is another version of this song with live drums coming soon which will be included on my soon to be released CD (of which we are just putting the final live tracks down on at Millennia Sound Design ), so do stay tuned for a whole host of new songs.

Until then, you can download this single off iTunes, or listen to it for free at Reverbnation.

Rach!

Guitar Doctor

2012-01-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

Professional guitar repair services.

Everything from set ups to broken headstocks repaired.

                                               Drop off and pick up service available.
                       Mobile service (in your home) also available (string change/set up/intonation).

                                                                        Contact Paul
                                                                       604-512-1977
                                                                 here is a link to his blog

Rock Steady Music

2012-01-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

Full service live music services, from start to finish we provide:
Original showcase concerts and/or an endless selection of your favorite current and classic songs.
Solo, duo, trio.... up to full band, male and female vocals.
Pro equipment and decades of experience.
Great attitude and energy.

Corporate Events; (easy listening, dinner music and/or high energy dancing),
Occassions; (weddings, birthdays, company parties, openings),
Festivals; (have gigs? we travel) ,
Venues; (restauraunts/bars/lounges/clubs)
House Concerts (we design intimate, exclusive, private concerts and perform them in your home for your guests).

Call us to chat about your live music requirements.

For booking info:
(agents welcome)
Paul: 604-512-1977
Rach: 778-386-8746

Gigging with HitZone at the fabulous Commodore Ballroom

2011-12-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

The last time I was at the Commodore I was backstage shooting video of Loverboy for Kelly and Rach's All Access Pass. Last weekend I was fortunate enough to not just be backstage, but onstage.

And oh what a stage, it was magnificent....I felt free as a bird!

The Commodore Ballroom. It's a legendary venue and many of the greatest bands and musical acts ever to pass through Vancouver have performed there over the years. Getting the opportunity to perform up on that stage is something of a massive thrill, not to mention a complete cakewalk as the staff and sound technicians at the Commodore treated us like gold.

So, I thought I would share some of my behind the scenes iPhone pictures from last weekend as my band HitZone played at the Commodore for a corporate event. I only took pics at soundcheck, but some of the band members took some live shots which I thought I would share also!

At sound check, I walked into the beautifully set up venue... Wow! It already felt like a party.

Russell Marsland, guitar genius and soul man getting his tones and sound set up during sound check.

Shawn Soucy, dialing in his monitor sounds so he can drive the bus with his solid, funky, outstanding beats and rhythms.

Billy Mendoza, grooving, driving the bus with Shawn and keeping the low notes .

Tom "check, check, hook me up with a wireless cause I'll probably jump into the crowd and party with the dancers" Arntzen.

Outstanding horn players Bill Abbott and John Korsrud joined us for the night! (Sorry John I only had this shot where your back is turned...)

And then, we took to the stage.....and oh what a night!

I love my job, so much!

Just thought I'd share a little peek with you all!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Hugs, Rach!

Rock Steady House Concerts. A holiday party idea!

2011-10-24T15:54:00.000-07:00

                                           Rock Steady House Concerts
                     Paul Tobin and Rachael Chatoor

I was not looking for a new project, nor was Paul, but once we fell upon each other's radar we pretty much knew we were meant to make music with one another.

The first gig was at Cherelle Jardine's musical expressions where Paul Tobin joined my band of friends and took over the low notes on the bass. We had only just met, but it only took him a snap and a wink to learn all of my songs (and as a surprise I learned one of his). As we played that night, I knew immediately that he was filled with a special kind of magic and I fell in love with the boy. I fell hard. I fell for what I hoped might be forever.

We've played a number of shows together since, everywhere from intimate acoustic venues, to corporate events, to rocking in the casino's with a full band. As exciting and sparkly as some events can be, oddly enough, some of the most satisfying gigs to date have been the private parties.

The all exclusive, intimate, House Concert.

Not only do we occasionally get to travel out of the province or country doing the very thing we love most, we are welcomed into some of the most spectacular homes imaginable and we are always greeted with a warm, inviting, and interested audience who appreciate the opportunity to hear our original music as much as they look forward to grooving and singing along with some of their favorite classic tunes from both today as well as days gone by.

July 4th Marysville, pre-fireworks show.

Some of our more memorable moments include a July the 4th concert in Marysville where the artwork of a highly regarded local native artist James Madison graced every inch of the home. It was so creatively satisfying to be surrounded by all that inspiring work. And our host invited and gathered around them an extraordinary crowd of friends and peers who were more than complimentary towards us, and showed it by dancing and singing up a storm.

In fact by the end of the night many of them felt like old friends and several even became facebook friends. We played music until dark and then the hosts took over and put on an impressive hour and a half long fireworks show set from atop a magnificent bluff on the edge of a bay. The Americans really know how to celebrate their Independence day, I was impressed.

It was unforgettable and stunning and I was proud to be a part of the success of the night.

The most recent show we did was in Ottawa where art was also a real big focal point. But this time there was a literal art show as Bill and Betty (the hosts) featured not only our music, but also the beautiful artwork of Kathleen Sanford MacDonald who's paintings were displayed all over the house (see pics and video below as well as this link for more examples).

Ottawa annual boating party hosted by Brian and Betty

Brian and Betty are an artists dream come true and we can't thank them enough for inviting us to their home and giving such support. Their party guests it should be noted, were also a musicians dream come true as they were attentive, grateful and so gracious. In many ways the thanks are ours to give, for allowing us the chance to deliver our best. And when a crowd is so responsive they do bring out the best in an artist, it really is a two way street on which Paul and I never seem to be alone, and I do believe that the magic that is ours, is ours to share.

And as an aside to my telling you about Rock Steady House concerts, I just find the whole 'art' thing so inspiring, and that for holiday parties and gatherings it's an especially clever idea since you can roll a little last minute seasonal shopping into the mix for your guests to consider (if they feel so inclined).

I mean just think about it, say you are planning your next holiday seasons bash right now. You could do your guests a little favor by putting on your own mini-art show/live music concert. Imagine giving an artist the opportunity to expose their artwork to your friends just before the Christmas season, imagine also treating your guests to a live house concert given by two engaging professional musicians right there in your own 'great' room. Host a party like that, and you would be almost as cool as Santa Clause himself.

(If you don't know an artist or local gallery to draw from, you could always try looking on Etsy for a local painter or artisan who's style you admire. Perhaps set out a table for a jeweller, scrapbook maker, sculptor or potter. Whatever moves you or your social circle, you can design the day or night your own way and it's sure to be a hit.)

And do make certain to hire Paul and I to do the music.

for booking info contact: paultobin.songs@gmail.com

or rachaelchatoor@hotmail.com

Much hugs, from Rach

Vancouver bands rock the River Rock casino!

2011-09-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

So, I was at the Canada Line station near the the River Rock Casino with my son and when we walked past this poster my son said: "Look Mom, there is Kelly Brock!", and I said: "Um, yes son, and that is your Mother directly beside her." ; )

It was his first time seeing me on such a poster and it was kinda fun because I also pointed out the rest of the bands on the bill whom are all fantastic musicians and performers. I felt proud to tell my son that not only does my corporate band Hitzone also play there, but I am friends with some of the other acts on the bill. I did a little name dropping then telling him that sometimes I sit in with Dr. Stangelove, and also my friends (including my music producer) play in Atlantic Crossing. Both are excellent shows that you should catch. In fact all the acts listed are fantastic and I suggest you check them out!

And if you want to see me and my band when we take the stage then strap on your dancing shoes and come to Lulu's lounge in the River Rock Casino on Oct 12-13th! My very special guest Paul Tobin will be joining me onstage for the night and we will be playing some of his new songs from his soon to be released CD! I invite all his Saskatoon friends who are located in Vancouver to mark the date and come listen to a sneak peak of the new tunes!

See you there!

Rach! xo

BareBones live acoustic music at Mavericks.

2011-07-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

Looking for a good place in the Surrey, Cloverdale, Langley area to watch some great live music?

Tuesday nights at Mavericks you will find BareBones acoustic night. Sometimes I'm on the bill, such as last night where I brought the totally talented Russell Earl Marsland along with me. Russell normally plays guitar in my band Hitzone so this acoustic thing was brand new and different for us and just a pile of fun. I thought I might send a thanks to my friends Wayne and Lory who came out for a listen and captured this song and posted it on You Tube before I even got home, it's just a sneak peak of what you can expect if you hit Mavericks on a Tuesday.

And on that note, I thought I would send a prop to Mavericks for their support of live music, Don Taylor really gets a hold of some amazing local talent and if you enjoy acoustic music, all of his acts are top notch all the way. Many of the artists are people who have been featured here on my blog, Dan Hare, Mick Dalla Vee, Brent Howard to name a few. There are some really serious players in the rotation, folks who on a regular day of work can usually be found up on a concert stage playing to thousands and yet...... if you come down to Mavericks on a Tuesday night they are right in front of you in an intimate setting, playing songs you love and lighting the room with pure talent.

Thanks to Mavericks for making that happen.
They also serve a seriously mean burger....totally worth the visit.

Cheers, hope your summer rocks.
xo

Rock the Shit out of Cancer!

2011-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Spotted on Facebook:

Gene Greenwood wrote--- My Good Friend 'Rachael Pachel' was my first live video shoot after surviving Cancer... Now this is the 500th video since that day. I thought this was significant as it involves Rachael, a Cancer Benefit, my girlfriends ( Christina Carrick ) first solo Shoot and my 500th Video.

Cool story.

PS. also spotted at the Rock the Shit out of Cancer benefit.....

Kelly and Rach visit Urban Rush, and love them..... as well as Fiona's bracelet...

2011-04-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Recently, Kelly and Rach's All Access Pass got an exclusive tour behind the scenes on the set of the award winning entertainment talk show Urban Rush which is hosted by the delightfully funny Fiona Forbes and Michael Eckford. I wanted to share the video with you all for a couple of reasons; firstly, we just had such a great time. Not only are the dynamic duo quick witted and hilarious but they were warm and welcoming and both Kelly and I really had a wonderful day. Secondly, I noticed while we were on set that Fiona Forbes also wears a F*ck Cancer bracelet, a stunning piece of artwork designed by Susan Fiedler for Inspire Health. Some of you already know from a previous blog post this is a cause that is near and dear to my heart, and seeing as Fiona is one of Vancouver's hippest 'it' girls, always with her finger firmly on the pulse of whats hot and happening in this city, I thought this was a great opportunity to tell you all once again about these stunning pieces of wearable art.

The best way to do this is to re-direct you right to the F*ck Cancer website so you can read all about them and find out how to purchase one for yourself or for someone you love. I also find this to be a perfect time to mention the F*ck Cancer ambassador program which welcomes other cancer fundraising organizations and individuals who want to use the F*ck Cancer bracelet or artwork for their own fundraising programs or events.

And in the meantime, do enjoy the video Kelly and I made of our visit to the set of Urban Rush, it was a breathless ride of fun good vibes, and do please make sure to tune in to the show on Shaw TV, if you everwant to know what's really going on in this city, you can be sure Urban Rush is there to tell you about it!

Rach xo

Vancouver Kids Walk for Help Phone 2011, help break the silence.

2011-03-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Each year, seven million of us experience mental illness. Many can’t get help as most of the needed public services are delivered piecemeal or they fall outside of medicare. It's tragic, since hardly anyone is untouched by the problem. And yet, here we are in 2011, with not enough attention or resources directed to mental health issues because they are still so shrouded with embarrassment and fear. And youth are especially vulnerable for they are the most silent victims of all. Research shows that while the majority of mental disorders are treatable, only a fraction of young people recieve any type of mental health care.

This is where Kids Help Phone comes in, for they have given children a voice by giving them a line to someone who will care and listen. Since their phone lines went live in May 1989, Kids Help Phone’s professional counsellors have been providing help and hope to young people in every community. No matter what the problem, Kids Help Phone is there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with caring, professional support for young people from five to 20 who reach out for help.

And now they need our help.

On Sunday May 1st people from over 40 comunities across Canada will be walking for Kids Help Phone. By participating in this walk we help break the silence on mental health.

Lushious

This year will be my third year participating in the walk. The first year I walked with with Team Yummy as part of the west coast Yummy Mummy Club. The second year I entertained the crowd with a band of musicians assembled from members of the League of Rock. And this year I've asked some of my friends from Lushious band to join me onstage and we are very much looking forward to contributing to this important fundraiser. I'm also hoping you will come down and support the festivities or even better, put together a team, collect some donations and do the lovely 5K walk around the golf course at Langara. The event is a terrific family affair with snacks, games, contests, bouncy castles, facepainting, balloons, radio stations, fitness clubs, booths, celebs, music and much more.

