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

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

~highlights for 2009~

~2009 highlights~

The first thing written down in my 2009 calander for January,
*Loverboy! Wow was that only last year? It's amazing that my first big gig of the year was backstage at the Commodore, me in my 'camera-girl' role, filming Loverboy for ALL ACCESS PASS.  I had as much fun shooting the action from all angles than I would have if I was onstage singing background vox with the girls, it was really eye opening for me and kind of kicked off our You Tube channel in a new direction. I made three videos and did a long blog post on it which you can find here.

                                                              

Camera girl at the Commodore Ballroom

In February * I played Lulu's lounge at the River Rock Casino in Richmond and Blondie, yes, the band Blondie, was playing in the show theatre the next night so the band and crew were right there in the hotel. What an excitement,  they came into the lounge and they were all so nice, I was all fired up with energy so I wound up having a very good night onstage and I was invited to go see the rehearsal the next day! I told the story on my blog  a few days later, and then got a message that a few people from the band  and crew had actually read the blog and it  had been decided they would put a link to my blog along with a picture of me right on their website! For a  hobby blogger like myself, that's some very cool beans right there! :)

Rachael Chatoor,  Clem Burke

March was very busy, probably the biggest honour was to be given a F*ck cancer bracelet and being allowed to be an ambassador for the very worthy cause spearheaded by a very determined Susan Fiedler  See post here.
* Creatively, I worked on more videos and one in particular was a real blast to do. I was visiting  with Sherry St Germain  as she mixed down her album, Sherry is a powerful and very talented performer who is now is headlining in a show in Las Vegas..... I just knew she was heading for big things the moment I met her!
* March was a bittersweet time because a schoolmate Schrader Heizer tragically passed away and it really hit home for a lot of people. All of a sudden friends I had not seen in over 20 years were in constant contatct with me and it felt like yesterday was today,  we re-connected easily and I helped (in a small way) them pull together a beautiful event in honour of a well loved friend. I missed all of my high school reunions so it was really nice to be able to see so many people after all of these years, but it was sad that it was under such tragic circumstances.  In the end though, I think we did a good job of honouring Shred in a way he would have been proud of.
* Another cool happening, one of my videos was played on Breakfast Television. I had sent the link to Vancouver's jazzy morning BT host  Dawn Chubai via facebook and she thoughtfully passed it onto her producers who played a portion of it on air one morning. I really love this city for how it supports local artists! Thanks BT!

Susan Fielder's F*ck Cancer bracelet.

                                                


In April * I helped organize a lunch with Twitter pal  Erica Ehm, founder of the Yummy Mummy Club. Erica seems to be a constant source of inspiration for me and that day was no different because it is where I first heard about the League of Rock. It was a rich day full of laughter, I loved meeting all of the women, so grounded and powerful in themselves, they connect in a way that only sisters in the village can. Erica just draws this kind of woman close  to her and helps foster friendships. There was so much sharing energy  going around,  I made a video of the lunch which you can see here.
*  In April I also made a video featuring Rebecca Bolwitt speaking at a Meet n Tweet! Rebecca, Miss 604 is and always will be one of my favorite people for her willingness to help me on my journey towards understanding and using social media to enhance and document my projects.
                                   

Erica Ehm and a bunch of very Yummy Mummies at the Tweet Up!

In May * I sang for the advanced screening of Mother's and Daughters, a powerful movie about relationships between women, and the women that raised them. Babz Chula one of the talented actresses involved in the film has  been another inspiring influence in my life for her heartfelt  and open sharing of her personal battle with cancer. Her words on her blog sustained me through my grief as they helped me understand my own father's  battle. I have been thrilled to contribute to her projects in the past and will continue to do so anytime someone honors me with a request to help.
* Kelly & Rach's All Access pass released more videos this month, a piece on the always entertaining, dapper Don Adams of DonPaul Entertainmant which I enjoy just because he is such a colourful character to shoot and make a story with. And a visit with Rick Tippe was a real fun day for myself and Kelly, where we took the opportunity to chat with him about his new online project sharing his experience on and offstage with his online audience ( I also had the chance to sit down and  re-write one of my songs with Rick which wound up winning a nod from Tennesse Concerts in Nashville, through Sonicbids).
                                                

At the advance Screening of Mother's and Daughters

   



I am looking at June now and I really don't know how I do all the things that I do. I am very lucky  really.
* June saw the collab of myself and OS5  for  Peggy's party. This was a cosmic event, everything all lined up perfectly so this day could happen and I am just so glad that I was a part of the surprise, it meant a lot to me to be there an I am so thankful that they tracked me down and asked me to help !  And a big thanks to the boys from OS5 for including me on their album and being there for me for this gig! It was a great collab and I really enjoyed working with them.
* My song was released on a CD  for Stupid Cancer and it makes me proud to have contributed in some way. Much thanks to Matthew Zachary who found my song and was so supportive of it. I will never forget your powerful words and insistence that my song be a part of your project.  And let me tell you all something that you may or may not believe, my father told me this would happen to this song, a few months after he passed away, he told me. You do what you wish with that info. :) 

                                                                      Rach and OS5




July was more of the same,
*Abba show's, with the wonderful Jonas and Jeanette of Mooncoin productions.
* gigging/subbing in with Dr Strangelove
* my first songwriter in the round at the Merrit Mountain Music Festival, an event for which I made my first CD with the help of producer / musician Mick Dalla Vee who owns Millenia Sound design
* Also in July, the kickoff for the League of Rock which I had by this time been invited to participate in because, well I begged my friend Erica to tell her husband Terry Moshenberg, founder of the League of Rock about me. I just knew the second I heard about this project, that I would love it and I did, I do, and it's been one exciting revelation after another on this crazy little ride, making so many new friends, connecting with the members and meeting new music industry folks from all corners of the music world. Its just very exciting and things really started to rev up during the days we did our first round of television, radio and press promotions. Just read this post and watch the video and try and tell me I was not the luckiest girl in the city on that day.

