VCL '20 Questions' with Sean Hayden

1. WHAT DO YOU CALL THE STYLE OF MUSIC YOU PLAY?
Organic Singer-songwriter Rock, with sprinklings of Pop-Jazz.

2. WHERE IS YOUR HOMETOWN?
Vancouver, BC

3. (FOR GUITARIST ONLY:) WHAT KIND OF GUITAR DO YOU PLAY?
My touring guitars are a Martin Acoustic DX1KE, & a Godin Electric LGX-SA. Though I do have several other guitars.

4. (FOR SINGERS ONLY:) WHAT CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT AS A SINGER?
Water. Literally!

5. WHERE CAN YOUR FANS FIND YOU ONLINE?
My official website, www.seanhayden.net. You can also find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/seanhaydenmusic), Twitter (www.twitter.com/seanhayden), and a host of other network sites. (IE: Youtube, Myspace, etc).

6. WHERE ARE YOU PLAYING IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS?
I’ll be playing a lot of venues in British Columbia & Alberta. Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Jasper, Edmonton, Calgary, etc. Your best bet is to check the Gigs page on my website to see if I’m playing near you.

7. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO LATELY?
The latest record I bought was “Earfood” by Roy Hargrove; so silky!

8. IF YOUR KID TOLD YOU THEY WANT TO BE IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM?
“Great! But you gotta learn the business.” It’s so important to learn how the business side of music works. When you’re young, get your chops together, but when you’re getting ready to really take it to the ‘making a living stage’, you HAVE TO learn the true business side.

9. IS THIS YOUR FIRST ALBUM?
Yes.

10. WHEN DO YOU GO BACK IN THE STUDIO?
I’m planning to head back and start recording my next record at the end of the summer. Around September or so.

11. WHAT SONG OF YOURS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? WHY?
I’m proud of all my songs for different reasons – at least the ones I play in a regular rotation for people.

12. WHAT HAS BEEN A HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
I'm fortunate enough to have had a few. It’s the little comments that I think go the furthest though – recently I had a women come up to me who told me that she’d been going through a terrible time of hard ships, but she said there was something in the music and the way I played that made her not only forget all that, but build up her euphoria about the future ahead. To me, that means the world. The fact that my music can sometimes heal people – what an honor!

13. IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE OUT ON THE ROAD AND NOT EAT ANY JUNK FOOD?
It’s easy to avoid candy, chocolate, chips, and all that stuff. Fast food & the like is a little trickier. What I do when I’m on the road is I just avoid the obvious junk, along with some other key items: sauces (mayo, alfredo, mostly white sauces), fries, deep fried items, etc. I almost never eat at McDonalds or anything of the sort. I use the Urban Spoon app on my phone to easily find what’s good in town and affordable.

14. WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN'T A MUSICIAN?
Something that involves a lot of entrepreneurial effort & management. I like to run my own outlet and have control over my business, direction, creativity, etc.

15. DO YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU'RE KNOWN FOR? CARE TO SHARE?
Intro, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Verse, Chor. . . (*wink*)

16. WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCE?
Life. If we’re talking bands & musicians, my go to cats are Pat Metheny, Dave Matthews Band, Soulive, & Jamie Cullum, but I also always circle back to a large plethora of artists, including as of late; Ennio Morricone, Brad Mehldau, David Guetta, Lupe Fiasco, etc. The list goes on and on and on.

17. WHY WAS YOUR WORST GIG EVER YOUR WORST GIG EVER?
Everything that could go wrong, went wrong, or at least it sure seemed that way. I forgot to bring a bunch of key items to the gig, the P.A. wouldn’t work, the majority of the audience was wasted before I even arrived, (and not in the fun/cheery sort of way either) - it was a perfect storm.

18. IF YOU COULD HAVE AN ASSISTANT DO ANY PART OF YOUR MUSIC BUSINESS FOR YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO?
Bookings and gig promotion. I like to have control in those things, but I feel like they take up a lot of my creative time. So I’d love to have somebody do those things and all I have to do is confirm it. Hopefully, I will have someone soon for that!

19. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THIS BUSINESS?
The fact that I get to be creative everyday, whether it’s the music, performance, recording, or the literal business part of it. I love every aspect about music & the music business – the bad and the good.

