newly minted League of Rock bands and Liquid Metal winner!

League of Rock

band launch at the Yale!

Well I have been talking about it and talking about it and finally................  last Wednesday we held the kickoff for the third session of the League of Rock and I will report that I left the Yale with a big smile on my face and with the feeling that this was going to be one hell of a fun session. We were delighted that LOR founder Terry Moshenberg flew in from TO to meet all the bands and kick off the third round with us, really there is always an extra level of excitement buzzing around when Terry is in town. I adore it! This was also everyone's first chance to plug in and play one of the Liquid Metal Guitars and I can happily report that the rumours are true, everyone who picked it up thought it was ~sweet~!  I already know it looks hot, and I loved the feel of it myself just as I just strummed it unplugged that day I met it ( by the way this guitar can be heard surprisingly well unplugged) but it's also nice to hear from real guitar players. 

 

Terry began with an introduction and brief outline to the new members of what to expect and tips on how to make the most of their time in the League.

Next up was coach musician/producer Mick Dalla Vee (Randy Bachman, Bachman Turner, Cease and Desist, Atlantic Crossing, Revolver),  who stepped up to the stage to tell the members that the coaches are there to  help them get them most out of the League and they should feel free to take full advantage of  the advice and information that will  be offered.  I just watched Mick playing last week for the Olympic closing ceremony at the famed Surrey 2010 Celebration site in Holland Park. He and the rest of his band regularly  play with/back up Randy Bachman who was headliner for the big closing ceremony. They owned the stage out there just  like Canada owned the podium. You can see my pics HERE.   They also  include Marc La France on drums and Brent Howard on guitar, just two more of the esteemed coaches that LOR members can look forward to working with this session.

Then we had a little 'riff off' where guitar players in the crowd were

given a chance to try out the Liquid Metal guitar.

It was in this batch of players that I found my Liquid Metal membership winner, Randall! 

I had a feeling about Randall from the moment I walked in, he even beat Terry, Rob and myself to the Yale. He's keen, I liked that. But it was when he got onstage and started playing that I really knew, I could see how much he loves music, that it is in his DNA and that was enough for me. Terry and I had a quick powwow and the announcement was made. :)

Later, I sat down to talk to Randall and found out he is father to a young 4 year old daughter who is the sunshine of his life. It is very clear that his family is his priority. He told me that while he is a busy family man  he doesn't necessarily want to forget about the musician that is a part of him. And he shouldn't, he is good, he should be making music.  I know the League will give him a chance to honour that inner rock star once a week and yet still allow him to be everything he needs to be for his family.........

Randall is an ideal example of who this League is for.

And why I love it so much.  :) 

How cool, I totally made the right choice~

 

With our Liquid Metal Membership winner decided, we went about the task of introducing the band members to each other.............ROLL CALL!!!!!

The three newly minted bands all sat down to meet each other and start the process of deciding on names and song lists. I can't even tell you how many people were just delighted with the way the bands were put together, the night was just fun and everything seemed to fit. I still don't know how Terry does it but I have watched it happen three times now and it just always somehow works. Maybe it's magic.

Speaking of magic, my dear friend Stephen got up to do a song solo. If you have been following my blog you will remember that Stephen went through the first two sessions of League of Rock and you may even recall that Stephen's  first time on a stage was less than a year ago. Now, to see him take the stage SOLO, after 2 sessions in the League, well, it just impresses the  heck out of me. High five pal. :)     

I actually did manage to get up onstage to play the guitar and found the guitar was beautiful to play,  then the floor opened up and the boys all jammed some blues for a while. Here is a shot of LM membership winner Randall, Terry and Rob Boshaw ( Vancouver LOR chapter head ) closing the night!

So there we have it, the bands are minted, our first rehearsal is Wednesday at NAL sound and

I can't WAIT to hear these bands as they evolve,

We have a lot to do over the next 10 weeks, I'll be sure to keep you looped!  

Rach

Olympic gigs and backstage videos!