And if you can't make it please tune into CTV who will be there covering the event, and do check out the website if something about this moves you to take a part and help, you will find ways you can donate or help sponsor a team.

Below you can click the pictures to visit some of the Kids Walks corporate sponsors. We thank them for their dedication to breaking the silence.

Rach xo

dinner's ready! ~cooking with rach~

2011-03-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

There was once a time when my entire day was devoted to changing diapers, caring for the house and cooking meals for my family. Fortunately the diapers are now gone and the children are older and have been turned into little helpful slaves, and my roomate is so helpful with chores that it seems like my biggest job outside of work and managing the kids is cooking dinner. Like other working Moms I no longer have all day quite so free to focus on planning a menu so I've had to learn how to make super quick and easy meals out of scraps of leftover nothing sometimes. Handy because I don't use recipes. Trying to please young palates and still getting veggies into them is always my goal. If I can sneak nutrients in in any way by chopping them up small and hiding them in sauces or under cheese, then I do that. If I do say so myself my food is simply delicious, even it is kinda fattening. I'm no expert on anything but I don't think we should deprive ourselves of the joy of delicious eating so do eat well, but moderate. (That's my tip for getting away with all the naughty ingredients).

One day I took a shot of my dinner with my iPhone and was surprised how well it turned out for an iPhone shot. It sparked a number of picture essays which I've been sharing lately on my facebook and it's been suggested that I put the series in a collection somewhere together online, rather than just in random untidy posts.

So I filed them in an album called Cooking with Rach which you can see here.

Here are a few highlights:

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm~

rach xo

a princess for a party~

2011-02-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

You all may remember my friend Alyssa from previous posts or videos about my substitute gigs with Abbacadabra.

One day Alyssa arrived downtown for one of our Abba gigs wearing a princess costume because she forgot to bring a change of clothes after giving a princess party. So together we had to walk around downtown with her still in her costume. I had the best time ever laughing with her at the looks people were giving her, struggling to keep a straight face as if it is perfectly normal to be wandering around Gastown with Cinderella. Anyhow I have always wished to do a video for Alyssa to support her because just in knowing her I was virtually certain she was the most perfect princess ever.

Last week (as it happens), my friend and All Access Pass co-host Kelly's daughter Kayla had a visit from a very special princess and I was there to catch the magic. I always knew Alyssa was going to be a great princess but I didn't realize how much she looks and acts like was born to be one until I saw her in action with the kids. I don't even need to give an endorsement, you can see what it does for them right here in this video, it's written all over Kayla's face!

For more info on how you can invite a princess to your little girls party, visit Alyssa's website here!

And may a real princess come sprinkle fairy dust on you too! xo

Egypt and the the Who's from Whoville

2011-02-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

I started watching the happenings in Egypt basically from day one and one of the major things that impressed me as it grew was their steadfast dedication to remaining peaceful. Even in the face of brutal beatings and taunting by the opposing thugs they stayed true to their message and carried their protests in peace.
The real turning point of the uprising in my mind happened the day after all the worst of the violence and bloodshed. Despite the regimes cowardly efforts to bully the people into submission, the uprising grew larger and even more peaceful.

When I woke up to the news that morning it sent shivers up my spine. I was so pleased to feel like a part of our human collective got it right and figured out how to truly gather peacefully to make change and to do it on such a wide scale...... THAT is why I wear rose colored glasses, because I do believe that most people/humans want peace and good and the power of that does not have to fall in fear under the shadows of bullies and tyrants. Even though bullies exist, we really don't have to let them rule.

The tipping point that connected people I think was literally 'connection'. Social media was the spark. The ability to pass on the message to each other is what allowed them to galvanize over a shared emotion, it started this movement. Incredible.

It's amazing because this has been unlike any other time in history as far as sharing information goes, and even though the govt shut down the Internet in the early days of the unrest, I think enough people had been reached. They had felt it and clearly they recognized themselves in each other, the saw that they ALL had been very unhappy people for a long time and suddenly they were unwilling to settle for it.

When death becomes a more attractive option to you than living under the same depressing conditions, then you have no choice to stand up for yourself and try to institute change.

And they were smart enough to know that they would lose the message by doing anything other than having a unified and peaceful protest. Good for them. It's inspiring to the core.

Yes, that day after the violence when they all came out to the square like the little Who's from Whoville to sing around the empty Christmas tree..........for me at least, I had this real sense that this uprising might actually be able to sustain itself all the way to a successful revolution.

It was an incredible moment yesterday when he stepped down, today on the news they showed people rejoicing in the streets......, you could feel the country breathe again.

I will be very curious to see how the military handles the transition. I hope they are smart about it, or at least choose for themselves to make an impressive mark in history. They could be instrumental in building something amazing if they just travel ahead 'with' the people and really focus on building a new country with them.

HitZone!

2011-01-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

I just like this song, and asked my band one night if we could play it.
On the spot, without hesitation they said, yeah! I love it when they do that, or when an audience
member asks for Hotel California and we just do it on the fly, and we decide we like it so much we add it to our set list...yeah....this is why I am so lucky. :) Thanks to Brian Wright for taking the video and sharing it. :)

Rach:

Modern Vocalist features League of Rock band Bitter Suite on their weekly spotlight.

2011-01-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share with you today this video from the 4th session West Coast League of Rock finale last December, seeing as the last thing I mentioned is that we were preparing for the show. So on finale night, past member Brian Wright was there to support the showcase and he took this video of the last band of the night, Bitter Suite. Loralee Parks made the video work in her favor when she submitted it and it was accepted as a weekly feature on the well populated Modern Vocalist website.

Bio below was cut and pasted from the website:

Loralee Parks hails from the beautiful city of Vancouver Canada. She spent several years in retail sales & management until wanderlust set in. She then packed up everything to work on board luxury cruise lines hosting informational talks & seminars on shopping and port information. After traveling the world, she then decided it was time to head back home to Vancouver and settle on land. Ever since a young age Loralee always had a love for singing and entertaining. Mainly a hobby singer, she never really pursued her talents until about 2 years ago when she got serious and started taking vocal lessons with a master Speech Level Singing coach in Vancouver. After committing to daily vocalizing and practicing she truly found her voice and a new confidence on stage. With the encouragement from her vocal coach, friends, and family she was urged to get out there and perform. Without knowing many people in the Vancouver music scene, Loralee joined an organization called “The League of Rock” where musicians of any skill levels can join a band, rehearse, record, and perform in 10 weeks. This program not only gave her an opportunity to perform but also to meet and network with many professional musicians in the Vancouver area. The band “Bitter Suite” for example only met 10 weeks prior to this performance. Loralee is excited to be pursuing her love for singing and is currently looking at several new opportunities that are developing since her debut with “Bitter Suite”.

Congrats to the band! What a nice thing to come out of the League of Rock.

By the way there is a Groupon deal if you want to have a taste of the league......$59 for a one day, 4 hour workshop where you will get a sense of the community and rock and roll atmosphere..... go to website for more info hurry there is only a day left!

Sweet Kerosene band with me and Topher Stott, season 4 showcase!

Rach xo

River Rock Casino, Richmond BC, live entertainment, Vancouver band, Rachael Chatoor, covers.

2010-12-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

Rachael Chatoor at River Rock Thursday Dec 23rd.
My band on this night was impeccable:
Russell Marsland -Guitar
Shawn Soucy-Drums
Mick Dalla Vee-Bass

Guest Tyson Froese joins Rachael and her amazing musician friends on Baby Blue (a song his father Howard Froese played on when he recorded it with the band Chilliwack http://www.gonegonegone.com/ )

I was asked to sing along on this song which I was not expecting, but I was given the lyrics so that I could read them. This is the first time for me to sing this song, so glad the moment was captured on video.

For more info on my corporate band the HitZone see website!

the final League of Rock showcase at the YALE is upon us!

2010-12-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Well the final showcase is upon us, this Thursday Dec 9th the 4th session of the West Coast League of Rock will take the stage at the Yale 7-9pm and dare I say it, this has been the best session yet.

Here are some pictures from the previous 9 weeks to give you a glimpse of what you can expect when you join the League. :)

The first few weeks are dedicated to rehearsing at one of Vancouver's best loved jamspaces, NAL sound.

Kara (who helps facilitate operations in the League) in rehearsals!

me, generally just hanging out with the bands and cheering them all on!

Paul

Sydney

Sean

Brandon

Dave and Stephen

Wayne

(another one of our invaluable co-ordinators, whom we could not run the West Coast League without! )

Brent

Nando

Sean and Jay

Loralee

Colin

Derek

Mike

Randy

Every week members enjoy receiving advice from professional coaches. Here pictured is Shawn Soucy who toured and recorded with countless artists including One Horse Blue, The Blue Shadows, Farmers' Daughter, Ellen McIllwayne, Joel Feeney, Lisa Brokop, Doug and the Slugs, and many others. His band Alibi was a Juno award nominee and, he is also the drummer for my band!

After a few weeks the bands get together and perform for each other in what are known as the midway workshops. The first midway is held in the big room at NAL sound. This is where my part comes in as I am the MC for the events.

Pictured here with Lory who is also a part of the LOR production team and she is practically the glue that keeps this thing running with the way she pays attention to all the details, emails to members and paperwork (ie: scripts for me).

Taking the stage, Bitter Suite

Mark

Steven (whom I am throwing a shout out to for helping me with his gracious and generous donation to a family in need, thank you Stephen and Parker Mattresses, what a great company!)

Corinna (you may recognize her from this post here )

Moose Nukl takes the stage

Watching the other bands...

Coaches Shaun Verreault (Wide Mouth Mason) and Simon Kendall (Doug and the Slugs) who have been mentioned several times on my blog already thanks to the League of Rock, were the first mid-way coaches for session four and these fellas are always so hugely helpful and very appreciated for all the support and insight they have to share and continue to give to the members of the League of Rock.

After the first midway we had another week of rehearsals where we enjoyed the coaching advice from Camille Henderson, a friend of mine whom I featured in a video on this blog post. Camille played the role of Shirley in the classic Canadian movie My American Cousin in 1985, and then went on to become part of the Vancouver-based pop group West End Girls from 1991 to 1993. Following her departure from the band in 1993, Henderson became a backing vocalist for Sarah McLachlan, and also appeared as a vocalist on albums by Delerium. She is the daughter of Bill Henderson, a singer-songwriter associated with the bands Chilliwack and UHF, and is a vocal instructor in Vancouver. I didn't have my camera with me that night so I don't have a pic of Camille in action with the League, but I poked around and found this picture online with me and Camille, credit goes to the North Shore News.

The next midway was held at the Yale and the community really came together and cheered each other on. If this midway was any idication of how the finale will go, then the showcase 9th is going to ROCK!

Edible Looking Plastic rocks out!

Sweet Kerosene

During the midway we were glad to welcome back coaches Mick Dalla Vee and Marc La France to share their vast wealth of experience. Mick and Marc both have been mentioned on my blog a number of times for their own projects as well as having been featured as the rock solid musicians who back up Canadian rock legend Randy Bachman. The trio (including Brent Howard who is also a LOR coach) have just completed a world wide tour with Bachman and Turner to support B and T's recently released album of new kick ass material. The weekend before Mick and Marc came to work with our members, they had just performed with B and T during the half time show at the Grey Cup so the room was buzzing. All the members at the League of Rock were so excited they were able to fit us into their busy touring schedule it seemed to be a bit of a thrill for all involved. I'll take an instant to send a shout out to Mick who records/produces my songs for me, and let you all know that bands and singer songwriters who are looking for a producer, might like to check out his great work at Millennia Sound Design.

The final week of rehearsals brought coach Brent Howard and by this time he really just had to share some 'finishing touches' advice with everyone. At the end of the night some of the members of Bitter Suite enjoyed a unexpected surprise as Brent jumped onstage to show them a bass part. Somehow this moment turned into a few songs and really, everyone was pretty stoked about how much fun it was to play with him.

The final week brought LOR co-founder Topher Stott all the way from Toronto to produce the bands at Nimbus school of recording arts. Each band by now had chosen their strongest song and they all spent half a day recording it with the guidance of Topher who produces all the League of Rock recordings from both Vancouver and Toronto.

I myself was gigging that weekend so I couldn't make it to all the recording sessions but I made it back to town and caught the last band Bitter Suite as they finished off their last tracks and they knocked it out of the park!

Special thanks needs to go out to Tempus Drums who are a new sponsor in the League of Rock family. Tempus are handmade, high quality specialty drums that you MUST check out as I can't possibly cover it all here, but drummers, I invite you to see what the fuss is all about by going to the website. You can also see the drums in action if you come to the Yale on Thursday as there will be a kit there and a planned 'Drum off" Not to be missed......and oh, by the way, amongst the unusual materials Tempus uses, well lets just say they could have called their company "HEMP us" (wink wink)

What else will you see on Thursday besides four bands who met only 10 weeks ago performing at the Yale? Well we will be giving away thank you awards including a Tempus snare drum, a guitar from our long time sponsors Long and McQuade, software from IK Multimedia , and more.

