enough make me cry, Up your Watershed in Williams Lake

~Up Your Watershed / Williams Lake~

~Holly Arntzen and  Me~

More than 250 students from Kwaleen, Nesika and Cataline elementary schools came together last week at the Gibraltar Room in Wiliams lake for a mass concert in praise of nature.

The concert, called Up Your Watershed, was the culmination of weeks of work by individual teachers with their students, that was buffed up in workshops this week with Artists Response Team, Voices of Nature professional musicians Holly Arntzen, Kevin Wright, Shawn Soucy and Rachael Chatoor.

~ I have explained in greater detail what the Up your Watershed Tour is about in an earlier post, right here!~

Today, I'm sharing this video note to the kids, and below, I've included some of the  pictures I took last week which  should give you a glimpse of what our days leading up to the big show were like while hanging and working with the children !

~video note, this is a heart I send out to ALL of the kids~




SO, day one and we wasted no time at all getting to work! We went to two schools each day at first and spent a few hours at each. Here we are in the gym with the kids and the teachers, going over the songs and blocking out the concert.

~Holly Arntzen and Keven Wright are the creative force behind this whole operation, everything runs just tickety boo in this outfit. Part of the brilliance of this concert is the learning element that is inherent in the participation. Here, Holly and Kevin are reading the song introductions that the children wrote themselves. ~

~It was so cute, the intros that were chosen to be read out onstage, were read by the children who wrote them. They were so sincere and thoughtful. I'm not at all kidding when I say this, these kids had me very misty eyed several times throughout the week~

~rehearsals~

~more rehearsals~

~auditions for the solo parts~

~Shawn was named the official leader of the Salmon People~

~Shawn Soucy, Kevin Wright~

~Kevin had those kids in the palm of his hand~

 

~I think my guitar and bass look ideally suited for this gig don't you?~

~Holly, moi, and  our totally adorable, especially helpful  host Bev, out on a tour of Scout Island which is maintained by the Nature Trust.   Bev Anderson and Marg Evans (not pictured) play a major role in the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society, they are great supporters of the Up your Watershed program.

~peaceful and pretty~

Bev  from the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society invited the band  out to lunch at the Gecko Tree Cafe. By all accounts this turned out to be the best little eatery in Williams Lake, we went there 3 times in 3 days because they served up such delicious and fresh food.

(which is just what you want when you are out on the road)

Finding fresh food on the road...... it is like finding fairy dust, you become very thankful for it.

I think that if we had known about this place on the first day, we would have eaten there even more frequently than we did.

So, it was 8 thumbs up for the Gecko Tree!

SHOW DAY!

~rehearsal morning, day of the show the kids are briefed by Holly, the energy is high, the room feels exciting, they can see now, this is a real show.......she has them entranced!~

~the Gibraltar Room~

Holly Arntzen

~show night was a thrill, the kids were ON~
(there will be promo DVD's of the concert if you would like to see the show)

Kevin Wright vocals, percussion, sax, bass

Shawn Soucy, drums, percussion, vocals

Rachael Chatoor vocals, bass, guitar

  

~totally awesome kids (and a gorgeous big hug for me from Danika)~

~more awesome kids~

~THANK YOU for all the treats and love you gave us all~

~after the show we signed a lot of autographs~

I was personally so very impressed, witnessing Holly's pure musicianship and magic while she is onstage performing. She is flawless, like liquid, just being the music. Not only is it fortunate for the children to be around her, but for me as well. I will learn so much from her as I go through this process. Already I've been required to push myself farther than I am comfortable going, already I have fallen and picked myself up. There was no reproach just encouragement. I can see there are things for me to learn here, and to give.  I seem to be ideally set up to fill some of the holes that the  project needs filling and that is important to me, perfect.  I feel so awkward just taking. It's much easier on the soul to give back in some way,  it feels right.  And so what do I do? I share the project online, in my own special way, so that other schools and children may see how fulfilling a project this is, and perhaps, you want your school to be a part of it.

Interested to know more?

Talk to Holly and Kevin through their website, or come to a show.