Talk about a celebration! The Olympics 2010, hosted right here in my hometown!  I was not particularly looking forward to the Olympics as I'm not interested in standing in lines or waiting in traffic pretty much ever, for anything, but it all turned out to be pretty easy to deal with in the end and I must admit I got swept up in the excitement. Overall for Canada,  I think that we put on a bright and positive event that probably inspired children everywhere to try harder and push farther as they move forward and try to emulate their hero's. On a human level that's a good thing. Rather than worry about the politics of the Olympics, I'm more interested in how and when they affected people in a good way.

Musically the games were a blessing as musicians from every arena, genre and culture seemed to be represented and given a stage to sing from.  I think that every band or artist who took their opportunity to put on their best show deserves our  admiration.

I sang at the casinos a number of times throughout the Olympics with the fabulous Hitmen. You can catch some of the video promo I made from the footage  that my dear Mother took, in the clip below. Just so you know, the band actually is full of singers and we all equally sing songs throughout the night so it is a very diverse set list... usually............but of course my Mom had control of my camera and she only shot me......... so, I turned it into a promo for my blog. For more info on all of the Hitmen click HERE.






I was also delighted to be able to sing for at least one official Olympic Event  out at the Richmond O-Zone with dear friend Kelly Brock who was one of the artists in the   Musical Expressions concert. Musical Expressions is an ongoing series for local musicians which  features both published recording artists as well as up and coming and locally relevant independant artists. The series is produced and hosted by Cherelle Jardine. Cherelle and I share the same kind of passion and desire to see other people succeed and as a result she is not only a wonderful artist but also a successful promoter. I see good things surrounding her and if you are a musican or music lover, you should visit her website. Definitely take the time to go out and see one of her  Musical Expressions shows if you are interested in hearing your local musicians and celebs in a venue that is up close and personal.

In the meantime why not enjoy our most recent All Access Pass which was just a lot of fun to shoot. It is a true backstage pass video, I shared the day as I saw it through my own camera lens. I even took footage throughout Kelly's whole set while I was singing so that you can see what you in the audience look like to us up on stage.  What a day for music it was, here is your behind the scenes peek!





The musicians in the band Andre Kunkle(keys/bass), Todd Taylor(guitar), and Guido Thylmann(drums). Special guest John Higgins of the smashingly successful trio known as, the Higgins, joined Kelly for a duet which was excellent fun and very well received!  There were a number of acts throughout the day, I was there to film a couple of them as well so this video also features music and behind the scenes clips from my visit with Steven Sainas from  Mud Dog, and Dustin from the Dustin Bentall Outfit .



I leave you with this photo of me and the girls.   I am just so glad to know so many amazing, talented, creative, supportive sisters  in this city. Honestly, all of my girlfriends out there rock with  talent, beauty, creativity, kindness and most of all, heart. 

~Cherelle, Rach, Kelly~

See you soon!

Rach :)

Toys, toys, wonderful toys!

Toys Toys Toys!!!

OK, so I had this idea to go hang out at my favorite store Long & McQuade to just noodle around with the guitars and chat to people about the League of Rock and it turned into a super fun and inspiring afternoon. Not only was I was surrounded by creative and musical souls everywhere I looked, I also had a microphone in front of me that allowed me to just burst into song whenever I wanted to. It was like, living in the Sound of Music but with more classic rock.  And I'm not bragging here, but to be able  to just walk in and take my pick from the gosh darn fanciest guitars in the store and then plug them into the prettiest sounding Bose system ever then given the stool of honour to sit on, well, that was like going to school on  the best field trip day ever!

  

With Rob Boshaw Vancouver Chapter Head  for the League of Rock.

I was delighted to see my friend Stephen from my first LOR band Know Mercy who came down to support us, Stephen and I held each other up through a lot of  our own personal firsts during the inaugural Vancouver session of the League and I think it was brilliant that he came to support me in this 'first' of mine. 

