Friday, April 13, 2012

SOMEONE EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

Many talented musicians have come very close to my heart this past year.. I am indeed fortunate to have such a wealth of creativity and encouragement amongst my companions, old and new. One man in particular has pushed me beyond my comfort zone and raised the bar of expectations to new proportions that i never dreamed of. That man is Jack Lavin. 




I have always had a love affair with the bass clef.. that's where i learned to read music- in the cello section of the Vancouver Youth Orchestra pit. I rely on the solid pulsing rhythmic foundation so heavily.. it's the first thing i hear when i sit down to learn a song, and almost the only thing I hear when I'm singing on stage. The bass line always tells me where the music is going and provides a stability that makes me want to curl up in it's blanket of comforting vibration and go to sleep.  It's no surprise that I place an especially great value to the relationship I form with my bass player.





When Jack picked me up out of the blues jams I did not know what to expect. Nor did I ever dream that I would not only gain a great teacher and mentor, but also a solid friend-  not to mention the fact that he is truly a great and knowledgable musician. When all's said and done.. I trust my bass player :) 


He has introduced to me to so many wonderful folks.. as he tends to surround himself with the highest calibur of humans inside and out.. musical or not. Whenever I need help, he's usually already addressed my concerns before I even ask. Hell, he produced my five latest originals and he produced them well! 


Speaking of music production.. He and his talented friend Gary Koliger have just released a new album. "Jake and Gate" is my new favourite band and I can't wait to get my hands on my copy of "I Got Your Back" They have a series of CD release events coming up in May and they deserve nothing but the the best reception for this labour of love, soul and songwriting. 




May 16th- FALCONETTI'S East Side Grill on Commercial Drive
May 18th- THE COTTAGE BISTRO on Main Street (I can't wait to see Eugene again)
May 19th- KINGFISHERS WATERFRONT GRILL In my own hometown of Maple Ridge


Anyone who has ever met Jack Lavin, or heard him on one of the many stages he's performed on (pretty much every stage in Vancouver) will know that he is capable of only the best in entertainment quality, musicianship and production.


get your copy on itunes or CD Baby!


Congrats on the new release, Jake and Gate! I am a fan for life.   





Wednesday, April 11, 2012

WENDY BISCUIT SOLO

Harrison BC is ALWAYS a blast. I love getting the call from my good friends at Rockamole's... this time I got to do things a little differently simply because I can! Because it was only a duo backing me up I thought it might be fun to take the pressure off Dave Webb on keys and bring a guitar to the ensemble.. Now I 'm not a blues player, nor am I a soloist nor am I ANYTHING really.... but because I feel like I'm surrounded by family when I'm up by the lake I wanted to show them a different side of me. 






For four years I had a 'dirty bluegrass' band.. not really a band.. me on guitar, Wayne Evans on bass.. Petrina Baptist singing melody and myself singing harmony.. we called ourselves "Hawkin's Revenge" and we had a lot of fun and entirely too much rye whisky.. anyway.. I wrote about 40 songs for that group and they have mostly been sitting dormant since our dissolve.. Sept 2010






Last Saturday I decided to give the good folks of Harrison BC a taste of 'Wendy Biscuit Solo'.... I wasn't nervous as much as I was hoping that they would understand my own unique brand of original music. The tunes came out as they always used to, and my guitar stayed in tune... my timing stayed on track (thank god!) and the audience appreciated it. WELL! now thats a relief.. putting out heart and soul in the form of original music is always a risk but those who are driven to write and perform really have no choice.. and now that I know it worked.. i'll offer it in other venues as well... 


Mr Webb encouraged me to play ensemble for a few tunes and that made me feel so good! I've always received flack and criticism because my rhythm style is my own and self taught.. but you know what? it worked with these guys! and i liked it! they liked too!! ( i thought they were just saying that to my face but then i heard them commenting about it on a recording my mother took while i was on stage- my heart began to swell..) Have I mentioned that I love the players in my band??? 


Anyway.. it's always a journey and although i love to play guitar and i love my catalogue of past original projects.... I also love just being the singer and being able to pour everything i have into the lyrics, melody and stage performance. However! next time you come to a Wendy Biscuit show... you may just catch me being my own opening act simply because it seemed to work .. :)