Waverley Hotel and Pub, Vancouver Island

2011 has had a lot of surprises in store for the band with no town to call their home. After attending the Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis Tennessee this February (where their unique style of cross genre contemporary folk peaked interest from festivals and venues across the US and Canada) the band surprisingly had to cancel their spring recording session and tour at the very last minute. But with new music bursting from the seams, it took very little time to reschedule a more creative session for June 2011. The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra spent the month of June in a tiny cabin on a farm, with no electricity....on a secluded island...together...always together....(...!) creating, merging, and once again melding with expertise, their version of gypsy-roots-grass.

For those of us waiting with baited breathe to hear TMO's newest recordings, there is a 5 song EP in the works with a widening sound that binds the country-roots feel and harmonic storytelling of “The Blanche Album”, with the Roma and African inspiration that the band is known for from “The Double EP”, and as always, is firmly grounded in traditional and roots music.

The EP will be released for promotional use only, featuring this years festival hits “The Otter Song” (“Shine”) and “Mountains On Fire”, as well as a new recording of “Home On The Water”, which has been quoted by one young fan as being “the song of our generation”. With an absolute truth to their music that is immediately recognized by audiences, The EP sees TMO experimenting with purposefully plodding and visceral rhythms, described as “like a heard of elephants being held back tight with reigns”, interwoven with elemental break downs, jazz flourishes, and often unadorned, but striking vocals . The ballads have a nostalgic, romantic appeal and a developing mastership of group vocals and 3 part harmonies. It is as the band says, just a blueprint of the next album, to be recorded in January, 2012.

The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra's previous release "The Blanche Album" (2009) was quoted as “that most rare of records: a studio CD that manages to capture the fun of their high-energy onstage performances. They refer to their music as gypsy-ska-folk-grass, and unlike most other bands with eclectic roots like this, they actually pull off the different influences." Devon Leger, Victory Music Review (Seattle). The album pays homage to their beloved piano-carrying touring bus, complete with pot belly stove, hard woods floors, ( and a front seat tied in with rope) that died on the banks of Logan Lake, BC. Although nothing could take her place, upon realizing the free time that comes with being able to be on time for a gig if travelling faster than 35km an hour, TMO has found a new love for their speedy 15 passenger 'lead top hat'

Started as a jam band in a Victoria BC's open mic, The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra have consistently followed the demands of their fans, taking them from a 4 month tour in Europe in 2008, and national tours in 2009 and 2010 that garnered much recognition, wining 2010 Monday Magazine “M” award for Most Promising Local Band, and performing showcases at NXNE, Folk Alliance, and this year at OCFF. These travels have also developed the bands collection of 13 typewriters, 3 pairs of riding boots (found in abandoned houses in the prairies), two shaving kits complete with shoe polishers, a fountain pen, numerous pocket watches, 25 golden deblumes, and 13 hay pennies....

TMO has been honoured to share the stage with the likes of Oka, Delhi to Dublin, Hanson, Jon And Roy, Railroad Earth, Maria In The Shower, United Steel Workers of Montreal, Carolyn Mark, Geoff Berner, David Francey, CR Avery, Fish and Bird, and Miss Emily Brown. In addition to touring summer festivals and the North American music circuit, TMO also regularly donates their time and music to community events, fundraisers and awareness campaigns as well as consistently bringing fresh new bands in from the Pacific Northwest and across Canada to Vancouver and Victoria BC.

http://thetequilamockingbirdorchestra.com/>>

Bananafish is a 8-piece powerhouse groove sensation!! With a 3-piece horn section and a 5-piece rhythm section, the music starts playing and the dancing never stops. From Latin to Funk, Jazz Fusion to Reggae & Ska, this band has been proven to keep you movin’. It’s members are all Vancouver island residents and have either attended or graduated from the VIU Jazz Degree program.

Bananafish Dance Orchestra played throughout B.C, including Vancouver and Victoria with appearances including Courtenay’s Canada Day Parade, Vancouver Island MusicFest, last years Movember Wrap-Up party at the Native Sons Hall and The Bridge Lounge last New Years Eve. We are stoked to bring their dancy grooves back to the Waverley!

Performing at 9 pm is violin sensation Blaine Dunaway. The new chef at the Wave is preparing some special adds to the menu to help create the lounge atmosphere before the dancing begins. Blaine's musical stylings take him from his originals, the classics to jazz and back.

There will be toasts and treats, visuals and beats. Hours of music and celebration Waverley style. Limited tickets so don't miss out.

http://www.myspace.com/bananafishdanceorchestra>>

Swelling in primordial pulses and wholloping whoops, the tacit tones of Shane Philip’s didgeridoo hold the power to still listeners into silence or encourage audiences to rise up in a tribal swell of intoxicating spirit. Meanwhile his hands will be skillfully juggling between shaking up rhythms with his aslatua, driving the dance floor with his djembe and sliding out grooves on his Weissenborn-style guitar while his foot taps in earthshaking electronic kicks wherever they might fit.