More shows upcoming...... Surrey (Dec. 3 - Bell Performing Arts Centre), Vancouver (Jan. 21, 2010 - Norman Rothstein Theatre) Vancouer (Mar. 2, 2010 - Vancouver East Cutural Centre).

Thanks to the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser Basin Council for thier support!

So after the show, still basking in the glow of it all, the band joined a super cute and sweet Shirley from the Daybeak Rotary Club (who was a big help in this whole project)  for some after show chillax-ing Williams Lake style. We were discussing difficult situations where language barriers were clearly an issue, and I found it interesting when Shirley asked us if we knew what hand gesture  could be most  universally used to diffuse any difficult situation where language could be a barrier that would create misunderstanding?

 We all gave our guesses which ranged from a hand held out for a handshake, to the indian placing his hand high in the air in the classic  'how', to the hippie love peace sign....... every one could be mis-interpreted somewhere for some silly reason. All except one........ .

Keep that in mind, it may come in handy one day.

I promised my friend Rae that I would say hi to Green Lake when I passed it. This was shot from a swiftly moving car shortly after I caught the one single teeny tiny sign  on the whole 6 hours of road that pointed the way.  And I said, " Hi Green Lake" as I drove past!

I have many complicated missions to achieve in a day you know. :)

Rach xo

so far

just documenting another rough draft tune. :)


i think i'm going to fall in love again
i just don't know when
it might not last forever
or, i might not ever have to fall in love again

i know i've been fooling myself
i swear i don't know why i'd rather be pretending
its just so damn hard to try

but if a road just takes me so far
then its a good start for a lonely heart
when its too far to reach up so high
then it's a good time to learn to fly

maybe I can dream up the stars
but im still standing on the ground
i won't be regretting once i know which way im bound

cause if a road just takes me so far well its a good start
for a lonely heart
when its too far to reach up so high, it's a good time to learn to fly

so far, so high, its a good time to learn to fly


Rach xo

music based corporate events and the League of Rock

Ok I am going to share some information with you that is as valuable as gold. The League of Rock corporate events are coming to Vancouver (& Toronto, New York, Chicago).

If you are working in a large corporation that occasionally offers leadership development and/or team building events for its staff, then I urge you to watch the below posted video and then send this link to your Human Resources person today.



I love it, this is not your dull boring corporate conference, this is  genius rolled into engaging fun.
League Of Rock's coaches, professional musicians and event production team work together with this program to provide a truly powerful and unique opportunity. Bring together colleagues of vastly differing social and professional backgrounds and use the universal power of music to communicate on levels they never have before.

With individual personalities and specific goals in mind, you'll place them in a highly collaborative situation where they must prepare for a final performance under a compressed deadline. During the process our professional song writing coaches and musicians ensure great songs are produced while everyone enjoys the process.

Tell me you don't love this?  Tell me you don't want to get up and rock at your next conference and have the chance to meet and learn from musical celebs and personalities. You want an experience for your company? I would! Call them. :)


And hey now that we are talking the League of Rock, what is happening with "League" side of things anyway?  Yes, the corporate world aside, things are rocking! There are a bunch of folks who signed up for the second session and its funny but I can really see a difference in  all of the returning members. Right away there was an air of confidence about them that wasn't present in the first session, it's as if  they all just know its  going to turn out fun and  fine so they settle in and chill quicker. Most everyone by now is settling into their bands and finding their voice within them. The community is warm and supportive and everyone is starting to gel. We only have one more rehearsal  before the first training showcase, which will be held at the Fairview pub. Its going to be very interesting.

So now, I'll take you back  in time  a few weeks to the session I was in because finally we have all the videos up from the final showcase for the League of Rock~!

I have posted just the videos from my band Know Mercy's performances, and then one video from another band, Wicked Skinny. You can see how my attempts at bass turned out after 10 weeeks of trying, and also enjoy Stephen Pallivicini's first time ever onstage. It was such a fun night, and  its remarkable to think that none of us knew each other 10 weeks beforehand and now there we are up playing onstage at the Yale,  having just recorded in a studio together.

If you would like to see more from all the other bands from the final LOR showcase you can veiw all the rest of the videos from the night here! 