20. WHAT DON'T YOUR FANS KNOW ABOUT YOU?
My middle name is Daniel.



submitted by Lucie Walker

'VCL 20 Questions' with Pawnshop Diamond

WHAT DO YOU CALL THE STYLE OF MUSIC YOU PLAY?
We play modern folk rock.

WHERE IS YOUR HOMETOWN?
Katie comes from Victoria, Nina was a Kootenay child, Lynn heralds from the Ottawa Valley and Dave and Lucas grew up in East Vancouver.

(FOR GUITARIST ONLY:) WHAT KIND OF GUITAR DO YOU PLAY?
Dave plays a Guild Starfire III.

(FOR SINGERS ONLY:) WHAT CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT AS A SINGER?
Monitors and a great sound person. Our best shows are the ones where not only can we hear ourselves but the audience is able to hear the vocals clearly enough to catch the lyrics.

WHERE CAN YOUR FANS FIND YOU ONLINE?
We can be found on myspace, facebook, youtube and at our new website www.pawnshopdiamond.com.

WHERE ARE YOU PLAYING IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS?
May 26th at the Railway Club
June 3 and July 22 at the Libra Room
June 19th at the Sylvia's Music Festival in Quesnel

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO LATELY?
Katie: Parlour Steps.
Nina: CBC.
Lucas: David Newberry. Justin Rutledge.
Lynn: Plastic Beach by the Gorillas
Dave: Dixieland.

IF YOUR KID TOLD YOU THEY WANT TO BE IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM?
Dream big, expect little, practice, don't doubt yourself, multi-task and do it for the pure joy of it.

IS THIS YOUR FIRST ALBUM?
We have released 2 albums. Self-titled and Leaning to the Sun.

WHEN DO YOU GO BACK IN THE STUDIO?
We have lots of new material that we are excited to record but are just starting to discuss our ideas for the next album.

WHAT SONG OF YOURS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? WHY?
In a way, I'm most proud of 'Cabernet Sauvignon' as that is the song that won us the studio time to record our sophomore album 'Leaning to the Sun' and it's the song that gets the most radio airplay so far. But truth is, I'm most proud of a new song called 'Take Me Home". It's not about heartbreak. It's about beautiful broken families. It's not recorded yet and was just debuted at my father's 80th birthday party when my sister's family and the band performed it for him and his friends. Every time I sing it, I feel old scars soften and gratitude for my family come rushing in.

WHAT HAS BEEN A HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
The biggest highlight has been each and every time we have played to an audience that is there to really share the moment with us. Sharing backstage at a festival with Corb Lund, Sarah Harmer and Spearhead was pretty cool too though.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE OUT ON THE ROAD AND NOT EAT ANY JUNK FOOD?
Not so far. I bought a travelling plug in mug to make oatmeal last time we were on tour. I never actually made any oatmeal though. Next time I hope.

WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN'T A MUSICIAN?
Katie: writing obituaries.
Nina: less.
Lynn: snowboarding in winter and hiking/treking in summer.
Lucas: "You mean: what do you actually do for a living?"
Dave: playing soccer.

DO YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU'RE KNOWN FOR? CARE TO SHARE?
Katie's Dad's Yorkshire Puddings

2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of flour
mix and oil muffin tin
cook at 400 for 20 minutes
"DON'T OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!" says Dad.

WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCE?
Lyrically - Leonard Cohen. Energetically - Neil Young. On stage - The Band.

WHY WAS YOUR WORST GIG EVER YOUR WORST GIG EVER?
We played a venue in London Ontario where they had us play in a basement room under a very loud blues jam. The local opener played in a smaller room upstairs and after her set we were expected to ask the audience to pick up their stuff, walk past the jam, and go downstairs into the basement to see a band they've never heard of get smothered with the booming sound of the blues coming down from above. A friend and festival director was in the audience that night. It was her first time seeing us play and I had wanted to make a good impression. I cried in the van afterwards. It was humiliating.

IF YOU COULD HAVE AN ASSISTANT DO ANY PART OF YOUR MUSIC BUSINESS FOR YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO?
We would love to work with a professional booker. We have toured Ontario/Quebec twice and love the experience of playing music on the road but we would love it even more if we had a team helping us set up shows so that we could focus on playing them.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THIS BUSINESS?
My favourite part of this business is when I can feel the presence of the audience during a show and then afterwards talking to some of them and hearing the stories that hopefully one of our songs triggered in their minds.

