Encounters of the kind kind…

The “downtown” strip along Pleasant Valley Boulevard is a mere four blocks of heritage styled shops straddled quaintly on either side of the railway tracks.
Not more than three minutes into my stroll along this tiny place was I greeted by a local man walking his portly Chihuahua, proudly mentioning his companion was 14 years old. The little antique porker attached to a tattered leather leash weighed 15lbs., if he weighed an ounce. I wondered how one of the smallest breed of dog in the world could be 14, (about 90 in dog years) weighing more than 3 times as much as he should, but to pose that burning question would have been rude. Although we only chatted briefly, it was as if I had known him & his senior friend for years. I was taken aback by his ease at striking up a conversation with a perfect stranger, but was also endeared by his genuine friendliness. It was a fine welcome to Armstrong British Columbia.

The Spallumcheen Valley’s expansive grasslands and hundreds of herds of cattle surround the City of Armstrong, which has built a reputation for both a very fine brand of Armstrong™ cheeses & its 111 year old Interior Provincial Exhibition and Stampede. While steeped in rich community history, it also sports its fair share of dilapidated barns filled with hay bales and broken down farm equipment. One can literally feel the calmness that makes a small city like Armstrong so appealing to fast paced big city slickers like myself. Who knew birds chirped that loudly when there aren’t hundreds of cars drowning out that sweet sound from within the rustling spring leaves?

With my camera in hand, my purpose was to capture the nature of this quiet place, but I kept getting distracted by folks who wanted to have a chat in the warm afternoon air. It’s not like the streets were overflowing with people, but the few that were meandering the boulevard as I was, were only too willing to say hello or smile and wave.

On the second block of my stroll, an antique vendor was closing up his shop. As I passed him at my leisurely pace he asked me why I hadn’t stopped to take a snap of him with his sidewalk sign. How could I refuse? I was there to capture the nature of this place wasn’t I? Without skipping a beat, he posed proudly while I fidgeted with my camera to take my small town local shop owner image. From that moment on a conversation was under way, and within minutes George and I, (we were on a first name basis) had discovered a common thread. It seems the small city where I live in the lower mainland is the very place he and his wife once resided in the 70’s when they were first married. Armstrong just keeps getting smaller by the minute.

George encouraged me to check out his shop, admire the garden courtyard and see why his antique shop was not just a “typical” antique shop, but rather an “atypical” one, and I stood corrected. As I roamed his amazing store we discussed the business of antiques, the old structure that housed his collections & the story of the giant oak tree in the courtyard, which coincidentally was planted the same year George was born. George also mentioned the old-timer whom planted the tree in 1942 still lived in the community. I wasn’t surprised.

Rolling wheat fields dotted with cattle, goats, horses and little farmhouses seem to go on for as far as the eye could see, much like the marbled clouds that bring the spring rains making everything so lush and green this time of year. Armstrong is charming, quaint, friendly and alive. If you visit from a place much larger, keep the city but drop the slicker, and you too will experience encounters of the kind kind.

Bridges & Breakdowns:

Live on The Stepping Stone Indie Radio Show last night we had another great Seeds competition band in the studio to talk about their music, their band & their lives in the business of rock & roll. 

Meet Bridges & Breakdowns – Tay, Kris, Tyson & Kevin have reported themselves on the CFOX.supernova.com (Seeds) site as “three of the ugliest & one of the dumbest bastards you’ll ever meet“, but I sincerely beg to differ!  Handsome is as handsome does and these boys know good rock & how to charm any audience, big or small. 

The boys have played in the company of some amazing talent in their 3 short years as a band (they’ve know each other for several years), and being a part of the Olympic experience as a band was for them just one of the many hightlights, playing the Surrey Olympic stage with other great local musicians. 

Aside from their good looks, charm and supernova talent, they also have huge hearts.  This coming Friday (May 28th) the boys are hosting their CD Release Party at the Pitt Meadows Rec Hall at 12460 Harris Road in Pitt Meadows, while supporting Cancer Research, and all proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.  Tickets for this event, which will include appearances by Bleed The Freak & Signal And Sound (among others) are a mere $10.00 !!!  This is bound to be a phenomenal night out for all those who attend.

Of all the bands we’ve had in the studio, Bridges & Breakdowns had the most listeners call in to say hey…including Tyson’s Dad, whom is a classic rocker himself with his own band of misfits.  Dick & I will definitely have to get Tyson’s Dad’s band in for an interview soon.

Aside from the raw music scene banter & beaver jokes that got thrown around the studio during the interview, the crew from Bridges & Breakdowns (including their manager Steve Alberto from Go Time Productions) hung around for an hour afterwards for some good laughs, pictures & a few more beers.

Please check them out here on Seeds at Bridges & Breakdowns, & no matter which bands you already love on Seeds, don’t forget to VOTE every day! 