I've said it before I will say it again, you rock Pallivicini~

A number of interesting people came and sat down to jam with me which was fun and totally in the spirit of the League. I also just had to stop this dude before he left the store ( thanks for coming back fella) that red strat you see?  It's made out of Lego. Awesome.  

See this teeny tiny set up? It's from Bose ( you don't even need the mixing board as the speakers are powered with a plethora of inputs, but I would recommend using one seeing as a mixing board will make use while playing more functional )

This is the stack of speakers, is this SLICK or what? I'm totally in love with them, in fact, I think I would have kissed them if everyone wasn't looking. ;)

Now I know you are thinking.... how can these little bitty baby things sound like anything? Well, I'll tell you this, I've played on a lot of PA's large and small and  the sound of these things  blew me away. For a singer songwriter, duo, trio type ensemble, I think it is a GORGEOUS system. As a matter of fact, as GM Scot  Buchanan was thanking me for playing at the end of the day, I found myself  thanking him, for letting me play with all of his toys. Of course, like anything that is top of the line, this system is not cheap.

 But if you've got the cash, I would wholeheartedly say, two thumbs up!

My last jamming guest was General Manager of Long & McQuade Vancouver, Scot Buchanan. I think this  was the perfect way to end the day.  I just love when the staff of any company get to see their boss be put on the spot and I love it even more if I am in some way responsible for it!  Of course Scot is a player so it's not like it was rough for him to get up there, and the truth be told he actually rocked,
but still, it was a nice break in the program for all I think!

To those of you that made the trip, thanks for coming out. I know I had a blast and I am seriously thinking that doing this kind of thing will really help improve my guitar playing a great deal, so collect your  groove and do stay tuned to this blog or to my Facebook page for  future
announcements telling you when we will do this again~!

   

And we will see you on Wednesday night at the Yale!

For more info on the LOR kickoff and how you can 'riff' you way into the League, click this LINK!

Rach xo

Who are the next Province Playlist headliners? All Access Pass gives you the scoop!

A few posts back I told you about the Province Playlist, a special feature that comes out every Tuesday in the Province Newspaper that  features musicians, bands, and songwriters at all levels of industry from headliners to indy artists.  Thanks to the folks at Hevy D, Music BC, Canwest Global, and Save-On-Foods, you can pick up your Province newspaper every week and find out how to get your FREE music downloads from the days featured artists, there will be a story and a link to the headliner artist as well as thumbnail photos and smaller write ups for some of our own homegrown local indy talent. 

Kelly and I (for our All Access Pass video channel) went to the offices of Music BC and spoke to Barry Stecyk (Hevy D) and  Bob D'Eith  (Music BC) while the two had a pow wow about how the program works, who can benefit, who does benefit and how you can get yourself and your music featured if you want to participate as an indy artist.

For the music portion of our video we had this dream of interviewing the feature artists  but because the next two Province Playlist featured headline artists  Jann Arden and Sarah Mclachlan  have been a little busy preparing to represent Canada in our torch relay and opening ceremonies,  :)  we couldn't arrange an interview with them...... so in this  video we thought we would feature ourselves. Kelly Brock and Rachael Chatoor , seeing as we are also going to be in the paper over the next two Tuesdays giving away our free downloads proudly in the role of  supporting indy artists!

 So this is the BIG news for us little guys.... I really can't believe it in fact. I am going to be in the newspaper while the world is visiting for the Olympics, and I will be in a supporting role to one of my personal favorite artists, Jann Arden.Yes! There is the scoop.....tomorrow look for Jann Arden, her song "Free" is the free download. I have Jann's  latest CD and Free  is a stunning, beautiful, powerful song. What I really love about Jann is that she has the ability to rip your heart right out of your chest with her insightful lyrics as she delivers them with the sweetest most beautiful voice, you know the one.

And here is scoop #2, Sarah Mclachlan is the next Province Playlist headliner one week later (Feb 23rd).......and who else but my friend Kelly Brock will be in on the line of  Indy artists featured.  So that's us, this is it, watch the video and pick up your Province every Tuesday......support your local artists and keep music alive!