Still want to know more? Check out these testimonials from past members and see more success stories in November's Sound Check, as well as the latest special deals for new members here!

Or, you can always watch this vid from session one!

So, ready to sign up and join the most welcoming music community around? Now were talkin!

Next session starts here~!

See you on Thursday! xo

CJSF Radio: Sound Therapy, podcast link!

2010-11-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

Direct link: CJSF Radio: Sound Therapy / Great Canadian Roadtrip

Last Monday night I was invited for an interview on Sound Therapy Radio. I played a few songs, chatted with the panel and though I was nervous before I arrived, once I got there I was made to feel very welcome and wound up having a really great time. I thought I might share a link to the podcast with my blog friends, so without further adieu, here it is. Click the link above and go to the Nov 15th 2010 show to take a peek behind the veil and hear the inspiration and stories behind some of my songs!

Cheers, Rach

Jamming~ acoustic covers, Rachael at the Kingswood.

2010-11-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

Just sharing a few clips of some cover songs played at the Kingswood Pub in Richmond BC.

Tuesday and Friday nights I can usually be found here working my way through a few solo acoustic sets. Sometimes other great musicians show up to jam with me, thanks to Eddie Lam and Chris Newton for sitting in on this night!

Enjoy, Rach!

early morning rock n roll, the League of Rock bands take flight...

2010-10-23T12:52:00.000-07:00

League of Rock on Breakfast Television,

session four begins!

A few weeks ago myself and a band assembled from past League of Rock members got ourselves out of bed before the crack of dawn to go and rock some tunes on Vancouver's Breakfast Television. (To see the BT feature click here and wait for it to load)
Host Greg Harper (pictured at top) and his BT audience got a little look at all things League of Rock and it was an exciting morning to say the least. We talked about our rearsals at NAL jamspace where bands come together and rehearse and prepare for thier final showcase at the Yale, and how they do this with the assistance of guest pro and celeb coaches such as Mick Dalla Vee (pictured) who is a member of rock legend Randy Bachman's band which is currently on tour with Bachman and Turner (who by the way just released an outstanding new album this past fall ). Mick also records/produces my original music and if you are a singer songwriter looking for a studio I suggest you get in touch with him here.
So for Breakfast Television host Greg Harper gamely played some drums and walked the viewers through the process of being in the league, the band played some tunes and we talked about recording in studio which is something all the bands are able to do in week 9 of each session before the final live showcase. To hear all the fantastic recordings from past Vancouver and Toronto League of Rock sessions please click this link.
Going into studio and performing are often activities that are 'a first ever' for new members and I have to say, I love that part of the LOR, witnessing all the firsts people get to experience. It was such great fun morning (even if it was early and I did have gig the night before) and it helped kick off the fourth session with a terrific bang. A session, I am happy to report, is already on its way to full swing.

Our first Join a Band draft event is where everyone shows up and is put into their band, then they break off into groups to discuss names, music, songlist etc...... it was held at NAL jamspace. It was really nice to see so many friendly faces from the past sessions (dear Stephen (pictured), my pal since session one was a delight to see after such a long busy summer away ). The energy was so good in the room that the brand new members felt welcome right away and I noticed there was considerably less nervous energy in this group compared to previous sessions. This I attribute to the fact that so many of the members have gone through the league before. It seemed to me that them knowing what to expect, left them without that persistent sense of fear and in its place was only anticipation and excitement (with a few butterflies thrown in for good measure). This is how it is supposed to be really and is one of the benefits of using a universal language like music to connect people. It is exemplified in every session I observe, I see that not only through music do these people become friends, but they learn to really hold one another up so that the rest may blossom. It's so frikken cool.

So people jammed a little, ate pizza, talked music, socialized a lot and we all walked away with each others email and contact info. Everyone set out to communicate throughout the week and prepare for our first real rehearsal date the next Wednesday. Which also went beautifully. Never before have I see bands gel right away like this. It's truly remarkable and a real pleasure to be a part of, I can't wait to see it all evolve.

(above pics, observing the bands is our fantastic award winning keyboardist/composer guest coach Simon Kendall (Doug and the Slugs), chillin out with the members and giving advice to the bands on week one~!)

Big thanks go out to past members Wayne Oberst, Lory Senft and Kara Bently for handling most of what it took to pull this whole thing together this session. It takes a lot of time and dedication to get the word out and let people know how much genuine fun and benefit the League is for this here hidden population of music, the unsung heros of rock. I think they are testament to the fact that this League is about the people in it as much as it is about the music they make when they are together. So thanks go to them for what they do, for each to help support 4 bands through this process as well as play in a band themselves...not to mention run their own lives.......its really something. I am proud to be able to M/C host the west coast League of Rock and am I glad so many great musicians are a part of it. I also love that I can turn to LOR members if and when I am looking to assemble bands for charity events next summer.

So, go get your instrument and practise.

Rach xo

the reasonable path of destruction

2010-10-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

I made the above video nearly a year ago yet I only had the relevant conversation with the father of my children, recently. We both knew it was inevitable, but it was still regrettable. I am talking about, that conversation, the one that begins with a "d".

I'm glad to be able to say that as sensitive as this talk can potentially be ours actually went very smoothly, which doesn't surprise me in the least. Even though "J" and I could not keep ourselves together as a couple, over the past 6 years of separation we never lost focus on doing the best thing for our kids, which is to get along. It carries through in most everything. We do make real efforts to respect each other and  we never put our kids between us, even when we tick each other off.

My children's father has been living out of the province for the last 6 years and so our separation has been pretty easy to manage in large part due to our physical distance. A recent change in job and a pending physical re-location means that their Dad will be moving here to be closer to the kids.   While this is awesome for my children it does mean that 'J' and I are going to have to figure out how to get along on a whole new level.  Seeing as there will no longer be a literal mountain separating us, it is time to draw some other define able line so it doesn't get confusing for anyone, hence the reason the topic came up.

Basically the talk turned out to be several ways to say respectfully to each other; "I'll co-operate in any way that makes it easy for you". Great, that sounds like us, things are cool, it's going to go smoothly.  I decided to do some poking around at that point. I wanted to take a pulse on what is happening out there. How are people doing this? What is the most reasonable (and cheap) path to an amicable divorce. Who is failing at it? Who is succeeding? Why? What can I learn from them?

I went to the web for some answers and I was saddened by what I found.  You see I instinctively passed over the sites that encouraged me the woman to "Feel entitled to get everything you can get your hands on" and instead, I found myself lingering at sites on the web such as A Voice for Men or Man Woman and Myth where I found video after video and article after article of, for and by men who are tired of being the scapegoats of our fractured system. Men who are tired of standing by while children just by virtue of being in the middle can be used as tools to bury their own fathers.

Listening to the way some men feel about women, and trust me I don't love everything these website say or how they say it, but I do empathise with the contributors because the gripes they were making, were very much the same as ones I have heard time and time again from numerous male friends of mine, nice guys I know well who just want to be a good Dad to their kid or kids but are stripped of their voice and power at every turn and seemingly ordered into slavehood by judges who appear to only hear the womans side. Too dramatic? I don't think so, for the most part, it's too true.

I am ashamed at some of my sisters out there (make no mistake, I am also deeply ashamed of the deadbeat dads and the true abusers out there too, but that is another post altogether and would have to include women because both genders are equally as capable of such heinous behavior), and I am dejected to think that there even exists these websites or the need for them. I am sad that there are men who post there and feel justified to paint such a hideous picture of all females as if we are all irrational and impossible.  They feel justified for a reason though, I get that, and in many ways I feel that they actually are justified. For the record boys, many of my girl friends and I would agree with a lot of what you say, because we know it happens, we know girls who do it. I thought I would point out to you men, that a great many of us females, are not impressed either.

I for one consider myself lucky that I picked a person who is willing to 'participate' in his children's lives, so, I don't take advantage. And now even, I expect that I will be offering to take even less support than I have been taking because I will no longer be the sole care provider. My kids will finally have a Dad who is closer than  a plane ride away and that is worth getting along for. I also realize that if I cripple my ex's potential for success by using the court system (which leans in my favour) to make him unreasonably and everlastingly beholden to me financially, he will have a difficult time flourishing and being happy and moving forward himself. What good would that do anyone? What kind of an example do I want to set for my children regarding my actions towards their father? What do I want my kids to see regarding my own actions in general? These are a few key questions that many of the lawyer driven, courtroom addicted, ball crushing women out there would be wise to ask themselves. Did anyone ever consider that there might be a lot less court battles in general if there was less abuse of the system, ladies?

If women only went after the truly deadbeat dad's, perhaps the stand up guys out there would have the time and inclination to shame their more caveman-like brothers into manning up and doing their fair part. Perhaps society would naturally take care of the problem. Instead, we are busy causing problems, and rather than being given the benefit of the doubt that a father will do the right thing, far too many of those stand up guys are busy defending themselves in a courtroom and paying for the past. They walk away bled dry of soul and empty of wallet and are convinced we females are all exactly the same. Its ludicrous.

I don't know why more women don't get the whole getting along idea.   It does not matter to your kids if your ex left the toilet seat up or if he snogged with the copy room girl at work. Whatever the problem was, it just doesn't matter, not to YOUR KIDS. If your relationship is over, it should no longer matter to you. What does matter is that if only one of the two people in a dissolving relationship wins, then the other loses. The moment that children see or sense one of their parents is suffering and being dragged down, is the moment when everyone loses. Personally I wouldn't set that example for my kids. I don't stand on many high horses by the way, but this is one I will confidently take to a gallop.

Not that I know anything at all besides what works for me, but I've always felt that it would do me no good to be toxic towards my ex  and I sure as hell will not cause him (nor my kids) to grow to hate me for abusing a system that is tipped in my favor.  As a mother of a daughter, I will not set that example. As a Mother of a son, I fear a little bit for him,   it all seems so broken right now and I almost wish I could warn him off marriage entirely lest he get ensnared by one of these crazy women. Sad eh?

I'd like to see the divorce courts evolve to be more willingly open to looking at all sides of every story, but  the only way to realistically make that work, is if nobody takes advantage of anyone in the first place and that means people have to take responsibility for themselves. And feminism has to stop pointing the finger at all men as if they are evil.   I would like to see the pendulum swing back to ideals of equality based on respect for individual choices and abilities rather than on 'one upmanship'.

If you are a woman reading this and you hate me because your ex is not a stand up guy, please don't misunderstand my rant, please know that I am sorry for your situation and that this complaint is clearly not addressed to you.

This is for the sister who is being difficult due to greed, selfishness and/or just pure vindictiveness. It's for the girl who takes her hubby to court when he gets a 50 cent raise or the one who embellishes and twists reality so that the judge will grant control of the children whom she then uses to control her ex. You women don't seem to notice or care that your kids see it all.
Ladies, please realize that with every punch you throw at your ex, you are bruising your own children in ways that may take a long time to heal.
Wake up.

I ask you to wake up because to me, it is not ok that men perceive us this way, it's just not ok.

So now that that rant is over, it is time to touch on the fact that that there is something else about this whole business of the childrens father moving closer, that is a huge relief for me personally. I realize that slowly and naturally I have been letting go of the feelings of inadequacy that once seemed to grip me, feelings born out of my sense of guilt at not being able to provide a father figure in my children's lives. I know the burden really is unrealistic and rests on no one, but I seemed to carry it anyway. In any case, knowing that the kid's Dad will soon be close-by to them somehow removes some instinctive desire to find and provide that experience.

This is something I had begun to focus on after waking up from tripping blindly a few years ago and seeing where I was (disbelieving in good intentions and disillusioned to the point where I was making excuses or exceptions for letting others treat me badly). It was sobering, because the 'me' I once knew, wouldn't stand for that. I knew I needed to find a way to re-ingnite that internal knowing that I used to have, find the self love that I used to own that had always kept me from falling in the wrong place. And I needed time to do that, alone. This is hard to do when you feel pressure to pair up, I felt stuck in the middle of needs vs wants and I've been confused as heck.

But I carried on  in my own personal way and found myself inspired again and looking in the right direction, and within the last couple of years I've managed to discover and develop some strength within me to pull myself up with. Looking back I see I have managed to maintain overall happiness and growth ever since and I couldn't be more thankful. In fact I even feel cautiously optimistic that I am going to be able to really embrace being free, and that one day I may even wholeheartedly understand what it feels like to have time as my ally rather than my adversary.

That is all I have to say for now, just be nice to each other, and have a good day.

with hearts, Rach
xo

a very fine day...