So.....
Want to join a band, or bring the League of Rock to your workplace?
Click this link and give Terry a call, tell him Rach sent ya!

Rach!

up your watershed

I recently took a road trip over to the island for two days of rehearsals with Holly Arntzen and Kevin Wright over at their work studio in Crofton BC. The rehearsal setting was idyllic as the house was nestled in a mini countryside community at the edge of a cliff overlooking the water.

On a break from the rehearsal I took a windy path down to the beach and stood there breathing in the salty air as I looked out over the water to the island directly in front of me, and I noted to myself that it seemed quite perfect that I was learning songs about sustainability and the environment while situated in such a gorgeous setting. It felt good to be there.



.

We were there preparing for the concert that we are scheduled to perform next week in Williams Lake. You see last spring I was asked to be a part of an Artist Response Team. ART is a small group of musicians who travel into schools to rehearse songs with students for a concert performance/learning program called "Up your Watershed" sponsored by THINK SALMON, an initiative of the Fraser Salmon & Watersheds Program which is jointly managed by Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) and Fraser Basin Council (FBC), two non-profits dedicated to ensuring sustainable Pacific salmon stocks.

The goal of the Up Your Watershed Tour is to promote broader understanding of the importance of watershed stewardship, and to inspire positive action and behavior change in residents of Fraser Basin communities. We do this by going into schools and using music to spread the message.
In the the weeks leading up to the concert the schools teachers use ART’s Cycle of Life and Salish Sea learning resources to provide activities in their classes that are linked to song lyrics. The beauty of this program is that is was designed to also fulfill prescribed learning outcomes. I love that part in particular (for the teachers) because it helps them reach their teaching objectives, rather than burdening them with extra activities to fit into their cumbersome curriculum. The bonus for the children is that the information is delivered in an engaging and inspiring way. Win, win.

Local conservation groups are invited to provide additional resources, speakers, workshops and field trips to the schools. Involving the communities is another place where the win/win factor is high. The sponsors and companies involved all support one another in spreading the message.

The culminating event is a fabulous concert that features student choirs performing with Holly Arntzen, Kevin Wright and the Dream Band. Beautifully illustrated printed programs are distributed to audience members with lyrics and information. Students deliver song introductions that they create, talking about the issues in the songs, and what they think people can do to help.

KEVIN WRIGHT

For more information you can check out the website, and if you think you want your school to participate just contact Holly or Kevin through this link!

HOLLY ARNTZEN

I will be updating as we go through this process, there are a number of schools scheduled to be involved over the year including the school my own children go to. I have been helping with the shows there on and off for a number of years and I am terrifically excited to have been instrumental in bringing this particular program to our students. Our children will possibly even have the opportunity to sing on the next recording that Holly & Kevin do ( a project that will tie into a book launch my school is doing, the project connects to VANOC, which will be reported on later on this blog). More win/win.

There are many exciting things on the horizon in fact, for instance while we are on the road next week, there will be a video and documentary shot for and about the project. I'll make sure I keep some tabs on the behind the scenes for that as well, you'll be looped.


So next week I will be heading up to Williams Lake for my first performance as part of the Dream Band. Interestingly it was my new gig with the League of Rock (which had me playing the bass for the first time) that gave me the ability and confidence to try and to use an instrument that I never expected to have the opportunity to use purposefully.

What happened however, is that during our rehearsal we came across one song where they felt they really needed a bass part. I cautiously offered the info that I played a little bass.
Normally there is a full band and all instruments are covered but for Williams Lake they are bringing a really small band, only 4 people (my long time pal Shawn Soucy who introduced me to Holly and Kevin was missing from the rehearsal this week but will be joining us in Williams Lake), so I was the only one available to play the part.

Eek, that meant I was going to actually be relied upon.

I felt that I could pull it off though, maybe anyway. A simple song, a good weeks worth of practise...............? hmmmmm. So, I picked up the bass, found the chords, looked at the chart and gave it a whirl. At the end of the song we all nodded, I had the part. I got excited at that point, noting that the synchronicity of life is so very interesting. I never would have even THOUGHT to offer myself up were it not for my recent LOR experience and now, here I was actually contributing musically, not just pulling myself out of the mix and hiding in the background.