WHAT DON'T YOUR FANS KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Katie used to be a flamenco dancer before she sustained chronic shoulder and feet injuries from all the passion.
Nina dreams of a country home where her horses can poke their heads in the kitchen window for a carrot and a nose pet.
Lynn is the eldest of seven children.
Lucas composes classical music and writes orchestral arrangements.
Dave reveals nothing.


Submitted by Lucie Walker

'VCL 11 Questions' with devilsplender

1. WHAT DO YOU CALL THE STYLE OF MUSIC YOU PLAY?
a. Roots/Rock/Americana/Pop/Soul

2. WHERE IS YOUR HOMETOWN?
a. Edmonton, AB, Canada

3. (FOR GUITARIST ONLY:) WHAT KIND OF GUITAR DO YOU PLAY?
a. I play both electric and acoustic guitars. The guitars that I play the most often would be my:
i. Martin - 1997 Drednought
ii. Gretch - 1977 Super-Axe
iii. Guild - 1972 - S100

4. (FOR SINGERS ONLY:) WHAT CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT AS A SINGER?
a. 2 Guiness, 2 smokes, and a glass of red wine.

5. WHERE CAN YOUR FANS FIND YOU ONLINE?
i. www.devilsplender.com
ii. www.myspace.com/thisisdevilsplender
iii. www.facebook.com/devilsplender
iv. http://www.facebook.com/pages/devilsplender/101235740333?ref=ts

6. WHERE ARE YOU PLAYING IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS?
i. Falconetti’s - Thursday June 24th, 2010
ii. The Railway Club - Wednesday June 30th, 2010

7. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO LATELY?
i. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
ii. The Cave Singers
iii. Bill Callahan
iv. Clutch
v. Nick Lowe

8. IF YOUR KID TOLD YOU THEY WANT TO BE IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM?
a. I would support their desires but I would explain the current state of the music industry and help them cultivate a life career based in music.

9. IS THIS YOUR FIRST ALBUM?
a. devilsplender is currently supporting its sixth full length recording. Hometown Riot - 2009

10. WHEN DO YOU GO BACK IN THE STUDIO?
a. I am always in the studio recording demos but I would expect the full band to return to the studio in 2011.

11. WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCE?
a. “Growing up, I wanted to be Pete Townshend of the Who, his showmanship is critical in my structuring music for performance,” “But Paul Westerberg of the Replacements is the comparison I get the most and that’s a huge compliment. STINK was a landmark album.” “Rounding out my top 5 would have to be The Band and the Beatles — no explanation needed — and Elvis Costello for how he pens pop, rock and roll and a great ballads.”



submitted by Lucie Walker

'VCL 20 Questions' with Pennan Brae

"Vancouver City Limits 20 Questions"  Featuring VCL Artist:  Pennan Brae - Performing a VCL Showcase at
the Rowing Club Friday, May 21/2010

1. WHAT DO YOU CALL THE STYLE OF MUSIC YOU PLAY?

I play laid-back, chilled pop-rock.


2. WHERE IS YOUR HOMETOWN?
Vancouver, BC.


3. (FOR GUITARIST ONLY:) WHAT KIND OF GUITAR DO YOU PLAY?
Electric: Music Man Silhouette. Acoustic: Taylor T5


4. (FOR SINGERS ONLY:) WHAT CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT AS A SINGER?
A reliable microphone & sound system.


5. WHERE CAN YOUR FANS FIND YOU ONLINE?
I’m at a couple of places:
http://www.pennanbrae.com/
www.myspace.com/pennanbrae.com
www.facebook.com/pennanbrae
www.twitter.com/Pennan_Brae


6. WHERE ARE YOU PLAYING IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS?
In Vancouver at the Café Soleil & Raw Canvas for example.


7. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO LATELY?
The Rolling Stones, Beatles, Chuck Berry & Muddy Waters.


8. IF YOUR KID TOLD YOU THEY WANT TO BE IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM?
Have fun. Focus on songwriting & performance & love what you do.


9. IS THIS YOUR FIRST ALBUM?
I’ve released 2 albums in 2009; ‘Shaded Joy’ & ‘Amber Glow’.


10. WHEN DO YOU GO BACK IN THE STUDIO?
I’d like to be back in during the Fall of 2010 to record my next work, ‘Desert Drift’.


