keither Posted February 21, 2003 Report Posted February 21, 2003 Hello my East Coast brothers and sisters! Really looking forward to hooking up the Trans-continental scene here in the Great White North. I still got lots of organizational work in front of me to really get Vangroover rolling... but we all know that it's worth it, eh? Gotta start somewhere to eventually build our empire!! I'll have some fresh news for ya'll real soon! Peace from the West. Keither
mark tonin Posted February 23, 2003 Report Posted February 23, 2003 Hey there Keith, It looks like you've got some great acts booked in Vancouver over the next few months! Check out this email: Discover Entertainment Presents… The Vancouver Groove Music Series “The Art of Groove” – Every Friday, beginning February 28th (and running for no less than the following 8 weeks), @ The Green Room, Vancouver’s new Media Club (695 Cambie St.). “GROOV-e Sundays” – Every Sunday, beginning February 16th (also running for no less than the following 8 weeks), @ The Fairview Pub (898 Broadway St.). Discover Entertainment’s “Vancouver Groove Music Series” is a project dedicated to establishing some exposure and support for some of Vancouver’s most talented original acts. The bands participating in this showcase represent a mix of Vancouver’s best ‘groove’ based bands, with varying styles incorporating elements of Rock, Funk, Electronica, Hip-Hop, Reggae, & Jazz. However, even though these bands come from numerous places in the musical landscape, they all have a few things in common. Those being: excellent musicianship, an original sound, a very strong ability to drive people to dance, and the ability to improvise within the context of each of their songs. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘groove’ as, “an exciting and enjoyable experience that involves a pronounced rhythm”. Bringing this music and that experience to a broader audience is the fundamental objective of Discover Entertainment’s “Vancouver Groove Music Series”. Below, I have included a list of the bands that will be a part of this music series, as well as a quick bio briefly describing each bands’ style. I have also included a list of the performance dates for the first month. With a little consistency, the quality of our acts, and the momentum generated by running this series 2 nights a week for the next 2 months, we hope to gather local support and to build strong business relationships, as well as community relationships, in our quest to help revitalize Vancouver’s live music scene. “The Art of Groove” @ The Green Room Feb. 28th, 2003 – Themasses – Themasses are a four piece collective consisting of Mark Strachan (guitars), Ben (Keyboards), Eric (Bass), and (drums). Their music is not only derived from, but heavily influenced by the surging popularity of Electronic music around the world today. Themasses sound incorporates elements of House, Drum’n’Bass, and Funk, performed on live instruments, creating a sound that’s new. They bring an exciting and original flavor to those music fans that enjoy both live bands and DJ’s. Mar. 7th, 2003 – Kush – Kush are a 5-piece band consisting of Gord Kushner (guitar), Jason Metheny (guitar/saxophone), Tyler Gibson (keyboards), Cornell St. Jean (bass), and Blair Macdonald (drums). The music of Kush is a powerful mix of guitar driven Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Soul and Funk. Their sound is very energetic and they never fail to get people dancing. Kush has recently been experimenting with adding a female singer into their mix, to further enhance the strong songwriting ability and vocal harmonies put forth by their lead songwriter Gord Kushner. Mar. 14th, 2003 – Kynkayd – a 6-piece funk/jazz ensemble, reminiscent of the many great bands coming out of New Orleans on a regular basis, Kynkayd bring a skill level and professionalism to “The Art of Groove” that is infectious. The band consists of Kent Wallace (trumpet), Gareth Seys (trombone), Richard Daubin (guitar), Adrian Lock (keyboards), Shanto Bhattacharya (bass) and Gregor Phillips (drums). Constantly being pushed by their muse, Kynkayd is consistently coming up with new music to thrill their fan base, each one better than the next. They are one of Vancouver’s hottest bands right now, and definitely an act to keep our eyes on for the future. Mar. 21st, 2003 – Slammin Jack – A 5-piece band consisting of Rich Martin (guitar), Scott Daniels (keyboards), Martin Ayerst (bass), Sean Scallion (drums), and Jeffrey Kornblum (percussion), Slammin Jack are one of the most original and energetic acts Vancouver has to offer. Their eclectic yet effective mix of seemingly every style across the musical landscape, along with their layered 5-way vocal harmonies, incredible improvisational skills, and