Shane Philip is a full-time touring musician with four albums under his belt. He charts on national independent and campus radio stations and is a regular on CBC radio shows across Canada.

From early childhood moments of drumming kitchen tables and car dashboards, to the present, Shane’s musical stylings have been self-taught and self-motivated every step of the way.

Borrowing from folk, reggae, blues and beyond, he blurs the boundaries of expectation and music into an altogether unique soundscape. “We are influenced by everything we listen to, see and do,” Shane reminds. “So much of what shapes the music, vibe, content, and overall feeling of the songs is unconscious. I write music that results from everything that goes on in the life I live.”

2011 brings Shane Philip’s latest release Life.Love.Music. Once again, collaborating with Joby Baker, who not only produced the CD but also plays bass and drums on it. Life.Love.Music. continues where Live at Baker Studios left off. It’s more polished as he took more time to record it (a whole eight days instead of two!).

http://www.shanephilip.com/>>

Every Sunday the Waverley Hotel begins pairing brunch with bluegrass. New menu offerings include Eggs Benny, Omelettes, French Toast and much more. Meals start early at 10:30am

Archie Pateman of The Breakmen is a outstanding multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter living on Vancouver Island who is known for his sweet singing voice, rhythmic banjo style, versatile guitar playing, and vivid songwriting. His banjo style mixes Scruggs-style, single string, melodic and open chord roll styles with emphasis on melody and groove. Archie has recorded with and backed up many west coast-based acts in the past decade and has played stages across Canada, the US and Europe.

www.waverleyhotel.ca>>

Call up your friends and head down for songs inspired by hope, compassion, kindness and the all best parts of the season! This Friday friends, neighbours and music lovers are all invited to come and be part of a very special evening of “Give a Little Bit” – this Friday December 9th at 7:00 pm at the Waverley Hotel in Cumberland. This annual gathering of musical friends from across the Comox Valley is all about raising much needed funds for local emergency shelters – specifically Lilli House and the Salvation Army.

“The holiday season can be filled with love, food and friendship but for many it is a difficult time of the year where challenges with employment, addiction, shelter and food security and mental health issues can lead to significant pressures on families and on emergency shelters.” say organizer Bobby Herron.

Featured guests:

Mary Murphy & Paul Keim, Brodie Dawson, Sue Piper, Luke Blu Guthrie, Judy & Bruce Wing, Shawn Pigott, Pamela Tessman, Bobby Heron, Archie Pateman, Des Larson, Corwin Fox, Helen Austin and members of Dukes of Dodge.

Everybody plays non-stop till eleven for free and all they ask is for audience members to bring down whatever offerings they are able – food or toiletries donations, rolls of coins, cash or cheques. Cheques can be made directly to the Salvation Army or Comox Valley Transition Society and organizers will ensure they are delivered with requests for tax receipts.

http://cvts.ca/entries/lilly-house>>

In just a few short years, The Funk Hunters have built an international following, releasing music on labels around the globe and showcasing their signature high-energy DJ sets at some of the world's most popular music festivals and clubs. Dunks & The Outlier first teamed up because of a mutual love for "hunting" good music, and today, this passion still rings true as they continue to champion the simple but often lost idea that the music itself comes first, regardless of attachments to genre. Their name is now in high demand, receiving bookings, accolades, and remix requests from all corners of the electronic music scene.

Armed with 4-turntables and the unique ability to create live mashups and remixes, their DJ sets standout. Seamlessly blending original productions with everything from HipHop to Funk, Disco to House, Dubstep to DnB, and everything in between, they create original sets never replicated. It's not uncommon to find this duo headlining an all bass music festival one night and then performing a funk and boogie set the next. They've toured across Canada multiple times, played to crowds of thousands at renowned festivals such as the Shambhala Music Festival and the Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival, and have been invited to share the stage with musical pioneers like Z-Trip, RJD2, and Cut Chemist. In 2010, they completed their first month-long international tour, playing shows across the country of Brazil.

On the production front, their original music and remixes have been played around the world in clubs and on radio-stations alike. Signed to True Movement, Ghetto Funk, Fort Knox Recordings, Manmade Records, Homebreakin Records, and Swing Set Sounds, their releases prove again that their musical taste and influence spans all genres. They also co-own True Movement, a heavy hitting west-coast music label representing a diverse catalog of glitch hop, dubstep, and future bass producers, while still maintaining close partnerships with labels like Homebreakin (CA) and Goodgroove (UK) to produce their own acclaimed events that bring international talent to Canada.

With special guest JPrime.