2010-09-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

...is a day that is filled with music. Yesterday for example was a wickedly, powerful, musical adventure filled to the brim with diverse and unique experiences. It started with a trip to Long and McQuade in downtown Vancouver where I pitched up and played songs for about an hour or more, just me and my guitar and a bunch of musically inclined people wandering around in a big store full of musical instruments, it's the perfect place to practise under the influence (of others).

The reason for the occassion was that the folks at League of Rock are gearing up for another fall session so I joined Kara in her promotions that afternoon, figuring that it would be fun to point my guitar at the new promo for a while. Kara was busy chatting with people who lingered so she only shot one video but at least we got something. It does mean however that your musical selection today is, REM or REM.

It was cool to see LOR member Brandon again after all this time. He stopped by for a visit so I had a good chat with him about his current band and the recording they are doing and how much he is digging that. We talked about the benefits of his time spent in the League and we both agreed that the experience of joining a band, rehearsing, recording, learning from pros and then showcasing at a venue like the Yale all within 10 weeks, just can't be duplicated, and for anyone who is musically talented but too busy and perhaps inexperienced to put it all together themselves, this really is an effortless way to check out of your day job and check in to your inner rocker. And if you've read previous LOR posts you will recognize Kara who has joined team League of Rock (along with Wayne and Lori)!

Later that night I arrived to Lulu's Lounge at the River Rock Casino for my gig with the Hitmen, and I took this pic backstage just minutes before showtime.

I don't have words adequate to describe how much I love playing with this band, but it must come across very clearly as people tell me all the time that I look like I am having so much fun up there. It's true, I am having so much fun. This discussion came up as I chatted with an interesting crew of muscians after the gig. They were staying at the River Rock casino because they had a gig at the Red Robinson Show theatre with Burton Cummings, just hours before. As we were talking music and experiences, the League of Rock naturally came up as it was part of my day as well as is an inspiring part of my life. Well, it turns out the bass player whom I was talking to, actually had been a coach in the Toronto chapter!

Small world, in fact I was told there were a few in the band and on the crew who are very familiar with what Terry and Topher are doing over there in Toronto. It is so cool to talk to people who get it. Jeff Jones, the bass player for the Carpet Frogs (who were backing up Burton) was talking about his experience with the members and how great it was to watch them going through the League. He has an inherent enthusiam for music which I think is the tie that binds, that and just knowing how good it feels and appreciating how powerful it is for others to experience. It's a very cool thing really.

So anyhow, I figure all this coincidence was just too timely not to share, and this is a great chance to remind you that if you have been thinking about joining but haven't yet, the League of Rock is starting a new session very soon so now is the time to get in on it. Just think, this coming Holiday season you could be performing at the Yale for your family and friends.

Cheers, Rach!

Vancouver's corporate party band! ~HitZone!~

2010-08-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Looking for a stellar party band for your holiday party, wedding or corporate event?
HitZone (formerly called the Hitmen) are one of Vancouver’s most unique musical acts. Playing hits from the 50’s to the present, The Hitmen will apply their vast knowledge of pop music to your special event and truly make it a night to remember. With their strong musicianship, soaring vocal harmonies and playful sense of humour, the band will entertain you , rock you, and generally make you wanna move ‘n’ groove!

You can see us live at the River Rock and Boulevard casinos this Sept 10-11, and Sept 24-25, or watch the video!
Click this link for more info on how to book the band!

with hearts xo
Rach

a parenting question for the experts.....

2010-08-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

Question: As a parent, if I hear outrageous laughter coming from the back seat along with comments like "the moon is out early today" and then turn around and see this.........

.......am I supposed to be mad or proud?

Rach xo

Songwriters should be leading the charge......

2010-08-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is a bonus post in follow up to my Road Trip post/video's at the VIMBC.

Kelly and I were chatting with Bill Henderson and it occured to me that part of our conversation contained an important message for songwriters so I don't want this footage to just sit on the cutting room floor. It relates back to one of the many seminars I went to at the VIMBC which was about monetizing digital downloads, Bill Henderson and Ralph Murphy were the panelists. Basically, file sharing is here to stay, and so it should be, it is a fantastic tool. At the same time, artists who should be compensated for their work, are not being compensated.

This is serious for all songwriters and music professionals, the current stats are staggering.

An estimated 1.6 billion music files are shared online in Canada each year.
* The total number of purchased downloads in Canada was 38 million in 2005.2
* The proportion between these two is 98/2 – 98% sharing, 2% purchasing.

There are people who will argue that you can't monetize file sharing because grandmother Betsy would never download a file in her life and she just plays Bingo on Facebook so she shouldn't be charged and so on and so on.........of course...... this is why there is disucssion going on. I'm not sure that everyone knows this, but there is an unobtrusive way to monetize file sharing and music downloading which is fair to both the artist as well as the consumer, or non-consumer if such is the case. There is a proposal being discussed right now online at SAC and as a songwriter you should be a part of this discussion. The more songwriters who join in and lead the charge towards the inevitable, the more likely the change will be positive and productive and beneficial to all.

\

Canada has given the world some of the greatest music ever produced. We believe that implementing a fair way of compensating Canada’s music creators for the online sharing of their music will usher in a new Golden Age of creativity. (from the SAC website)

For more info, and to lend your voice to the conversation, please go HERE~

And speaking of songwriting, here are a few clips from my showcase at the VIMBC.....

Keep writing and rocking friends.
Rach xo

ON the Road with Kelly and Rachael's All Access Pass! VIMBC

2010-08-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my virtual scrapbook video of some highlights of our trip to the 2010 Vancouver Island Music Business conference. (I would like to say thanks to Kelly Brock my All Access Pass co-host, for giving me her song to use. Thanks Kel!) And also I must send huge thanks and hugs to Steve and Carolyn at Two Eagles Lodge in Union Bay for ~~putting up with us~~ putting us up! After staying there for a weekend I can see there is excellent reason that the Two Eagles Lodge has been awarded top honors for Bed and Breakfast's on Vancouver Island, it is a beautiful warm home in a stunning setting, where guests are treated like family.

In fact we felt so much like family that when Kelly and I arrived home from the wrap party at the Whistlestop and spotted headlights from a running car that was sitting over at the barn, so, we donned our Thelma and Louise dresses and drove down to the barn to find out who the intruders were (because when we left the party earlier, we were pretty sure everyone else was still there). It turned out however, that it was just Steve and Carolyn checking on the horses (which was really lucky because I'm not at all sure that Kelly and I had any inkling of an idea of what we were going to do if there really were robbers in the barn).

Ah but I digress, for those of you reading who are musicians, composers, songwriters, performers, bands or artists who are interested in working in music and getting the most out of the industry then the VIMBC is a great weekend to plan to attend for next year.

Something of note about this conference is that is does not anticpate growth in size. The VIMBC is limited to 500 people because realistically, space only allows for 500 people. It's perfect if you ask me. With no pressure to expand on the size of the conference, Susie and Andy have been able to focus on the quality of the content and make the most out of the intimacy of the setting.

Small and intimate means that the panelists are more accessable and the opportunities for relationship building are more realistic. Something about the small size of this conference seems to encourage people (panelists included) to let their guard down and become more approachable. It's an exclusive event but by the end of the weekend we all seemed to act like we are in this thing together, certainly moreso than you might get from an event that is larger, crowded and in a widespread more bustling setting.

And speaking of settings, could there be anywhere more beautiful than on an island looking out over the water? It was just so relaxing, and music focused. Music, music, music. If you love it, don't miss it.

For even more of an idea of the conference I invite you to watch Kelly and Rachael's All Access Pass feature which will take you to a couple of the seminars, talks to some of the panelists, and puts you right there in the audience during the concerts.

What a weekend. There were just SO many friends I had the great pleasure of seeing again, so many of us, we are so busy that our paths just do not cross often enough, but I am always so delighted when they do. I wish I could say hi to you all individually and thank you all for being a part of our fab weekend, this video celebrating the event will have to do! Enjoy!

PANELISTS ~Link-Fest~

CLICK ON NAMES FOR MORE INFO

Dan Hill
singer/songwriter, Recording artist, Producer, Author
Patricia Conroy
Award-winning singer/songwriter, recording artist -CCMA “Album of the Year” (1993) “Female Vocalist of the Year” (1994)
Bill Henderson
Chilliwack Lead Singer/Guitarist, Songwriter, Canadian Music Icon
Sue Medley
Juno, SOCAN award-winning recording artist and songwriter
Kevin Churko
Producer, Engineer (Shania Twain, Ozzy Osbourne, Ringo Starr, Robert Downey Jr., Lisa Marie Presley, Britney Spears, The Corrs)
Ralph Murphy
Vice President, ASCAP Nashville. Producer, songwriter and music publisher.
Brian Heatherman
President and CEO, FACTOR
Angela Kelman
"Farmer’s Daughter" lead vocalist
Tom McKillip
Producer (Lisa Brokop, Aaron Pritchett, One More Girl, Kenny Hess, Ian Tyson)
John Dexter
Songwriter, Publisher, Label Owner, Producer (Melissa Etheridge, David Foster, Cheap Trick, Bif Naked, West End Girls, Alias, Mel Torme, Starship, Quarterflash
Ron Proulx
Music Supervisor, Arpix Media International
Jamie Warren
Singer/songwriter, Recording artist - the most awarded independent male artist in the Canadian country music industry
Ron Irving
Internationally-acclaimed award winning songwriter, producer, publisher
Steven McClintock
President, 37 Records. Award-winning songwriter, publisher and producer based in Long Beach Ca.
Bob Funk
Producer (Patricia Conroy) Studio and Touring Musician
Sue Irving
Music Publisher, Director, BC Country Music Association.
Jerry Adolphe
Studio and Tour Drummer (Chilliwack, Lisa Brokop, Jim Byrnes, Roberta Flack, Meliissa Manchester, Sass Jordan, Seal)
Bob D'eith
Music Lawyer, Executive Director, MUSIC BC, Peak Performance Project Faculty
Don Adams
Artist Management (Donpaul Entertainment), Promoter (Merritt Mountain Festival)
Gene Daniel
Live Music Promoter, Radio Group mogul
Ted Moseman
President, Horizon International Talent Agency
Douglas Romanow
Toronto-based producer and owner of boutique studio Fire Escape Recording
Ed Harris
Marketing Director, Royalty Records, Calgary Stampede
Kelly Brock
Independent Recording Artist and songwriter
Terry O'Brien
SOCAN Education and Outreach Manager
Joanna Maratta
Executive Director, BC Touring Council
Jim Norris
President, Norris-Whitney Communications Inc.
R Harlan Smith
President of Royalty Records, songwriter, producer,
publisher, CCMA Hall Of Famer
Ed Henderson
Composer, arranger-orchestrator, guitarist, musical director and music producer in theatre, film and the concert stage
Doug Edwards
Studio and Touring musician
Phil Kallsen
Program Director, Country 105 FM, Calgary
Bill Miller
Radio Promoter, Pitbull Promotions
Ryan Mennie
Music Director, 97.3 The Eagle, Courtenay
Michael Behm
Songwriter, Producer, Publisher, Label Owner
Sean Hogan
Songwriter, award-winning independent Canadian Roots/Country Artist
Scott James
Music Director, 100.3 The Q, Victoria
DaveSawchuk
Music Director, 91.3 The Zone, Victoria
Rob Bye
Regional Program Director, Island Radio Group
Susie McGregor
singer, songwriter, VIMBC Event Coordinator
Barry Stecyk
Province Playlist, President, HevyD Music
Catherine Miller
Music Lawyer
Vig Schulman
Concert Promoter, Cumberland Village Works

See you next year!
Rach xo

Grown Up Movie Star, growing up.... period.

2010-08-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

First Weekend Club invited me to play for their screening of Grown Up Movie Star at District 319

a couple of weeks ago and once again it was a wonderful event that I was delighted to give my time to. For this gig I asked the super sweet Angie Faith to join me because I always dig the opportunity to sing with another female vocalist/songwriter/musician, and so musically the night was a blast. I love these gigs, the crowd as always has a warm, dynamic, artistic, energy flowing through it and the atmosphere is a pleasure to be immersed in.

I would like to take a moment to make a special thank you to Murielle Fréoa who took all of these gorgeous photos, I could not do this blog without her help, so thank you Murielle for your dedication to helping out the FWC, they are gorgeous shots. You can find her link below~

I've had to think about this post for a while before writing it because this was a powerful movie and there were moments where I found myself crying in the theatre as I watched the film. I can't even draw parallels because her story and mine are nothing alike in almost every way, yet somehow I still found myself mourning for something I've never had and not yet given myself real permission to see.

At the same time I was grateful for what it never cost me, even though it meant missing out on something meaningful that people say is supposed to be precious.