With hearts......

Rach
xo

photo blog Robson Square Skating rink, vancouver band, the Hitmen~

Last week I sang at the re-opened Robson Square skating rink. As a Vancouver born and raised resident of this city, I'd like to say that I  am simply delighted to see the skating rink being  used once again.   I feel very privileged to have been up on that beautiful stage putting on a great show for people of all ages with excellent musicians like the Hitmen. This was the kind of gig that felt like an intimate concert; people paid attention,  children enchanted us with their dancing, everyone moved, sang along or clapped in time whenever we asked them to......   and the natural theatre shaped setting meant the energy flowed back and forth between  the band and the audience exactly  the way it is supposed to. It was the ancient campfire on a chilly winter night and everyone spoke the same musical language and I guess in a way,  we were the storytellers.  

I love nights like that.

Photos courtesy of Thesa Pakarnyk

Tom Arntzen~Rachael Chatoor~Nathen Aswell~Shawn Soucy~Russell Marsland

The Hitmen

By the way, I think you should book us for your next event!
The Hitmen

Rach xo

Province Playlist feature artist One More Girl [all access pass video]

One More Girl , Britt and Carly McKillip,  are two gorgeous young dynamo's who are poised to take the country music world by storm.
That's what I thought the first time I saw them at the Merrit Mountain Music festival last year.
I caught the girls when they took the stage and let me tell you, they made me stop to watch and listen. These young girls were babies yet they were owning that stage and I was mesmerized . Suddenly I was rooting for them like I knew them, yeah girls, you rock it sisters, ~woot~!  Little did I know that  the next time I would meet them it would be in their house, wearing PJs and bouncing on their beds............






This week you may have noticed One More Girl  featured in the Province Newspaper as part of the weekly feature known as the Province Playlist.  Via the Province Playlist  you can download songs by established and rising stars in the local and national music scene.  Barry Stecyk, of Hevy D's Old Fashioned Kettle Korn is a huge music fan and is the man behind the initial idea for the music player page. He's worked tirelessly with The Province, Music BC, Save-On Foods and a handful of others to create a tool that brings musicians and music fans together and I think he is a modern day hero for his energy and devotion.



Barry is really an outstanding guy and has a vision for marketing his product that I 'get' which is to bring people together, combine resources, share audiences and give something of value in a way that sees everyone involved winning. With the draw of the more established featured artist, the Province, Music BC and Hevy D are able to bring fresh new musicians onto a platform previously unavailable to them with a weekly full page spread that directs traffic to a site where an audience can  find links and a treasure trove of free downloadable music that is collecting there.

The beauty of social networking in this way is that things can be mobilized so quickly. I was in the office of Bob D'Eith (Music BC) last week shooting video for All Access Pass  with  himself  and Barry discussing the creation of this project. Literally that very morning they had decided to put together a player that would  benefit the victims of the Earthquake in  Haiti.  Bob was offering the use of the recently released  Music BC 2010 compilation album (which included the Peak Performance artists) as a means to raise funds for donations to the cause.  Within 48 hours of that meeting, I got an email to my inbox saying the project was live. That meant that every artist on the 20 song compilation has agreed to give their song to Project Haiti.

Outstanding, and quick.

And beneficial by all accounts, traffic to the Playlist starting with the Christmas releases, has already far exceeded expectations by tens of thousands of visits and downloads, and this number will only grow as more and more people catch wind of what is happening here.
If you are a music lover, and like to support local music please check out your Province every Tuesday and look for the Province Playlist which will give you  instructions on where to go to download your free music. As well, next time you are in Save-On Foods, look for Hevy D's Old Fashioned Kettle Korn, and find your free download sticker on the bag!

