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!
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! ;)
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!
Have you ever considered buying a car you have to plug in? I didn't, until I drove one........I want to direct you to another stop in the blogosphere, Erica Ehm's chic website the Yummy Mummy Club where I did a guest post as a test driver for the brand new smokin hot electric car..... the Chevy Volt.
Liquid Metal membership winner Randall (pictured above)
Thought I might share the first few sessions of the League of Rock rehearsals in a photo blog today. It's been a blast so far, getting ready for what is to come next. There were so many shots to choose from, I'll pretty much let the pictures speak for themselves.
By the way, next week we hit the famed *room 10* at NAL Jamspace to prepare for our mid-way showcase at the Yale. This is where the newly formed bands will for the first time perform their songs for the other members of the league. For many it will be their first 'live' performance and I can just feel the nervous excitement! ~woot~
"Fun and scary all at the same time" is how coach Shaun Verreault (Wide Mouth Mason) so aptly summed up the LOR experience during a recent session. Shaun is sizzling in the scene nowadays and our members are fortunate he so regularly joins the cast of esteemed coaches
who are willing to share their time and experience. If you are a true admirer of great musical talent do yourself a favour and check out the video I'm posting below!
So the best story ever goes like this: I was chatting to my Liquid Metal membership winner Randall, and he told me he read my recent blogpost (where I mentioned him and his winning the contest) while his 4 year old daughter was sitting in his lap. He reported that when he came to the part of the story where he told me his daughter was the 'sunshine of his life' she stopped him mid-sentence and asked wide-eyed...."Did you really call my your sunshine Daddy?" I a felt whole wave of whoosh when he told me that. Coolest story ever.
And for the musical portion of the program today I direct you to this amazing video shot by my pal Gene Greenwood of Farting Puppy Productions. This video features our own coach Shaun playing a Liquid Metal Guitar at the Yale in one of the most solid musical line ups you could possibly hope to watch. Mike Norman(keys), Dennis Marcenko(bass), and Jerry Adolphe(drums). Man this really smokes! Enjoy~
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. 