Becoming aware but resisting it, I think I know what is waiting to emerge from within me yet I am afraid, afraid to let anything good happen for fear of losing it all. Being afraid. It does sound so weak doesn't it?. I read these words and I am not even sure I will post them. Most of the time I have no fear, so why would I ever show weakness or engage in self pity when I inherently know it is unattractive and unappealing? Who knows why. Maybe it's to prove that I am unworthy so that I can hold onto my fears and blame them when I fail. Or, maybe someone will see this and see themselves and be grateful, maybe it'll help them to not feel alone. Or, maybe it's a way for me to admit that there is a soft place inside me that just doesn't know anything but is open to everything, and that in itself is the scariest thing of all.....especially without having a safe place to fall. And how do we even know what is safe, is there such a thing? It's all so..... big... isn't it?

I am trying to process and understand a lot of old things lately and it seems as if there is always something of a synchronicity in the way I get asked to do these movie events for they have encouraged me to look where I don't want to, right when I need to. Mothers and Daughters,  One Week, Year of the Carnivore all had something that resonated within me and found me walking away thinking. That is the real beauty of the arts don't you think? I love the way a painting, play, sculpture, movie or song can speak to us...or say things for us.

This movie also reminded me that we all find our way in our own way and I can't keep beating myself up for looking to find it, or shouldn't. And in fact, in watching the way some people go about it (like this film suggests), I feel grateful in a way for my instinctive caution for it keeps me safe in body at least, even if not always in spirit. We are all works in progress in any case. Really, I can only be grateful when I look at the big picture for I still feel overly-blessed.

What is so synchronistic about all of this is that while the folks at FWC say they usually try to line up musicians with the films, I have for the last two events been a last minute replacement agreeing to help them out with a weeks notice because the bands they had originally asked could not make the gig. So, it's not as if the event producers decided to ask me to play this one because I am all twisted up about this kind of crap, it was just coincindence, yet, it kinda fits.   In any case after each of the last two movie nights I played for, I walked away so ripped up that I just think that I was somehow supposed to see these films. They brought me another perspective, on many perspectives.

There were so many different 'story lines' and 'dives to the depths' in this film that I don't think anyone walked away unaffected. There even appeared to be a moment after the film ended where it felt as if the whole audience collectively sighed and thought "Wow, did I just watch that?" How in the world am I to absorb it all? You can imagine there were a lot of questions for the director   Adriana Maggs who logged in on Skype for a conversation with the audience.

For more on the movie, this is taken from the First Weekend Club website;

******************************************************************
THAT'S A WRAP

Canada Screens on July 22 witnessed another amazing turnout with a near full house (despite the great summer weather). The evening kicked off with live music by Rachael Chatoor and Angie Faith during the one hour wine reception. Following the screening of the film which received an enthusiastic response, the director Adrianna Maggs joined us by live video Skype for a Q&A with the audience. We are already looking forward to our next Canada Screens August 19.

****OFFICIAL SELECTION SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2010****

..."A performance that leads ‘Grown Up Movie Star” to be one of the boldest and ballsiest coming of age films in a while and certainly one of best films of the (Sundance) festival." - Alan Bacchus

..."Maslany is magnificent as the worldly Ruby." - Toronto Star

..."Grown Up Movie Star’ sends a grenade into the coming-of-age subgenre of cinema." - Daily Film Dose

..."It all comes together so dazzlingly....A tight package that never feels weighed down by its themes." - Susan G. Cole, NOW Toronto

On July 22nd, First Weekend Club will bring you the Canadian Film that turned Sundance upside down, "Grown Up Movie Star".
This festival-haunting hit has won (or broken) the hearts of critics and reviewers, and thrown the dramatic coming-of-age genre upside down with a one-two punch of hard to face themes of family, sexuality and homosexuality, intermingled with snappy dialogue and the all too real beauty of teenage angst. But this is no case of a tragedy-overloaded Canadian film; levity and pacing is provided by the kind of comedy and dialogue that could only come from our far eastern province, or what Newfoundlanders like to call, "The Rock". This film is raw. It is gritty and is an unapologetically close and personal look at coming of age. Simply put, this film has blown away festival indie audiences and we are thrilled to bring something of this calibre to Canada Screens as our July red carpet event, and to use the event to premiere it as our DVD Club pick, with an online interactive component.
"Grown Up Movie Star", shot in Newfoundland and directed and written by Adriana Maggs, is a riveting tale of confused love, family and discovery of identity. This coming of age film is relevant to many ages due to the poignant, multi-layered and absolutely grounded portrayal of characters by a cast which features Shawn Doyle, Tatiana Maslany, Jonny Harris, Mark O'Brien, Andy Jones, Julia Kennedy and Sherry White. And a cameo by Canadian comedy and Maritime icon, Mary Walsh.

***********************************************************************

So watch for it, watch it, and please do support great Canadian filmmaking by checking in often with First Weekend Club to see what they are screening. Many thanks again to Murielle Fréoa for all the wonderful photographs, and to Paul Armstrong and Anita Adams and all the people at First Weekend Club who make all of this happen. I am proud to be a part of it.

Rach
xo

Observations from my iPhone................

2010-07-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

I found these shoes in my closet, my first thought, oh how adorable, and then I got another flash, the message was clear: ~Dear Mommy, I am watching everything you do, so don't screw up.~
For a brief second I flirted with fear and loathing for my mistakes but I pushed it aside because I had to. She is watching me. So I turned my focus to being grateful for where I am and for what inspired me to care about where I am.

I taught my 10 year old son to make French toast one Sunday morning. This was what he served me, my heart melted. I was so touched I took a pic with my iPhone and posted it on my Facebook wall. He beamed when he saw my post and the love has continued to travel because he has since made french toast for his teacher in school as well as for his Dad and Grandparents while they were on holiday together.

I used to be too cautious and would stop my boy from doing things like this, but I gathered quickly that it didn't really protect him it only made him fearful to try things. Now I just stand by and watch and applaud (and I also suggest that if we have to go to a hospital because he is making really stupid choices he'd best be prepared to suck it up because we won't be entertaining tears over the situation, to which he says, "deal".).

Walking alone in the rain is usually when I let myself cry, that way no one has to see the tears.

There is certainly something to be said for allowing yourself to sing like nobody is watching. It took me more than a decade to learn how to open up and allow myself to be so free. I've always had the spirit but never quite the capacity to harness my energy and properly present it like I knew I might be able to. It took me a long while to get over my nerves and not choke onstage particularly for larger events. Now I feel calm, I know what I can do and it's all just what it is. I wish I could put into words how to get over that fear so someone else could benefit if they so choose, but there are no words really, and my way may not be yours. In any case, I learned through doing, trying, and sometimes making mistakes.

Pretty much like you learn anything else in life.

It seems like now that I have the performance anxiety issue out of the way, I could very well be opening up to another way to be free of myself and it scares the shit out of me.

I've actually thought for one brief speck of a moment that I would like to go back to a time from before I learned that my innocence had been taken, to start again from that point perhaps where it felt safe and simple without that whole thing in the way. They say it changes the way you view yourself, this thing.

The fact that I even allowed this thought in my head for a moment tells me there is something I have yet to explore. I don't exactly fear it but I don't want to make any mistakes either. I have a feeling it will be powerful and fulfilling because it's something I know I have held onto, saved for myself, spoken out loud to no one about and only barely hinted at once while describing an imagined kiss as being no more threatening than a youthful one. Trust building within me, with me being comfortable taking initiative, deciding it's ok to do so, as opposed to being pushed, wooed, pursued, or coerced. Something about that is a key to something transforming for me and somewhere deep inside I know it. I know that (like opening myself up to the singing), when I change the way I view myself the more likely this will open up the something that I've kept closed. I've caught whiffs of these faraway feelings and what that change will feel like, it's like I know it's there, but if I look it disappears, just out of reach and I retreat, not really sure I want to let it all out. I do whatever I can manage to possibly do to avoid actually facing it, all while I think I am trying to face it. Make sense? Of course not. Ah, well this has always been a mess, you don't want to read my mess. Usually when I write something down, I have no choice but to look at it, so, now I've written it, just ignore me while I work on cleaning it up please.

I like light, I am drawn to it because it is not afraid of the truth.

Light knows that even a shadow does not change what is truly there.

See that sign beside me with the red line through an arrow that looks like it is saying NO don't?

Some of you probably saw it right away and some of you saw it but had to go back to the picture and focus on it to really see it. To me this picture is an aristic/visual respresentation of that little voice inside your head. It's always there isn't it? No matter how aware of it we may or may not be it is there.

For the most part I totally get that voice, it really does guide me well and I am comfortable with it.

But every once in a while, I blatantly ignore it like a puppy dog so lost on the delicious aroma he is rolling in that he can't hear his owner calling him, telling him to stop. It's like when I find myself pressing 'send' on things that are better off left unsent I hear myself say 'stupid, don't' but I justify it to myself and I imagine that my good heart will shine though and....

but it doesn't work that way, I really need to heed that voice.

My friend/co-worker surprised me one day, I was relaying a story about verbally tearing a strip off of my daughter in a store and feeling so bad about it......and at the end she said she was relieved to hear I had moments where I thought I was a complete failure, because according to my online reporting, life looks to be so picture perfect for me. Really?

Some things I just don't talk about. I don't want to feel pity and I keep up the dance so that I don't have to. Some things no one knows, because no one needs to know. Everyone has their own mess, they don't need mine. Pour souls are the few who I choose to dump on as I would profess loudly that I am not broken, right exactly when I am starting wonder if maybe a part of me is broken.
For their understanding ear I feel very grateful.

And I do wonder, because the more I figure out, the less I actually seem to know.

One of the few things I do know however, is that my perspective isn't the only one, nor am I sure it is the right one, all I know is that it's mine.

Took this pic of the road while out walking one day and immediately Sheryl Crowe's 'Everyday is a winding Road' began playing on the soundtrack that constantly runs in the back of my mind.

So, without thinking too much I just took the next two shots to mimic the lyrics....

~every day is a winding road, I get a little bit closer, to feeling fine~

and I guess I do, so, with gratitude to you, I wish you the best~

Rachael

from Abba to Ariel and everything inbetween

2010-07-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago I subbed in for an Abbacadabra gig with Alyssa (and the Mooncoin crew) at a big outdoor event. It was one of those scenarios where there were no facilities to get ready in (save for our truck which was operating more like an oven after sitting in the sun all day) so, we got ready (for the most part) in the shade behind the truck which was parked behind the stage. Alyssa and I just had so much fun with the situation and of course we did what we felt sure everyone with an iPhone would do in the same circumstance, we took before and after shots so we could post them to facebook.

I love working with Alyssa, we have so much fun bouncing good energy back and forth. We've had many a bonding moment over welcoming ourselves and pushing to evolve. Embracing every bump, hill and curve along the way and feeling wholly grateful for even the hardest lessons (knowing they often bring the most impactful growth).

On the topic of lessons, I learned on this day, that I should do a little more dance testing on costumes before I walk onstage in them. You see we had brand new costumes on an unfortunately, halfways through the very first song I looked down and realized my pants were sneakily headed in the direction of my toes. Uh, ok, yikes, 75 minutes of show to go with virtually no chance to get offstage and secure them, all I could do was keep pulling them up! So here I had on these pants that were sliding down with every 'can can' that we did while on an open gazebo style stage where the crowd were even sitting behind us. 360 baby. All or nothing for this gig. It was outstanding.

I managed to quietly right myself throughout the night and mercifully a group of kids (angels from heaven) kept us busy by giving us flowers (dandelion weeds) and we had to stop and collect them from the little hands. BONUS, I could quite rightly get out of actual dancing with this nifty little distraction and just stand there holding my pants up. A small but important victory if you ask me. Eventually there were so many kids sitting onstage with us that our dancing was clearly restricted and it somehow looked natural for me to be looking a little gorky as I moved. hehehe Ok, well wasn't really that noticeable I suppose, I'm sure I imagined it to be moreso, no one said they could tell afterward. In any case we had a pile of fun and were really enjoying the crowd, especially the kids. You pretty much must have a partner who is smiling and fun to be with onstage when you face a challenge like this and Alyssa never missed a beat or stopped sharing her brilliant light.

So before I tell you where we play next (where all costume issues will be completely fixed) I thought I would deak off onto another path for a moment and share with you what Alyssa does besides being a glam Abba babe. She's put her musical and performing skills to use to create Princess shows for little Princesses who are having birthdays or special celebrations. Now, weirdly, I don't know another person anywhere who is more perfectly suited to doing this job. Alyssa is a sweet, beautiful, petite, graceful, charming, lovely, warm, angel like energy who's eyes sparkle and voice sounds just like Ariel when she sings. She seeks the good in everyone and she easily and naturally composes herself with the soft grace of a real fairy tale princess. I know Alyssa as a mother, friend and a good hearted soul and I know that deep down she feels a passion for using her influence on the young girls to help guide them towards self love and acceptance. It makes me proud that she calls me a friend.