Oh yes my news!! Well, late last December, I myself submitted one of my songs to the Province Playlist  and happily  it was accepted. That was exciting enough but I have recently  learned when exactly my spot in the Province will appear and I have to say, I am quite beside myself with excitement. I'm going to keep the suspense going for now but I will let slip these two details.... the big featured artists I will be gratefully tagging along with are incredible stars. They are two ladies who's vocals and talents I am madly in love with (and have been forever). It is so widely known in fact that I adore these two, that it almost  feels like someone upstairs was cooking this pot of soup just especially for me........ and as for when..........just make sure you check out the Olympic editions of the Province. :)


If you are a musician/artist reading this and would like to submit your music do so here.


with hearts....Rachael

season finale at the League of Rock~ chance to win a membership to the next session ~

We interrupt this blog for an important news flash....

Danno! VanChapter LOR member.....is a New Father, congrats Papa!!!!!

Hope you get some sleep once in a while.....~

I have a photo post for you today, these photos come compliments of Gene Greenwood and Sharylin Boshaw, they take us back to the last week of the League of Rock jam sessions at  our new rehearsal space NAL sound, and roll over into the final League of Rock showcase at the Yale on December 16th!  

Seeing as the beginning of session 3 is soon upon us (March 3rd right after the Olympics we'll be kicking off), I thought it would be a great  idea to share a bit of what you have to look forward to when you join the League of Rock. So this is for all the new members who have already joined up and are just itching for March to roll around, and this is also to those of you who are sitting on the sidelines plucking quietly at your instrument all by yourself in your living room......if you are still trying to decide if it is time for you to join the LOR, ask yourself these questions.......

Do you miss making music with people? Would you like to try jamming with others even though you have never done so? Would it be nice to get out once a week and leave the day's problems  behind you as you rock like a teenager again?

This is what the jam sessions look like:

Simon Kendall is another one of the outstanding coaches we are able to workshop with. Simon with his  kind nature and years of experience really picks up on things that will help the bands become more co-hesive. Myself and all the members really look forward to these great people who come in each week to share their knowledge with us.

Andrew Huige by the way, was the winner of my first blog membership contest (with Miss604) way back in the summer! What a great singer he is too! Congrats Andrew glad you enjoyed it! 

So everyone,  if you signed up for the contest and didn't win, this is the guy who took your spot! ;)  

But don't you worry there will be another shot at a membership right here on this blog this month.....don't go too far or you will miss it!

I was even called in to play bass with a band one week, when another member couldn't make the rehearsal,

I have to say that was a blast! What a way for me to end the jam sessions! It was great.

And then the showcase!

Terry Moshenberg flew in from Toronto and put the whole thing

together with Van Chapter head Rob Boshaw.

I was there of course, ready for my new hosting duties which included giving out prizes from

Long and McQuade!

I love the costumes they brought in honour of the season. From session to session the groups seem to get more creative with their props and what they wear onstage.

These boys had the heaviest set list, and yet they were the sharpest dressed men!

Our girl Loralee and her League of Rock tank top which I hope she is wearing  in Mexico right now.

Long and McQuade our sponsors gave away some beautiful gear to stand

out members at the end of the night. Items included

instruments, software and other goodies. Our very talented and deserving winner of a guitar this session was James Gaffney.

Terry and coaches Tal Bachman and Mick Dalla Vee with LOR drummer Nando Polesel  backed-up Kenny McNally for the finale. Kenny is a very active member from LOR Toronto chapter who specially  flew in to celebrate the Vancouver showcase with us and we were delighted to have him.   I thought this was just awesome of course and lucky bunny that I am, I stayed right there onstage with all those talented boys and added my harmonies and smiles into the mix!

And to close the post here today, I leave you with Terry Moshenberg, the guy who is responsible for putting so many grins on so many faces. Rock on Terry, can't wait to see what 2010 brings for LOR Vancouver!

Sign up is happening NOW!

Go HERE to kick off with on March 3rd!

and stay tuned for a way you can WIN yourself a LOR membership, right here on this blog.....

...from little old me~

:)

One last bit of thanks goes out to TREE brewing. Every week at rehearsals we have a bucket full of cold and tasty  beer thanks to them! We love you TREE!