League of Rock kickoff event, Terry Moshenberg, Me, Nando Poelsil, Stephen Pallivicini

August *was birthday month, can you imagine celebrating your birthday with the Gap? I did ,with the help of Rob Boshaw and Shawn Soucy,  me and the Gap turned 40 together. I send a thank you to all the people who came out to celebrate with me, it was a smooth transition thanks to your love and support .
* I was also PUNKED and secretly tricked into a day of ziplining, something I had been excited to try since the beginning of summer.
* Then there was my first gig with the Hitmen at Lulu's lounge!

                                                                                 

                                                      Shawn Soucy, Me, Rob Boshaw
                                              (photo courtesy of Rob's wife, my friend Sharylin)

September did not slow down one bit and in fact it started with a trip to Classic Rock 101  where I did an All Access Pass video with Dee Lippingwell and we wound up staying on in the studio to judge the Westcoast Ceaser contest.
* My brother got married and I made my first trip to Vegas, I didn't post about it but I had to mention it here because he is my little brother
* A great fun night was blogged about when I was involved in two different tweet-ups in one evening, first with Miss 604 where I sang for an event supporting the Children's hospital, and then later I met up with Erica again for a Yummy Mummy mom's night out Tweet-up! It's always fun and real with those girls, and so great to connect with and not apologize for being a woman first
* The excitement ended once again at Classic Rock 101 when Nicola and I went in and did a spot on-air to talk about the League of Rock, want to see it?  I made a video! *

Erica Ehm and Rach at the Yummy Tweet up!

October *began with a bang, as it started out with the first final showcase  at the Yale  for the Vancouver chapter of the League of Rock.  I finally got the chance to really feel the power of the community and I felt like our little family had grown into something very cool which was represented throughout the night as band after band took to the stage and the smiles got bigger and bigger. When our esteemed coach Tal Bachman took the stage for the finale and  I was able to stay onstage and throw a few background harmonies around, not only was I was clearly delighted,  I was embarrasingly awestruck as I am one of the legions of  adoring fans who thinks the man  is easily the most talented, inspiring, undeniably handsome fellow walking on the planet. And  because it was such a big surprise to me when he was invited onstage to jam, I would have to say that this  moment easily takes the top prize for the coolest thrill of the year,...... hands down!!!
*  I also had a number of wonderful gigs including an Abba gig where I got to switch it up and play a blonde for the night, ooh la la funshine!
* There was also a great trade show where I was able to work on the corporate events side of the League of Rock and I can really see where things are headed for this project in the future so stay tuned to hear more about it this year.
* Near the end of October I also started working in earnest on the Voices of Nature project with Holly Arntzen and this is just so inspiring to be able to bring music and learning to children and work directly with them on such an exciting show.

                                            

Hands down, this was the highlight event of the year for me!
 Me, Tal Bachman, Terry Moshenberg, Rob Boshaw. (Nando on drums)

November *was very focused on the childrens program Up Your Watershed which is part of the Voices of Nature series.  we went up to Williams lake and has a marvelous time working with the kids. Everything was new to me so I was easily motivated to tear up. I love seeing young chidren reach way up high, I just do. I couldn't help but love doing this, you can see more here.
* Near the end of the month I sang Xmas Carols with two dynamic girlfriends, Layla Vaugeois and Kimmy Baskerville. It was the  Canuck Place Christmas Tree lighting ceremony and it was a real treat to get crazy with those girls and spread some Christmas cheer towards a worthwhile cause.

Holly Arntzen, Me

December *was no slow down either, the final show for Up your Watershed at the Bell Centre happened and it was truly a magical event. They are making a video for it as we speak so you will hear about it  and see more in due time.

* The League of Rock had their second final showcase at the Yale and it was a fantastic time as well, pics and videos are still coming for that event and I will share them when they are sent to me.

*The world Kindness Concert had an ALL star line up and I was lucky enough to have been invited to make a video of the event which is aimed at bringing awareness and skills to stop bullying.

* I also enjoyed a crazy run of work with all of my favorite bands over the holidays and the last final big show was held at none other than the Commodore Ballroom with the Hitmen.  I can't believe how this year has come full circle  in that respect. If  you recall that last year I was just so excited to be backstage at the Commodore filming Loverboy, and now here I was front and centre on the same stage with a dressing room and everything. It really was a bright end to an outstanding year of growth. If you would like to read more about it look no farther than the previous  post.

Kent Wallace, Bill Abbott, Tom Arntzen, Rachael Chatoor, James Wright, Shawn Soucy, Nathen Aswell






So good bye 2009, it was a lovely time, I hope everyone out there had as much fun as I did and managed to fulfill a few dreams. I feel like I barely had time to scratch the surface here, a year is pretty hard to sum up, there is more, there is so much more.  In the end though, it's pretty simple, I lived,  I walked, I ran, I sang, I danced, I flew, I climbed, I stumbled, I fell .........and I picked myself up,...... over and over again I picked myself up.... despite any and every fall....... and I always found a reason to look forward.
There is power in that, and at the end of the day, considering where I was last year,  I'm really pretty  happy with where I am today.

I look forward to 2010, thanks for hanging out with me, may you always pick yourself up
and look forward...........with hearts and hugs, Rach.