On one of the first occassions that I ever worked with Alyssa, we were playing at the Vancouver Convention Centre and she walked into the venue for sound check dressed in her Cinderella costume. It turns out she was coming straight from another gig and she had forgotten to bring her change of clothes, hahaha.......I can tell you with some authority that walking with Cinderella in downtown Vancouver is a very interesting experience. I do believe that Alyssa has a number of different characters she can portray so your little girl can choose her favorite show. ~ If you would like to have a real Princess come to sing and sprinkle fairy dust at your daughters party please leave me a comment or contact me directly through my website and I can hook you up with Alyssa. Once she gets her website up I will post links. :)

In the meantime on Wednesday we are putting on a smaller version of the Abbacadabra show, the 4 piece will be playing in front of Bentall Centre this Wed July 28th from 12-2pm for the summer lunchtime concert series.

To see the full production video from Mooncoin's production of Abbacadabra please click this VIDEO link.

See you there!
Rach xo

wandering along the trail.......

2010-07-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

My Mom for the first time today tried walking in the forest rachaelpachel style.

The trick to this game is to imagine something exciting, something from another time such as; you are one of your ancestors and you are embroiled in battle in the forest, every tree, stump, bush stick and weed can be an enemy target (you can't acutally hit things though, don't destroy the forest please)...think of it like a reality video game!

If you know martial arts then this is especially fun as you can work hard on your form and core strength as you walk.

Editors note: to keep hikes interesting and entertaining sometimes it helps to look for things to play with and/or ways to balance, climb, kick, hit, lift and/or scale with. You can tailor activities to match your abilities, ie: don't just do step ups on the cut logs, do push ups from them, or jump back and forth over them sideways as you move forward.

And finally, take time to enjoy and appreciate the perfection and wonder of mother nature's canvas.

This message and the activity it promotes is HST free.

Rachael xox

anthems at Nat Bailey Stadium, Vancouver Canadians!

2010-07-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

On July the 12th I had the great pleasure of being asked to sing both the Canadian and US anthems for the Vancouver Canadians game against Yakima at Nat Bailey Stadium. In the half hour before the game started, as people were strolling in to watch the game and I decided to stand outside with my guitar warming up my voice while offering some complimentary entertainment. (and I got to snap this pic with this dude.........)

Just before the game started I was ushered onto the diamond where I would be waiting to fulfill my role in the nights production. And production it was. Nat Bailey Stadium and the Canadians (along with sponsors like Scotiabank and Rogers) put on one heck of a cool night that all the members of your family can enjoy, and for such a great price as well. I was so tickled to see so many people taking advantage because from everything I observed it really fosters a feeling of connectedness between a family and it's community. So I'm posting the pics and a video as well as sharing some links to the website which is where you will find the schedule and directions to purchase tickets.

I got a good luck smooch before I went on.......

My friend Rae took this video and she apologized to me for the sound quality at the beginning but to tell you the truth I think the sound issue is more because I was nervous and as a result I was crowding the microphone (which means I caused the distortion myself). Truth be known though, I'm less worried about that and more delighted that I remembered the words....

The Canadian anthem is easy, I could sing it while I am sleeping but the US anthem is just something I never learned. So in preparation for this night I set myself on a mission to learn it and by game day I could sing it flawlessly (as well as in a higher key) in my car, shower or living room. But I had this feeling that once I got up there all nervous and excited, there was a chance I would go brain dead and forget the lyrics anyway. Now normally this wouldn't be a big, big problem (to forget a line from a song), I am pretty adept at singing the right notes and just making up the words so you in the audience don't really notice it when I flub, but with the US anthem............well lets just say there is no room for wiggle room. I felt saftest with a back up plan.

It's always the first words of the line of a song that I forget so, often keywords are all I need. Seeing as I didn't want to hold a piece of paper I did the next best thing........which no one was supposed to find out about until my friend Rae asked me while we were sitting in the stands............ " Why do you have writing on your hand?" I immediately mimed myself singing the anthem which showed her that were I holding a microphone, I would be able to see the writing on my hand right there in front of me without looking like I was looking at anything other than straight ahead...........;) She laughed and said she had to take a picture

As we settled into watching the game I was delighted over and over again by all the activity going on, the bouncy castle for the kids, the mascots, vendors and between inning entertainment..... My favorite had to be when the groundsmen stopped right in the middle of grooming the field and started breakdancing, HA! They were awesome and had the crowd cheering! So much to look at, so much to do and it seemed as if everyone was walking around with a smile on their face. Yeah. Take me out to the ball game.

.....

Many thanks to my friends and family who came out to enjoy the night and support me through my bundle of nerves moment. And thank you to the Vancouver Canadians for having me there!

Rach xox

House concert with Sara Kamin!

2010-07-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

Sara Kamin's West Coast Tour!

It never ceases to amaze me how useful a forum the internet is as a tool to connect with others. Last week I had the great pleasure of finally meeting some of my online friends live and in person as Sara Kamin along with pal/tour manager Pamela Detlor set off from Toronto to blaze a trail along the west coast on a tour to introduce Sara and her music. Sara had several show's of which I went to two, but when I first met them it was at the House Concert held by my friend Kathleen.

Perhaps it is because we have all been talking to each other and scoping each others websites and blogs for the past year that we all found it so easy to connect in person I don't know exactly, but when I walked into that house I really did feel like we were all just meeting again, rather than for the first time. The hostess Kathleen is a smokin hot Momma I met through Erica and the Yummy Mummy club (who has made an appearance on this blog several times in fact), so she was the one person I knew already but the connection to her in this particular story was through another group of twitter friends, a talented, dynamic group of artists and musicians who make me laugh out loud with their tweets and posts.

I noticed the lot of them when I first started following Jann Arden on twitter. While I was browsing around following what her friends were doing I stumbled upon and entered a contest on the Thought VOX blog. Pamela Detlor did such a beautiful job on her blog that I wrote her a long gushy letter telling her she had inspired me to push myself to get more creative with my own blog (which at the time was a lot sparser than it is today). She wrote back and we exchanged a number of warm emails that only confirmed my immediate impression, not only is this a lady with a great eye and enormous talent, but she is a woman of depth and substance, I have been a fan ever since. I also won the contest she was holding and so I was sent two CD's as my prize. Sara Kamin's CDs. Wow. From the first note that played, I was hooked. Her tone is warm and angelic, one of those voices you could sit and listen to all night, and her writing is deep thoughtful, creative and raw. Yep insta fan right here, right from the get go.

So I followed and I watched the gang from all the way over here on the west coast. I saw the comings and goings as well as the doings and I saw creativity blossoming everywhere. In fact let me digress for a moment and mention a very cool book a number of them (including Sara) are a part of. Linda Woods, Karen Dinino, with Pamela Detlor have published a book called Meeting in the Ladies room and I love the concept. This book is filled with photos of real women in their own bathroom, sharing their personal thoughts as they look at themselves in the mirror. It is described as 'reflections of women in a room of thier own'. Whether you are an idolized celebrity or a struggling single mother, the ladies room is where you create your make believe, and where you face your reality. 68 brave women from around the world bare all and share an empowering look in the mirror, it's a meeting in the ladies room. Featuring Jann Arden, Amanda Palmer, Rosie O'Donnell, Jen Foster, Sarah Bettens, SHeDAISY, Sara Kamin, Pamela Detlor, and Kathleen Cook Tennant to name a few.

So I always thought this was cool and when I found out that some of the cast of the Ladies Room were heading out to Vancouver, I marked the date in ink and planned to come party with them.

So as the story goes, Sara kicked off on a tour of the west and one of the many stops she made was at Kathleen's for a House Concert. I dont' know how many of you have heard of this House Concert concept but if you are a singer songwriter I would highly recommend you consider this idea. Of course you have to have someone fabulous like Kathleen with a warm beautiful home and lots of wonderful friends to pull it off, but wow, when it's done right, it can be a hugely successful night. Kathleen's hubby and her dear friends Patience ( who provided some of these photo's) and her best friend Glamma all worked hard to transform the house into an inviting music venue.

Not only were there delicious appy's and bevvies for us all to enjoy, there was a stage, lights, pillows on the floor, candles for ambiance, and most importantly a full house of music lovers. When everyone was finally gathered together Sara took the stage she charmed and delighted us all with not only her music but herself. She is funny, and real and completely open hearted. She had us all laughing with her raw ironic descriptions of her songs and I loved that about her. Judging by the crowd response, so did everyone else.

So without further adieu, I give you, Sara Kamin.........

After the concert, it turned into a good old fashioned house party. Someone turned on the tunes and we danced and danced and danced. Before I knew it I had my guitar in hand and was leading sing along songs. I just love the campfire where everyone sings along and connects through music and boy did they ever sing. It was all so warm and glowy, of course that could have been the booze talkin but the voices were loud, strong, and everyone seemed to know all the words. We were rocking like we were teenagers again. I think my fav moment during the jam was singing a song that Jann Arden recorded and hearing all the voices fill the room. I know I'm not the only one who felt it.

I won't soon forget the night or the people that made it so wonderful and I thought I would reiterate just one more time to all you musicians, artists, and creatives out there. Think outside the box to get yourself out there, call on your community and don't ignore the idea of the house concert. In fact I have been so inspired by this idea I am going to start figuring out how to promote myself for hire for house concerts. I can play a nights worth of sing along songs easily and if a house full of people want to

sing along to live music, all the better. So thanks to you gang, for the great new business idea.

And to Sara, Kathleen, Pam, Glamma, Patience, Teri-Lyn.....and to all the new folks I met and shared laughs with, Thank you for the warm embraces, it was a pleasure to meet you!

Rach xox

First Weekend Club pre-screens the Year of the Carnivore

2010-07-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

I recently was asked by the First Weekend Club to sing for the pre-screening of the Year of the Carnivore, a film by Canadian writer/director/actress Sook Yin Lee. Always happy to support Canadian films as well as the First Weekend Club, I quickly agreed. The First Weekend Club puts on an event that is unlike any other movie experience. First of all the theatre, District 319, is simply stunning in decor, style and comfort and is the antithesis of a big movie house, feeling more like an exclusive club where you get to enjoy wine, appy's, live music and time mingling with the actors, producers and key players in the film before it rolls. For this event I asked a naturally gifted singer/songwriter Stephanie Lee Rhodes to join me and if I do say so myself it was a beautiful and effortless blending of voices and music.

After the wine reception, everyone headed to the theatre to claim one of the big comfy red leather arm chairs and settled in to watch the film. This romantic-comedy-drama follows Sammy, a 21 year old girl with an unrequited crush on a boy who thinks she's bad in bed. She hatches a plan to get more 'experience,’ catapulting her on a quest that takes her through her neighbors’ bedroom, the public swimming pool,

and finally to blackmailing shoplifters into giving her sex lessons.

I am not a film reviewer by nature so I won't offer much in the way of a review but I do have some personal feelings about the story to share. While I found the lead actress to be very adorable to watch as she navigated her way through her uncertainties, the story was a little uncomfortable for me to be honest. In fact at first I thought it was oddly appropriate that they had asked me to open for this particular film as I can relate to the some of the characters feelings of inadequacy. But the actions she took in the face of rejection had me squirming in my seat as she took the exact opposite route I would be inclined to walk, that is, I would be inclined to choose a path that is far less.... crowded. Personally if I experience unrequited feelings for another rather than becoming determined to release my inner sexuality, I tend to just go deep inside myself to hide (right in front of everyone yes, but I hide nonetheless) and like a turtle and I will stay in my shell until I am sure it is safe to come out, if ever.

But this character Sammy was the polar opposite, she went way outside herself and put herself in situations that I could never imagine putting myself in and I found myself covering my mouth in a bit of shock as Sook Yin opened up the window to her vulnerabilities and resulting actions. As the mother of a daughter who will grow up in todays world I feared this story alot in fact, but by the same token it is good to be aware of things that I don't get and a story such as this which is exploring someones journey out of innocence, can deliver insights not otherwise seen so I admire Sook Yin's ability to write so boldly yet still deliver a character that is both charming and amusing. (see trailer)

After the film finished the director Sook Yin Lee was dialed in on Skype and the actors were brought up front to do a question and answer session with the audience. This is always interesting to see their personal take on a film as often times these pre-screenings are the actors own first chance to see the film themselves. We the audience are often let in on some unique insights from their memories of the shooting.