This really jazzes me because I will have the opportunity to come in and teach/perform in front of 300 children and I will be in the very same position as the performers who came to my childhood school and inspired me.

Young kids are going to see me pick up two instruments and sing and teach them motions to the words they will sing with us. What better opportunity to be a good example will I ever have? What better chance to actually be a tiny part of the solution to a problem I have often wrestled with; that of the school system letting some otherwise bright children fall through the cracks just because they are not intellectuals by nature and are not inspired by or can't cope with the drone of the current unengaging methods of teaching that educators are bound by.



If even ONE student catches a glimpse of fresh understanding through this alternate form of teaching, then it will have been worth the effort. What each student and school will draw from the experience will be sincere and they will connect with the project in a way that is going to be exciting for everyone.

And I am sure the kids will see the joy on my face as we perform the music together. They may even see a tear once in a while because I am possibly the hugest suckball ever to walk the planet and I just know I will get choked up.

Really, if you think that YOU folks are important as an audience, just THINK about what 300 children under my wing are going to do to me. I'll be a mess, but in a good way.

The Up Your Watershed! Tour will travel to

Williams Lake (Nov. 5 - Gibraltar Room)

Surrey (Dec. 3 - Bell Performing Arts Centre),

Vancouver (Jan. 21, 2010 - Norman Rothstein Theatre)

Vancouver (Mar. 2, 2010 - Vancouver East Cutural Centre).

Holly Arntzen's Dream band is:

David Sinclair - Guitars
Bill Sample - Piano/Keyboards
Brian Newcombe- Bass
Shawn Soucy - Drums
Kevin Wright - Percussion/Bass/Vocals Rachael Chatoor - Guitar/Vocals




Rach xo

photographers, reporters, and drinking in the morning

Kelly Brock and I have been up to old tricks again for All Access Pass and recently we dropped by the Province Newspaper to talk to BC Entertainment Hall of Fame inductee, Tom Harrison. Tom has been a reporter and music critic with the Province for over 30 years and I for one have looked to his column ever since I was a teenager spending my money on records. It was such a pleasure to meet him, there are stories galore when you hang with Tom and each tale is more interesting than the next. Thanks really must go to Tom for letting us see a bit of his world, and respect to him for using his platform with such a sense of responsibility and integrity. Keep Rockin Tom!

The next video in the Kelly & Rach's All Access Pass project takes you live on air in studio at Classic Rock 101 in Vancouver where Dean and Hatch (in for Bro Jake) interview legendary Rock n Roll Photographer Dee Lippingwell for On the Record! Dee has photographed virtually every major concert that ever rolled through Vancouver for decades and she has some unforgettable stories to tell the boys during her visit in the studio.

Personally I have always adored Dee and have been backstage with her at a number of different concerts over the years. I have been lucky enough to be onstage at many of the events where Dee was photographing and as it turns out, some of my favorite live stage shots have come from her camera. She's just the bomb.I thought I would throw in this little video that tells the tale of what happened after the 'On the Record' spot with Dee wrapped up. The radio station was hosting a 'Cesar taste off'. Dee and I were asked to stick around and be guest judges. Well, I couldn't really say No now could I? hehe So of course I kept the camera rolling because I don't' often get a perfect excuse to start drinking before 9 o'clock in the morning, I wanted proof. ;)




You can also find this video embedded on the Classic Rock 101 Website , I thank the radio station for the link loop, they all rock!

Rach xo

getting back in the saddle again.......

Today I got on a horse again after more than 10 years away from riding. I have been thinking of horses for such a long time now, how they were a big part of my life for so long.

Eventually however, I ran smak into music and it took me away from horses as my focus. I still rode for years while I chased my career around and even in Abu Dhabi and England while I was living those countries, I did some riding. But I eventually turned away from it altogether after a bad fall and resulting concussion.

There is nothing quite like being on a horse though, it has been in my heart ever since forever. In my highschool annual my final words most likely mentioned horses and I think there was one year where two of my horse pictures were featured in the art section.