11. WHAT SONG OF YOURS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? WHY?
I’m really proud of ‘Anyways’, my lead single from ‘Shaded Joy’. I like the intimacy of how it comes across on record.


12. WHAT HAS BEEN A HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
Receiving airplay in Canada, the US & Australia. Doing my first video, ‘Goin’ Down’ also felt great.


13. IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE OUT ON THE ROAD AND NOT EAT ANY JUNK FOOD?
Sure it is; you can eat junk food anywhere; you just have to make a choice whether you go for it or not.


14. WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN'T A MUSICIAN?
I have no idea; I can’t imagine.


15. DO YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU'RE KNOWN FOR? CARE TO SHARE?
I’m not known to be the best cook in the world, though I do make a mean grilled cheese sandwich.


16. WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCE?
The blues & Chuck Berry. I also admire the Beatles’ songwriting & the energy in the Stones’ music.


17. WHY WAS YOUR WORST GIG YOUR WORST GIG EVER?
One time I was doing a jam in a restaurant & the lead singer/guitarist was drunk. He kept speeding up & slowing down & changing chords unpredictably. This made it impossible for the drummer to keep time & for me to follow his changes. I felt bad for the people eating there & was glad to jump down from there after just 1 song.


18. IF YOU COULD HAVE AN ASSISTANT DO ANY PART OF YOUR MUSIC BUSINESS FOR YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE THEM DO?
Further help with promotion & networking.


19. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THIS BUSINESS?
Playing for people.


20. WHAT DON'T YOUR FANS KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Well, not too much to say, I suppose. Just that I hope I can write a song that you might enjoy one day.



submitted by Lucie Walker

VCL Interview with Super Robertson

Find out more about Super here:
http://www.myspace.com/superrobertsonsuppershow
http://srsuppershow.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52449013972


submitted by Lucie Walker

VCL Interview with Sara Ciantar and Karly Warkentin

See More:  http://www.myspace.com/saraciantarmusic

submitted by Lucie Walker

VCL 'Drive-By' Interview with Cory Hawthorne

Cory Hawthorne (with Adam Gejdos on guitar and harmony vocals) played a great set at The Vancouver City Limits Showcase April 30 at the Rowing Club!

From Cory's Bio: 

Cory Hawthorne is a BC-based guitarist, singer and songwriter. Born in Winnipeg, he moved to BC at a young age and spent his formative years honing his guitar skills in the heart of heavy metal in the suburbs of Burnaby and Coquitlam.

A long time fixture of the Vancouver music scene, Cory’s motto has always been “any style, anywhere.”

However, his first love has always been the songs of Hank Williams Sr., Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, The Beatles and AC/DC: “The song is what matters. If you can’t sit down with a guitar and sing the song for someone, if the melody and chorus aren’t strong enough, then to me it’s just not ready. If you have a good, honest song to begin with and you add some killer musicians into the mix, well then, you have something special.”

Not that he’s all about the writing and recording process, as he’s also a dynamic veteran performer who loves the stage and whose main goal is to leave audiences entertained and uplifted. Inspired by the guitar slinging of James Burton, Albert Lee and Brad Paisley, Cory is an accomplished, some would say extroverted, guitarist who loves to entertain with the six-string. Equally at home chickin’ pickin’ and shredding, he isn’t afraid of fusing Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen rock chaos into his twangy, Jerry Reed-inspired licks.

With the upcoming release of his debut solo album, he has blended the best of his country and rock influences into a combination that is equal parts country with big, twangy guitars, rocking drums and honest, heartfelt lyrics. Cory will be spending the rest of his life playing “anytime, anywhere” spreading the good vibes of music to anyone who will listen.