By the way I can't carry on without saying a big thank you to Murielle Fréoa for the photographs, and also to the stellar folks at Long and McQuade for letting me use the slick Bose speaker tower you see behind me in the pictures. If you need a small portable PA system with crystal clear sound that disperses beautifully around a room with no feedback, I highly recommend you give this system some serious consideration because it is a dream to use.

Thanks to the folks from the First Weekend Club for all that you do for Canadian filmakers, and thank you for asking me time and again to be a part of your pre-screening events. Also thanks to Stephanie for making the trip over from the island and for singing so beautifully with me, that was a truly fun and artistic day and it was a real pleasure to work with you. And to you dear reader, go see the Year of the Carnivore, and take some time to support more Canadian films. To find them, please go to the First Weekend Club website and watch for all the wonderful events they put on.

best, Rach xo

please forward this to your favorite artist... xo

2010-06-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Art, by Andrea Dorfman
I do believe this is my new favorite song.
Watch it
watch it
watch it.
Rach xo

go ahead, be bad.....

2010-06-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's always a bit of a whirlwind when Erica Ehm rolls into town and last week it was no different. Erica was here to promote the Mischievious Mom at the Art Gallery, a delightful book about a naughty Mother and her spirited adventures with her kids (co-written with her friend Rebecca Eckler). I love the book because it not only gives us Mom's permission to be bad, it celebrates us for it~

Erica's visit to Van was also another perfect opportunity to tweet up with her west coast friends and fans so we made a plan or two and what follows is a photo blog of the adventures of a village of dynamic west coast Mom's which has grown under the umbrella of Erica Ehm and her Yummy Mummy Club.

First stop for Vancouver was at Kidsbooks in Kits where Erica did a book signing. A bunch of us girls showed up and we all wound up having a good old fashioned gab fest about parenting, Mommyhood and blogging. In the photo above was Danielle @justdworld meeting Erica for the first time, it was emotional meeting to say the least, she was excited, we were excited for her and there were a few itty bitty tears of joy shed. Erica as always, was gracious and welcoming and herself as she quickly put everyone at ease.

We found it funny how when we all met up we called each other by our twitter names (which is most often how we commmunicate to each other)! So in order of appearance by our twitter names.......

@rachaelpachel @yoyomamadotca @yummymummyclub @Savvymomvan @ymc_bc

(thank you for the photo goes to Eileen, @ymc_bc)

Next on the progam a scrumptious dinner at the Sandbar. It started out with a couple of notably non-Mummy types joining us for a bevvie. Raul @hummingbird604 and Jason @jasonsanders who are social media kings in their own right really wanted to meet up with Erica to say hi in person after months of tweeting cross country so they were allowed a first hand peek into our world, for a short while at least!

You might notice a fair amount of handheld devices in this post, I'm confessing on behalf of each and every one of us right now, Total Twitterholics..... and when a brand new iPad made an appearance, it held our attention for quite some time....

Yes, that's me singing with the piano player.... if there is a musician around, I will usually find a way to get in there and jam a tune or two. :)

Twitter handles from our cast of Mischevious Moms @YummyMummyClub, @alexishinde, @crunchycarpets, @raspberrykids, @YMC_BC, @tjrossiGnol (thank you for the photos), @justdworld, @mummyjanie, @theTsunamiMommy

So my gosh what a night, we just had a blast talking everything woman with no apologies and more importantly in the absence of kids, with no interruptions....

Of course we couldn't just leave it at that, we can't forget the way this started on the west coast, with a
full-on social media, networking/gathering coffee tweet up. And it also had to be complete with kids, because really, any day that includes a few moments of awwwwwwww how cute factor is a good day indeed. This time our tweetup was at Cafe Artigiano on Broadway and we virtually took over the back half of the cafe because there were so many of us.......I don't even have all the twitter handles of everyone so I invite you to help me along by reminding me and leaving your name in the comments section so I can link you up! :)

Saffron and Camille Henderson authors of the Motherboard as well as Sarah Bancroft (who runs Vitamin Daily, an online lifestyle mag that should be part of your daily reading if you are devoted to finding the best of the best in fashion, art and culture in your city ) all arrived a little early to chat with Erica pre-tweet and it was nice to finally meet Sarah in person. I've enjoyed watching her fantastic career and business take flight ever since I was first aware of her as an editor at Fashion magazine. I admire how she has built a presence that embodies class and good taste and exactly the right amount of zest.

Saffron and Camille with Erica (and with me in pic below)

Artigiano's was nice and calm and peaceful as we chatted and talked shop and slowly but surely Mom's and babies wandered in and introduced themselves to each other (often by twitter handle such as @earnestgirl @kstennant @TheraWise all pictured). And more Mom's and babies showed up, and more, and more, and more....... until there was noise, commotion, squeals of laughter and excitement flying throughout the room and as I looked around I thought once again, this is the perfect village because kids are watching their Mom's socializing, getting along, sharing, doing and connecting........and how better to teach your children how to socialize than to teach them by example.

Catherine, me, Erica

This is what is missing from many families today, the community.

Some people complain that the internet isolates people. I don't buy it. This story is proof that it doesn't have to. I know all of these people through the internet alone. Some people like Erica have the ability to pull a group together and facilitate a community. Other people, know how to find that community. Erica seems to attract busy and dynamic women so she has all around her a powerful community who support one another and it reaches across the country. It is the village time a thousand.

I love that about the internet, that I can sit here and do PR in my pyjamas yet still find different collectives to gain something from or give something to out there in the real and concrete world. The internet can be a tool of inclusion, it all depends on the way you use it.

If you are a Mom who tweets or who has an online business and would love to connect and network with this amazing group of ladies, do make sure to join the Yummy Mummy Club and watch for updates, this is your village, it is a place where we as women and Mother's don['t apologize for being bright, creative go-getters and most of all, are not at all afraid to be mischevious!

Rach xo

swearing and naughty and out there, oh my!!

2010-06-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

I was reading Jen's awesome blog, which directed me to another blog that I had not been to before and ....well..... I have visited this new blog a few times now because this girls writing makes me laugh out loud.  Its just hilarious and brave, which I enjoy and admire, because I am not the same kind of brave. I just can't seem to swear or dirty joke very well at all.

Yeah I do live in cartoon land, flowers grow everywhere and birds chirp as they fly by carrying dew drops on rainbows. That is what I choose to put out there, it's what I choose to see, how I reflect. If I am going to leave a footprint or a feeling lying around the place, then (for me) it just feels right for it to be glowing.
I actually blush and cover my mouth and apologize if I swear by accident, and yes I feel a little silly about doing that. Swearing and off colour jokes just don't feel right on me so I choose not to say them out loud, it looks pretty ridiculous when I try........I'm like the nerd trying to be cool. Which isn't so cool.  Having said that, while I can't deliver certain brands of humour....... I can absolutely appreciate it.

Some of my favorite bloggers for instance seem to be girls with attitude, women who write really well but often swear like truckers and say things that make me gasp a little..... the point of view they offer is often so funny and ironic and I LOVE reading them.  I sit and laugh out loud at the computer wishing I had the guts and ability to write like that myself, but I can't, I can't even think that funny. At least I can be grateful there are people in this world to entertain me so, and I would be remiss if I didn't pass the share on that Jen started.

And this is your fair swear warning for all you Mommy types with kids hanging around..... there are dashes colour in the very relateable writing.....and it's  awesome funny.

So.....did you read it? She had me wishing again that I could be that cool actually, but then I started thinking about something,  I do have music to pull into and I am grateful for that .  I am learning to be more comfortable all the time, it really does hit something for me. Esp with the help of this internet world where I can peek into the thoughts of others and be inspired by those who are willing to put themselves out there.

The below video is a rough draft I wrote a year ago last Jan at a turning point which set me on a journey of pushing myself musically and letting crap out creatively. I love looking at this video and seeing this girl, knowing how cheeky she was, how far she has come, how many times she has fallen, where she led herself, what she gained, what she lost, what she saw, what she knew, what she hid, what she revealed, where she was brave, and where she got stuck. I just look back at it all and see all of this and I love that girl, she hit it head on. Sometimes we don't even see ourselves until we can look backwards.

So anyway, I was reading Raeleigh Jane's blog being all inspired to reach even further inward and it got me thinking that's all..........and...that's all I got for you, except perhaps this.......

You know what touches me deeply? When I open an email and see someone has taken the time to share their story and tell me that they felt something because of something that I wrote or sang. That's really a cool feeling, and I appreciate the window into another humans journey for it is an honour. Today someone asked me where they could buy one of my songs and I responded as I usually do, I emailed her the MP3 and said its a gift. Because it is a gift.

With Hearts....Rachael xo

Chilliwacks 40th anniversary concert, backstage with Saffron and Camille!

2010-05-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

One of the first albums I ever bought with my own money was a K-Tel mix record I found at a swap meet. Chilliwack's 'Crazy Talk' was one of my favorite cuts on that record and I realize now that before I really even had a full concept of what a band was, I was already a Chilliwack fan. Not only did my parents play their albums in regular rotation at home, but I also had found them in my own right.

Additionaly I had the unique opportunity for a short while to know Bill Henderson's daughters Saffron and Camille as we all went to the same dance school together. Though we were not in the same classes, we were sometimes in the same performing troupe which was a select group of kids who were asked to perform at public events.

Now here is a little-known scoop for you all, we used to do this 'Breakfast with Santa show' back in the day and Saffron and I both held the lofty honour of playing Rudolph's butt. And while I can't honestly say that I've thought an awful lot about my position as Rudy's rear-end over the years, I was fondly reminded of it just a couple of summers ago when I found myself once again sharing a stage with Saffron Henderson. Thankfully on that occassion our stage time found us up there with a rock band and people could actually see our faces. Suffice it to say we did have a good laugh over our shared memories.

Ah memories, it's amazing how music can bring them back so easily. Chilliwack celebrated 40 years of hits with an amazing concert at the River Rock Show Theatre last weekend and it really was a journey through time. From the first incarnation of the band, the Collectors..... all the way to present day, the band knocked out hit after hit and told their story with masterful renditions of the songs we've all grown to love.

It wasn't just a concert, it was a bit of a history lesson as there was a wonderful audio/visual component where archives from interviews, music videos, and behind the scenes footage from over the years were shown and explained in great detail. Props were also used to great effect, Brian (Too Loud) MacLeod's famed Fender Strat guitar which had been sold years ago was sought, found and brought onstage to represent the now deceased but one time integral band member and it was a moment that left countless people feeling very touched by the effort taken to represent him. Several special guests were brought out onstage throughout the night as well and past members of previous band line-ups joined in to take part in the songs they helped bring to life. Even second generations were present to support, pay tribute and/or honor past and present members who could not be there as well as those who could. Every effort had been made to somehow represent everyone that had been a part of the landscape of the bands history. And I was deeply impressed.

Tyson Froese (son of Howard Froese) 73-78, performed his Dad's solo on Baby Blue

Brian (Too Loud) MacLeod's strat. (thanks to Al Barret from Calgary for letting us all enjoy the guitar)

Ab Bryant (bass) 1979-1984 line-up

Roy Forbes

Howie Vickers (Vickberg) 1966-70 Vocals the Collectors

Claire Lawrence (keys/sax) Collectors line-up!

Doug Edwards (bass) current line-up

Jerry Adolphe (drummer) current line-up

Ed Henderson (guitar vocals ) Current line-up

Bill Henderson (guitar lead vox)

On a personal note, part of the reason I decided to do this blog is because of an event that happened the week before. You see it just so happens that our girlfriend Cathy St. Germain had a chick singer clothing swap a week or so before this concert and while I sat and chatted with Saff and Camille about their wicked new blog the Motherboard (based on two sisters navigating their way through parenthood) I snapped on an idea and asked them if Kelly and I could do an All Access Pass piece on them and maybe follow them around as they prepared for the concert. I just think it is a really cool thing they have cooking, this blog and parenting show, and I wanted to support it as well as take the opportunity to show what's behind the curtain when we get to perform in this kind of sparkly event. It only took just a day or two to get permission from all the right places and before I knew it Kelly and I had a date to go hang out backstage during sound check with our girlfriends. I needn't say an awful lot more because the video hopefully speaks for itself as do the wonderful photographs so graciously donated by Dee Lippingwell (without a doubt, Vancouver's premier photographer to the stars). Thank you Dee~

To close I offer a very heartfelt Thank You to the whole cast and crew of the Chilliwack 40th anniversary concert, for being so open and welcoming and allowing me to share a peek of life behind the scenes. Thanks to Paul Baker who did the sound, sound guys don't ever get enough credit. :) I also want to send a shout out to Bill for not only for making sure I had an All Access Pass that allowed me to attend both shows but also for (along with his wife) nurturing some amazing daughters and for showing by example how to live, love and be a full time family man after he takes his rockstar hat off at the end of the day. I think that he raised a couple of women who are an excellent examples in their own right and they are totally on the right track to put themselves out there with their blog and upcoming parenting show. So do feel free to watch for them and share this link with the Mother's that you love so that they too can connect with the girls and get in on the ground floor of this new parenting community as it grows and flourishes.