My room was filled with horses top to bottom for many years, until rock stars took over half the room. Horses always remained though, and riding will forever be something that is near the top of my list of favorite things to do.

Camino is a Peruvian Paso and he is supposed to be ridden in a very different manner to the way I am used to riding horses.

It is funny, this opportunity just strolled on into my life by happenstance, I wasn't looking. My aunt M, who was funnily enough the first person ever to put me on a horse, has a bad back right now and needs help giving her horse some excercise. I wasn't even expecting to ride today but I couldn't resist. The second after I saw the horse, I asked if I could take a spin, so I took a quick 'how to work the horse' lesson and headed off.

Its a strange feel, different, the motions are counter-intuitive to what I think I am supposed to do, I still have to find my mojo while up there, but wow was that fun! I am so excited and I look forward to learning how to ride this animal the way he is supposed to be ridden.

My daughter was put on a horse for the first time today. She is too fearful still, she did not enjoy it but I do believe that she will get over her fears and learn to love horses as much as I do. I hope so.

When I was a teenager at the barn, there was a young girl named Steph who shared a horse with her Mother. I always admired the two of them, the relationship they had, and I vowed I would ride horses with my daughter one day like that.

Perhaps the time is coming near.



Rach xo.

getting all abba and being blond about it.

Jeanette Okeefe my friend and an inspiration to many!

Mooncoin productions is one of the finest companies to work for, Jonas and Jeanette have impressed and inspired me since the moment I met them. I remember a long time ago, reading an ad that they were holding auditions for Abbacadabra and I thought oh my gosh I could never do a show like that.

Well time passed and the day came along again and I was aware of another ad for someone to cover the gig. I looked at the show and suddenly thought, you know now I think I could do that. I had been subbing in with bands like Dr Strangelove (you may remember that band from the Roxy) so I was learning to sing that kind of music anyway, plus I was starting to do my own solo gig with my first truly fantastic band in the casino's and it was all just starting to get comfortable. I felt I could throw myself into some new shows.

So I went for an audition, got the job and the fit has been perfect. Last Saturday night in fact was another show and I loved it, we were thrown a curve ball. Curve balls, I freak at them a little but I thrive on them alot! Yes, I love the energy!

Normally I play Ana Frida the dark haired girl, but last Saturday night I played the blond role. Jeanette who's part I normally take, is also dark haired so one of us would have to wear a wig. I was only too happy to do it, and while I joked on my Facebook about it being a great expedition to find out if blondes have more fun, the real truth of why I jumped at the chance to play the blond role was that I wouldn't have to do my hair. LOL. True story, I know, I am so lazy.

Being newest to the show, I also got to keep my singing part, save a few minor easy changes, and Jeanette the seasoned pro that she is, switched both songs, places, and parts. Now this would not normally be a big deal because we would be prepared for it but in this instance we found out only really at the last minute so there was no time to prepare. We re-wrote these parts in the hours before starting. Like I said, I LOVE this kind of energy, the newness, the excitement, the uncertainty. It's a buzz, and if the audience catches it, it is infectious.

That night the energy was flowing!

Rachael Chatoor, Ryan Langevin, Jeanette OKeefe, Sam Torrence and a GREAT crowd!

This is an awesome fun interactive show, if you love the music of Abba you will love everything about it. For a recent show I was in click this video clip . To get the full potential you will want to visit the website. Google I Love Abba~

If you work in a company that has a Christmas or holiday event coming up and you think that you would like to see Abbacadabra at it, please request us!

For more info contact Mooncoin productions!

Oh hey, this is my Mom. She used to holler down the stairs at me when I was singing telling me to; SHUT UP YOU SOUND LIKE A DYING CAT.

I love her so much. She drives me nuts but she's a good bean.


BTW, my diary which is this blog, welcomes every mood, I don't really need a break, just an edit button. Having said that, every mark I make is a post left along the road I am travelling. I have far too much fun in life and I take too much from every experience to not want to save the highlights, even if some only highlight the growing pains.

If I appear a little fractured sometimes, it just means that for that moment, it shows. :)

xoRach