****
I snagged Cory aside and got a lil' driveby interview:
 

Find out more about Cory Hawthorne here: http://www.myspace.com/coryhawthorne here: ReverbNation  and here:  Facebook 



submitted by Lucie Walker

VCL Fly On the Wall Photos

Violinist Blaine Dunaway with Bruce Gerrish (The Railway Club 04/28/10)

Singer/Songwriter Lindsay May and VCL's Colin Speir (The Railway Club 04/28/10)

Vancouver Rowing Club Bartender, JJ (04/30/10)

Bruce with Singer/Songwriter Sara Ciantar after her VCL Showcase at the Rowing Club (04/30/10)

Bruce with Karly Warkentin (Sara Ciantar's back up singer) (04/30/10)

Drummer Shawn Killaly

Sara & Karly

VCL Interview Podcast with Nat Jay

I just loved getting to know Nat Jay; I found her so interesting!  We sat down together after her VCL showcase at the Railway Club (04/28/10), and for such a noisy club on such a busy night, we managed to get decent audio. 

On a night where the other acts all had support players, Nat Jay walked up on stage...a girl and her guitar...and had 'em.  

It's not the first time Nat has commanded attention.  I asked her about her song, Love When I Can from her debut EP, Lights Across the Sky.  Listen as she talks about her experience with something that most of us only dream about:

And now watch the result:

As great as this was/is for Nat, it's only a drop in the bucket.  If you want to see a hard-working musician/songwriter with her act together, you just need to take a look at her myspace blog.  It is so inspiring to see someone doing what it takes. 

She was a classically trained flautist who didn't listen to Pop music until she was 15, when she met a group of friends who introduced her to the genre. 

"Both my parents were classical musicians, and I grew up in a classical household. My parents were music teachers who taught a lot of musical theatre, so I grew up listening to a lot of that and I didn't even realize how much of it I knew until I was in London and went to 'Les Mis' and apparently I knew all the lyrics!"

While she's in the planning stages of her next recording and appearances, she did say that she'll be at the Serenity Music Festival at the Amazing Women's Concert August 21 at Birch Island, BC. 

I can't wait that long!  I've been listening to Love When I Can all afternoon! 

Nat Jay's music is available at CDBABY and on itunes and you can find her on youtube, twitter, and facebook

submitted by Lucie Walker

Pernell Reichert's Upcoming Shows

I met Pernell Reichert at a Vancouver City Limits Showcase on April 30/10.  I found out he was booked in an upcoming VCL showcase, so I snagged him for a quick interview.  Find out when and where you can catch Pernell LIVE!


Keep up with Pernell's gig listings and hear his songs here:
http://www.myspace.com/pernellreichertband
http://www.pernell.ca/
http://www.youtube.com/user/PernellReichert
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pernell-Reichert-Band/84499189276

submitted by Lucie Walker

VCL Interview with Cassandra Bangel

(04/28/10)

This was Cassandra Bangel’s second Vancouver City Limits Showcase, and she was very well received. She was scheduled along with Nat Jay, Chantel Upshaw, and touring musician Andy Cotter, and the place was packed!

The "unofficial launch" of her self-titled debut 5-song EP, excitement was in the air. Her session players came out and backed up her solid performance. At 18, she handles the stage like a seasoned pro, switching from guitar to piano seamlessly. Her songs reflect a sophistication well beyond her years, and she’s vaguely reminiscent of a young Kate Bush.

Her album was produced by none other than Vancouver City Limits' own Bruce Gerrish, with additional tracks and mixing by Michael Nowak of Saga Recording.  My early favourites are infidel and Alone.

A recording studio rookie, Cassandra found the studio experience phenomenal, though not without its moments. She speaks of sweat, tears and metaphoric blood.

"The whole thing had a dream-like quality to it," she says, as it was intense and very fleeting. Indeed...it was recorded in a whirlwind 3 days, with bed tracks done at Vogville Studios in Port Coquitlam, then back to her home studio to lay down guitar and piano, then back to Vogville for vocals.

No stranger to the coffeehouse circuit, you can usually find Cassandra performing as a sort of one woman band, with her 6-string, her 12-string, her keyboard, and her loop peddle for beats, generating a rhythmic, acoustic sound. Oh, and singing! This girl can sing! She’s very emotive and refreshing in her approach to song.

On top of all that talent, she’s lively and engaging to chat with. To see first hand what I’m talking about, you can catch her Vancouver performance at John Pippus’ showcase at Trees Organic Coffeehouse, Friday, May 14 (450 Granville St between Pender and Hastings.)

Cassandra Bangel’s upcoming gigs are listed on her website at cassandrabangel.ca and you can hear some of her music here: myspace.com/cassandrabangel and her new EP is for sale on cdbaby and at all her live shows.

submitted by Lucie Walker