everything breaks, rough draft (rachael chatoor)

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

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!

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

test driving the new Chevy VOLT~

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.

                                          
                                                         See the post by clicking  HERE!

See you soon
Rach  xo

League of Rock photo blog!

Rehearsals at NAL, League of Rock
 photo blog!

                    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~

pic: Rach and Rob Boshaw ( LOR Chapter Head)

 "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~

Just keeping you looped, see you soon!

Rach xo

where were you.............

......moments after we won the GOLD?

Were you screaming your face off  along with  the rest of Canada when the men's Canadian hockey team won the Olympic gold medal?  It was a little surreal wasn't it?

I was backstage watching the game at the Surrey 2010 Official Olympic Celebration site when the final puck whizzed past the goal line and into the  net. It was beautiful, our Canadian hero's had just pulled off a magnificent, nail biting win that prompted the country to erupt with excitement. I barely recall running up onstage with a couple dozen others to film the festivities and cheer along with the crowd of thousands. I stood there holding my camera above my head to capture as much of it as I could and I actually imagined  that everyone across the country was cheering in unison with as much passion and joy as this crowd right here!

One quick search on You Tube will show this was very true, there are countless videos taken at exactly the same moment this one was shot........ I almost had a mind to load up 10 different videos from 10 provinces to this blogpost and then was  going  to invite you all to scroll down the page and click 'play' on them all at once so that you could have the full on cross Canada experience,...... but I figured it would take too long to load them so maybe instead, just watch this one and enjoy the memory of  the moment!




I originally went to the Celebration site to watch Randy Bachman and his band close the Olypmics at the Surrey 2010 Official Celebration site, and because the concert happened just moments after our  huge Gold medal win the event turned into a mega concert that grabbed everyone who was close by and drew them right in. The crowd was so happy, all we wanted to do was celebrate, dance, sing along, play air guitar, and rock to amazing music and who better to lead the party than the architect of Canadian rock and roll himself,  Randy Bachman.  Randy welcomed the crowd and we greeted him with open arms, then he and his band put on a Gold medal worthy performance.

I once had a large collection of mixed songs to play in my jeep back in my...ahem....younger days, and strongly represented in my playlist were BTO and the Guess Who, so watching this concert was like taking a musical step back towards a magical time in my life when I listened to music simply because I loved to listen to it, not just because I have to learn it for a gig. The crowd was filled with adoring fans like myself and I felt just so privileged to be there hanging out backstage and in the media pit taking pictures and absorbing all the good energy and excellent music played by the finest of musicians.

Randy Bachman

The crowd loved the  guitar solos of course and Randy did a few tricks to impress.

 

Backing up Randy is his outstanding band who not only record and tour worldwide with him  but they also  play on their own as Cease and Desist. These boys are amongst my favorite musicians in this city and all of them are multi talented players who are really nice guys to boot. So nice in fact  that all of them help out as coaches with one of my personally  favourite projects, the League of Rock which is something you only really ever get involved in if you are the sort of person who is willing to lend a hand up to people by sharing your own  experiences.  Marc La France (drums/vox), Mick Dalla Vee (bass/vox), and Brent Howard (guitar/vox) are all stellar musicians heavily involved in the music industry doing everything from performing

to songwriting to recording/publishing/production/ and promotion 

of other artists (like yours truly! Mick recorded/produced  my pre-release CD)

When the finale rolled around Randy sang TCB, you know the one, and the crowd loved it and roared the chorus  along with them every time it came around. We were so loud I think Langley heard us.

You can find more of  Randy every week  on Randy’s Vinyl Tap CBC Radio One. The show is fantastic, and I know personally there are countless numbers of musicians who  listen to it on the way into their gigs on a Saturday night, I hear about it from bandmates frequently when we are backstage (I was listening to Randy's show on the way in and.........).  Also featured in these photos my friend Gene Greenwood who took video of the bands thoughout the Olympics. Gene has some of the hottest  footage of some of the best musicians in the city and you can check out his videos here!

So there you have it, a big moment in Canada's history caught on film and a classic concert photo series for you to enjoy. If you wish to see more photos from the concert you can go here! And please do stayed tuned for the release of the new Bachman Turner recordings, I've heard a rumor that Randy and Fred  have hit the studio recently  and  there is a seriously kicking album and  single due to be released.  

Woot!! New tunes to rock to, can't wait!  

Rock on everyone! Rach xo