beautiful original compositions, bring to mind the sounds of their highly successful, American sub-culture counterparts Phish. Slammin Jack continue to build a loyal and supportive fan base by constantly performing not only in Vancouver, but abroad. Mar. 28th, 2003 – Gorilla Rock – “Preconceived in earlier centuries but lost in twilight realms on the brink of our known reality until recently, Gorilla Rock is a collection of energy released in large quantities through mind bending soundscapes. Trace elements of these sounds were tested, but all results from the tests were rendered useless after a break-in at the laboratory left the canisters containing the Gorilla Rock battered and destroyed. No word yet on any suspects in the break-in or what may have motivated the creatures responsible for this act.” This is about all that can be said for Gorilla Rock. A group of 3 incredibly talented, unnamed, masked musicians formed Gorilla Rock. Their band defies labeling. Their sound defies labeling. Their instrumentation? anything and everything. These 3 guys bounce around the stage jumping from their original set-up of guitar, bass and drums to include turntables, sequencers, keyboards, percussion… anything they can get their hands on. One of the most original and visually exciting acts to ever come out of Vancouver, Gorilla Rock challenges music fans of all walks of life to deny their electricity and energy. “GROOV-e Sundays” @ The Fairview Pub Feb. 23rd, 2003 – Endosolo – A one man musical experience, Endosolo is Brian Fowler. His music defies explanation, incorporating the best elements of Hip-Hop and country music with strong storytelling flavors. A very talented individual and an act you don’t want to miss, Endosolo brings his initial live stage performance to Discover Entertainment’s “GROOV-e Sundays” to close out the month of February. Mar. 2nd, 2003 – Kaejema - Kaejema is a four-piece band that play a wide variety of styles within their compositions and songs, best summed up in one word as FUNKDUBJAZZ. With Pat Haavisto on drums and Jason Taylor on bass, the rhythm section is a dynamic, solid, backbone of energetic beats and grooves. Tim Townsend and Kit Soden, on melodic and rhythmic guitar respectively, bring an irrepressible jazzyfunk and harmonic texture to the music with their blending of rhythmic counter positions and ambient, descriptive melodies. Vocal harmonies arise at different parts in their music to highlight the mostly instrumental sets. These rhythmic layers propel Kaejema through many musical soundscapes that have been described as creating imagery and mandela like patterns in the minds, and bodies, of those listening and dancing. Mar. 9th – Kynkayd Mar. 16th, 2003 – Beluga – Beluga is one of Vancouver's most exciting live bands. They have been winning fans over with their funky-party rock shows, featuring the vocals, props and stage antics of singer Dave Curran, along with the fine musicianship of guitarist Bill Podmore, drummer Mike Herle, bassist Sean O'Donohue, keyboardist Joel White, and B-Rad on space guitar. Funk-rock, described as "James Brown meets the Who in outer space”, their supercharged sound blends a mix of rock, funk, and techno styles while maintaining a pop sensibility. Mar. 23rd, 2003 – Kush Mar. 30th, 2003 – Kynkayd Other Shows: Feb. 21st, 2003 – Kush – Arts Club backstage lounge Discover Entertainment would like to thank everybody that’s involved with this project in advance for helping us to put forth this music series, and we look forward to continuing our work with each and every one of you! For further information… music, bands’ publicity kits, Discover’s publicity kit, interview requests, or guest list spots to attend any of the shows, please contact Discover Entertainment at 604-266-1173, or by e-mail at discoverentertainment@telus.net. Thank you all. Sincerely, Keith Duggan President - Discover Entertainment ----- Good luck, Keith!!! Peace, Mark
keither Posted February 24, 2003 Author Report Posted February 24, 2003 Thanks Mark. I'm away the next couple of days to try and get some venues in the Vangroover suburbs on board. There has been a few changes to The Fairview Sundays lineup since I sent that out... so here they are: Feb. 23rd - Brian Fowler Endosolo Mar. 2nd - Slammin Jack (not confirmed) Mar. 9th - Kaejema Mar. 16th - Beluga Mar. 23rd - Kush Mar. 30th - Kaejema This whole "Greater Vangroover Music Showcase" (that's the new name for the series) is obviously still a work in progress, but we are definitely picking up steam and it shouldn't be long before we've revived some health to our hugely talented, yet mostly unheard of, Vangroover music scene. I'll keep you posted... and thanks for the support!! Peace. Keither
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