See you soon...
Rach xo

Walk for Kids Help Phone, 2010

2010-05-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Kids Walk for Help Phone

On May 2nd I was privileged to sing for the Kids Walk for Help Phone. The Walk for Kids Help Phone takes place annually in more than 50 communities across Canada and is an essential service for children in need. Every day, Kids Help Phone counsellors answer calls and online questions from across Canada. No matter what the problem or concern our counsellors are there to provide immediate and caring support, information and referrals to the kids who reach out.

Together volunteers and participants across the country raised over 2.5 million dollars.
Thought I would post some pics and a video of Vancouver's event.

The Beat 94.5fm Street Team!

As the featured perfomer I thought it might be a great idea to ask some of the members of the League of Rock to be my band, so I put together a group made up of both present and past members and they did a tremendous job! We started playing at 9:30am while people milled about visiting the sponsor tents and filled out their registration forms.

So we played and we rocked and had a great deal of fun and then CTV's Jason Pires got up to lead the announcements and kick off the walk. He introduced speakers from Bell Canada and Ledcor who were there to give thanks and considerations to the many people and companies who helped put this all together. Boston Pizza came up to present a $250,000 check that was being donated nationwide. West Jet made a draw for free tickets, and then a group of energetic folks from the Steve Nash Sports club ran the crowd through a warm up before sending everyone off on their walk for good.

As the crowd began their journey my friend the very talented Roger Schmidt who has a newly released album you can check out by clicking on his name, came up onstage and played his music for the VIPs, and crowd who were not walking in the event but were still there to support/donate and take part in the tent activities and BBQ.

There are plenty of people to thank for this day, all the sponsors and contributors can be seen here on the signboard below. I want to thank the L.O.R. members for getting up early to come and shine for this event as well as Sharylin Boshaw for coming to take the wonderful photos and finally, I'll send a shout out to Rocky Mountain sound for doing a great job at making us sound so great. The Vancouver event raised over $135,000 of the 2.5 million national total and we all have reason to be proud.

Rach xo

League of Rock bands take the stage~

2010-05-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

LEAGUE OF ROCK Midway Showcases Session 3!

Over the last few weeks the members of the League of Rock had their first midway showcases, and today's blog is a photo diary of the two performances. ( thanks as always to Sharylin Boshaw once again for the excellent photos ) These events are amongst my favorite in the league. The midway is the moment where the bands first get their feet wet performing onstage in front of the other bands and the light in the room intensifies. The first performance was held at NAL sound in room 10, a larger rehearsal space with a raised stage and extra room for all the other bands and their guests to sit and watch from.

Our coach for the first midway was Tal Bachman and with keen perception Tal zeroed in on everyone's strengths and gave them props as well as focused on the points each band had been struggling with the most as he offered his insight on ways they could improve things and come together as a unit. People were clearly very interested in all he had to offer and members gathered around him gratefully absorbing every word that he had to share. This was also the night that Randall (one of the fellas who won his membership from the Liquid Metal Guitar contest held right here on my blog) had a one on one sit down with Tal to talk shop work a few licks. Randall walked away exclaiming (rightly so) at what a nice guy Tal is and told me he really enjoyed the session and was very grateful for the time and input that was graciously given. NAL sound were kind enough to lend us a room to make this happen, so great big thanks go out to everyone, it was a very successful first midway all around!

So after one more week of rehearsal to work on all they had learned, our bands hit the big stage at the Yale with new perspective and energy and the whole night turned into a real thrill for everyone. The bands really came together and the coaches for this workshop Shaun Verreault and Shari Ulrich did an outstanding job as usual. Shaun who had seen these bands in their earliest days said he really saw a huge improvement and gave everyone the kudos they so deserved as well as some excellent advice they could take home with them to work on. Shari being fully enamored of this whole process gave spot on advice and just had nothing but positive energy to give to the members. I even took some advice as I observed that her suggestion to one of the members that he needed to stop looking at the neck of his guitar was advice I really needed to embrace myself. I looked over and said to her, "you know that is really good advice for me too", and she responded, "It's a lesson I had to learn myself. Your hands do know where to go, you just have to trust them". Yes, so true. The beautiful thing about music, is that we never stop learning. Thank you Shari! xo Shari by the way has her CD release party this Friday (May 7, 2010) at St James Hall and it is going to be a fantastic show so please consider coming out to support her! And Shaun, I recently heard is gearing up to open for ZZ Top on their upcoming tour......YEAH! Nice work coach, break a leg sir!!

Even past League of Rock members showed up to show their support! Hey Loralee! xo

So what's next you ask?

Next we welcome Topher Stott from Toronto, who will be flying in to produce the bands at Nimbus recording studios. All the bands will be laying tracks to their best song and mark my words, this will be a thrill for many as it is an absolute first and an experience perhaps out of reach otherwise! So, still on the rollercoaster we ride, just another twist in the story, another rush of excitement in-store for our part time rockers who are all real, nice, regular folks like you and me, who love to just check out of their day job once in a while to come live the rock n roll dream!

See you soon, xoxo Rach!

everything breaks, rough draft (rachael chatoor)

2010-04-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Go Canucks! (hanging behind the scenes with Kelly Brock, singing the anthems)

2010-04-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

OK Boys! Playoff time is upon us and I thought I'd take a moment to tell you that........we love ya!

PS: The night I made this video we had a winning game! Someone might want to ask Kelly Brock to sing the anthem again during the playoffs, it appears she's lucky for us! ;)

xoxo

~woot~
Rach!

I'm calling it now.....this was the event of the year!

2010-04-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

I could go on and on and on about the concert. I could gush about the incredible talent in the room, the hundreds of hugs I recieved, the connections I made with friends new and old............but honestly the thing that really, truly blew my socks off was witnessing how incredible our music community is. Seeing first hand that we will so wholeheartedly pull together to help one of our own.

Mike Norman is a divinely talented musician who has shared the stage and studio with many of Canada's finest. His credits span all genres, country, rock, pop, blues, and he is perhaps one of the most gifted people I personally know. And he is battling cancer. Fuck Cancer. Yes, I said it, out loud and everything, and I won't apolgize for it because that is how I feel. I'm sick of cancer just like everyone else who was in the room that night. You see, the concert was for Mike, and virtually hundreds of people from all corners of the music world came out to show their support and devotion, and it was incredible. I didn't get shots of everyone present, that would be impossible because the whole room was practically a VIP. I also didn't find any photos of the Odds who started off the night, but I hear they rocked the stage and they need to be thanked! The order of the photos are not the order of the show by the way, but I tried to get as much of the night as I could.

Jim Byrnes, without a doubt is one of our local treasures, and an enormous talent. Jim is just one of those players you could sit and watch all day long, his work on the fretboard seems effortless. He is often very generous in his support of local events and charities but on this night, he was truly here to show love and respect for his friend. I wanted to add that I did take, or 'thought' I took some footage of Jim for the video, but unfortunately I mis-fired the record button and instead of shooting Jim's awesome greeting for Mike, I have video of me filming the floor while I chatted to him. Sorry Jim. :/

The Higgins are one of country's most beloved families on the country charts today and I just love watching them do anything. They rocked the stage and as always I was impressed with their talent and the way they blend so beautifully. I fondly remember spending the day with them to make this behind the scenes video when they were shooting their music video, Second Hand Car which is currently playing on CMT.

David Wills, is not only a top notch producer and manager for acts such as the Higgins, he is a musician in his own right with a fabulous band called the Dynamics. Normally I see David behind the scenes but on this night, he took to the stage and charmed the entire audience!

Chilliwack was just tuning up their instruments onstage when I arrived and I have to say I was SO glad I got there when I did because they are one of the bands I was really looking forward to seeing that night. Their music is amongst the very first I was exposed to as a youngster, and they were a standout as far as favorites in my collection went.

Mike Reno (Loverboy) and Catherine St. Germain mesmerized the audience with a flawless performance of Almost Paradise! I first had the opportunity to meet Mike over a year ago when Kelly and I made this behind the scenes video of the Loverboy concert put on by Live Nation.

After the duet a few of us girls were invited onstage to sing 'Working for the weekend' with Mike! I love my girlfriends so much, we really had fun up there and it was very cool of Mike to get us up to play with him. ;)

Cath and I singing our hearts out. It was neat to be onstage with her this time, last time I saw Cath sing with Mike I was the camera girl and I made this behind the scenes video.

Rick Tippe has been rocking the country scene for ages and knows his way around not only the stage but the music world in general. He is one of the most genuine guys I know and he brought his infectious energy to the party like he always does. If you haven't seen it yet, Kelly and I made a behind the scenes video of Rick as well.

Shaun Verreault of Wide Mouth Mason is a wicked guitar player and has the ability to grab an audience and hold them hostage. Mike and Shaun are great pals and when they get onstage along with some of the coolest cats in the city the result is pure magic. The sweet guitar in Shauns hands is none other than the Liquid Metal Guitar I have been raving about ever since I first saw one. Hearing it played live exceeded my expectations.

One More Girl are Carly and Britt McKillip and they are two of the most level headed young ladies I have had the pleasure to meet in this industry. These girls already know how to command a stage and it's not just because they are stunningly gorgeous, they are gifted musicians full of natural talent and ability and they know how to rock. They make no apologies for it, I love that, they are truly a delight to watch. I've said this before, when we had our pyjama party last fall, their star is a fast rising one so keep your eyes on them.

Carly and Britt from One More Girl jamming with Jim Byrnes.

Aaron Pritchett is just hot, and talented and all around nice in every way. I've seen Aaron donate his time to a number of events over the years, as well as playing some of the biggest most fantastic concerts this side of the Rockies. Some people so easily take all that good in them and willingly share it with everyone and really, that is the kind of artist that he is. Go, buy his records, see his concerts, look for his videos and I can pretty much assure you, you'll see what I mean.

Dr. Strangelove are one of Vancouver's most legendary party bands. Anyone who frequented the Roxy in the last 15 years or so knows who this band is. Today you can see them play everywhere from Gateway casinos to the Canucks playoff parties. Personally, I love each and every member of this band and have sung with then a number of times as a sub for either Kelly Brock or Sarah Johns. Fun stuff, great band, awesome people. By the way, Kelly Brock and John Higgins of the Higgins are preparing to release a freshly cut single of the duet, More than Words. Watch for it!

Rachael Chatoor jamming with Dr Strangelove and guest Jay Leonard playing the Liquid Metal guitar. I was introduced to Jay that night and on a whim decided to ask him up to play with me. Boy am I glad I did because he blew us all away. (btw I just got a link to some footage from my friend, another singer and camera chick like me Thesa ,who took this video of us during this song, she grabbed some of Jay's solo......click here thanks girl!)

I kid you not when I say this, people acutally moved forward towards the stage to watch him solo. It was kind of a moment of "who is this kid?" for those like me who had not yet seen him play live before and in a room full of musicians and true music lovers, that's a pretty impressive feat.

Will Davis is a funny man, and a close friend of Mike's so he was asked to host the evenings festivities. Linda Corscadden (pictured) of the BCCMA along with Kelly Brock, Tom McKillip and countless others helped organize everything from musicians to sponsors in order to put on this musically historical event.

Together we collectively raised well over 15 thousand dollars. I know that Mike was deeply touched by the fundraising effort, but I think what really, truly spoke to his soul was the amazing outpouring of love and support that has come his way. I captured a small drop of the love and you can find it on the video. You see, I brought my camera with me and as I chatted around the room, it took some footage of people saying whatever they wanted to to Mike. Watch and you will see, it becomes very clear how deeply this man is loved. Mike emailed me after watching the video and he said, and I quote: "I just got home and watched the video .... wow it's so fantastic. I've watched it a few times and it's tremendous. Thank you so much .... it means the world to me. Lots of love!"

To all of you, the people who put it together, the sponsors who donated silent auction prizes, the musicians who showed up and gave hearts to the audience, and you who came to support the event.... I thank you all for making this one of the most memorable events of the year!

Words can barely begin to express how magnificent the Mike Norman benefit for cancer was. It was truly a star studded event. Thanks go to Dee Lippingwell for sharing her photos with me, if you wish to purchase hard copies of any of these photos, feel free to phone Dee at 604-591-9895 or go visit her website! PS, I also made a video of Dee, if you would like to check it out! The photo below was taken by Bal Dosanj, the other fab photographer of the night!

We love you Mike, from Rach xox