Bergbusch (Aaron) Photo Shoot:

I had the great pleasure of meeting and photographing Aaron Bergbusch yesterday.  I hooked up with Aaron last month via the CFOX.Supernova.com website and have been following his footsteps since then.  Aaron has recently released his first CD called Impossible Beautiful, which is a brilliant collection of songs in the alternative / rock genres.  I like that Aaron’s music style is a melodic based rock infusion, and that his personality and presentation of the music is definitively unique to him… a killer combination.

I was first touched by the hauntingly beautiful piece called Ordinary Life, which Aaron & I hope to bring a video accompanyment to completion by this summer.

Once I had Aaron in the studio in New Westminster, we were able to get some great still shots for publicity purposes as he promotes his new CD, and talk about the video storyline that he has already spent a great deal of time masterminding.

If you have a soft spot for independent artists like I do, & love alternative / pop/ rock music, then take the time to listen to Bergbusch.  Aaron’s website is at Bergbusch.com where you will be able to hear a taste of his brilliance, get a link to where you can buy the album, & find out where he is playing locally (could be a pub near you!).

Busy is as Busy Does:

Funny how business comes in slumps and streaks – why can’t everything be balanced?  LOL…but I’m definitely not complaining!  This Saturday I have two shoots, both with local rockers and I couldn’t be more stoked.

My first shoot is in the studio with Aaron Bergbusch, an amazingly talented indie artist from Vancouver whom I connected up with on the CFOX Supernova site.  Aaron is looking for shots to use for promotional purposes, as well as looking to create a video for his song “Ordinary Life” that he and I have been discussing a story line for.  From the moment I first heard Aaron’s work, I was an instant fan and wondered why this guy hasn’t been signed by a label yet.  The music industry is nothing if not unpredictable!

Later in the afternoon I’ll be doing a location shoot in historic New Westminster with a brilliant new group called Tourist Machine.  Brad, Susan, Len & Tom are superbly talented and have many years experience in the music business.  Location shoots are far more interesting and complex to do because you have so many varied elements in the mix – constantly changing light, unique backgrounds & locals watching what you are doing.

I’m looking forward to sharing this work with you all  – will post these new captures as soon as possible.

SaveNone – Wickedly Talented:

Last night on The Stepping Stone was another fantastic scene of live acoustic performances, with SaveNone as our guests … one of many talented contenders for the #1 spot in the 2010 Seeds competition.

Brilliant is a word I use often, but it just doesn’t shine next to the wickedly talented crew from SaveNone.  I was impressed from the first words they spoke, right down to the raw, lively acoustic sounds of two tracks from their recent album “Always.Never”, PLUS a 1st ever played live piece called Consume that totally rocked us.  They played for Dick & I like we were an audience of thousands – with passion & conviction to their craft.  Brilliant.

One of the things that we talked about was the dynamics of being in a band.  It has to be ridiculously hard to keep everyone happy all the time.  Dick has said before that the best way to break up an independent band is to put them into a studio to record their first album.  If they can make it through that process, there is a chance they will survive everything else.

Most people have trouble staying in a relationship with one other person, where as bands have to do this with several personalities in the mix…tough to do at the best of times.  With SaveNone, the members are not only in tune with each others’ views on where the band should be going directionally (with both marketing and music production), but also highly motivated to be successful while respecting each other along the way.

Listening to their live performances during the show, and their album in my car on the drive home only cemented my belief that SaveNone is ready to be signed and heard on commercial radio.  Each track melds seamlessly into the next with powerful vocals by Mike Brooks & Jay White, hard rocking melodies picked off with such ease by guitarists Richard Collins, Tim Wingo & bassist G-Bob, not to mention the tight trance inducing drumming from Mike Collins – SaveNone is a force to be reckoned with.

Other great indie bands (also listed here on Supernova.com) that Dick & I have interviewed on The Stepping Stone include Stampede Queen, Death Match Union & Wreckin’creW

The internet has so much to offer that its quite mind boggling.  One of the best things recently isn’t video content, but live feeds of events or programs that allow you to interact with the hosts.

A great example of this is the Stepping Stone Internet Radio Show, which airs weekly on Monday nights (Pacific Standard Time) from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

If you are a fan of raw, unabashed conversations, independent bands & want to be able to call in or chat live with the hosts via the Facebook Fan Page then a show like The Stepping Stone is right up your alley.  Luckily, for those who cannot listen live to the program, the shows are archived on the TSS website so you can download them to your iPods and listen at your leisure.  Tune in, turn on & horns up!

Connections:

Being connected with people in the right places has its privileges.  I’m lucky enough to have a connection to a well known recording studio, which recommend me for shooting bands & independent recording artists.  Some of the people I’ve had the great pleasure of shooting include Anastasia, Todd Fancey (The New Pornographers), Death Match Union, Brice Tabish, Len Osanic, Susan Kovacs & …. (insert your band here!).  Never a dull moment!