JPrime is a breaks/hiphop/scratch DJ from Vancouver Island, and has been on the turntables for 12 years now. He began with a love for old skool hip hop, funk, and turntablism inspired by such DJ’s as Q-Bert, Babu, Cut Chemist, and DJ Shadow. My sound reflects that today as I lace breakbeats with dashes of scratch flavour and hip hop.

http://thefunkhunters.com/>>

Movember - a global movement

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in Canada and around the world. With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer.

Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne Australia, Movember has grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 1.1 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate, with formal campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Ireland. In addition, Movember is aware of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas supporting the campaign and men’s health cause across the globe, from Russia to Dubai, Hong Kong to Antarctica, Rio de Janeiro to Mumbai, and everywhere in between.

No matter the country or city, Movember will continue to work to change established habits and attitudes men have about their health, to educate men about the health risks they face, getting them to act on that knowledge thereby increasing the chances of early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.

In 2010, nearly 119,000 Canadian Mo Bros and Mo Sistas got on board, raising $22.3 million CAD.

Movember featuring Tin Town...

Tin Town brings together an eclectic group of musicians and talents tin_town_rocks

to create an unmistakeable sound and a plurality of styles and grooves.

Under the canopy of the Beaufort Mountain Range, Tin Town is based in Tin Town,

Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada

Schizophonic is an upbeat dance band that promises a motherf*nking good time with nonstop grooves. Their beats range from pure funk as it was laid down by the masters Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and Parliment Funkadelic to straight up danceable ska. Influenced by bands such as Chicago as well, Schizophonic incorporates the rock sound into the mix to produce a unique experience. With an ultra-tight rhythm section and powerhouse horns, they are pumped to deliver a memorable and danceable night.

Schizophonic came together in September of 2010 and is based out of Nanaimo, BC. The band is made up of musicians from across the country that have made their way to the west coast to study and play music. Originally playing more experimental compositions and covers bordering on jazz/funk fusion, Schizophonic gradually refined their repertoire over the past year down to a more basic, funk rock sound. After playing only a few shows, Schizophonic established themselves as one of Nanaimo’s premiere up and coming bands.

http://www.schizophonic.ca

http://ca.movember.com/?home>>

E.S.L. performs uniquely orchestrated songs inspired by everything from polish cabaret to Neil Young to the Beastie Boys and Velvet underground, to name a few. Their chemistry translates into magical live performances that range from roaring prohabition era dance numbers to heartbreaking ballads. The Vancouver-based group was formed in 2005 when Marta Jaciubek-McKeever (Polish-born pianist and singer of Girl Nobody fame) and Cris Derksen found musical kinship in each other. Joy Mullen joined on drums (The People Verses) soon after. Tess Kitchen recently joined the group and plays trumpet.

From the start, Cree/Métis artist Christa Couture established herself as a songwriter with sharp-shooting wit, effortless grace and heart-on-sleeve intensity. Her “gorgeously intimate voice [is] somewhere between the tough vulnerability of Amy Rigby and the passionate, sophisticated folk of Joni Mitchell” (Pop Matters) and her work explores intimate spaces with a frank confidence that avoids cliché and melodrama. Her sophomore album The Wedding Singer and The Undertaker hit the Top 10 on CBC Radio 3 and won “Best Folk Acoustic Album” from the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (2008). Couture is constantly writing and creating and often on tour across Canada.

A rising star on the Canadian classical/jazz/folk/pop/ electronica/what have you scenes, cellist Cris Derksen is known for captivating solo performances building layers of sound into often surprisingly slamming dance music. On her debut solo effort, the 13 tracks range from classically oriented, multi-tracked soundscapes ("We Danced Movement I & II") to upbeat party bumps inspired by her half-Cree ancestry ("Pow wow wow") and hybridized pieces that sound readymade for climatic moments in art or cinema.As a side player Cris has performed with hip hop star Kanye West, Veda Hille, Tanya Tagaq, Kinnie Starr, Lightening Dust (Black Mountain), Rae Spoon, Leela Gilday and Ivan e Coyote.

e.s.l. is a fusion of players who could each claim top billing anywhere else. But there’s no room for egos here. Instead, we get an incomparable band that includes Polish-born pianist and singer Marta Jacubek-McKeever (Girl Nobody); noted Cree cellist Cris Derksen; fiddler Diona Davies (Po’Girl, Carolyn Mark, Be Good Tanyas) and drummer Joy Mullen (The People Verses, The Doers, Greg MacPherson). Separately, their credentials are impressive, together, they’re divine.

‘eye contact’ is the stirring debut CD from Vancouver’s e.s.l. – one of those magic projects conceived in the musical chemistry among firstclass artists. A wealth of chops and inspiration come together here, bringing ideas from all over and bending them into an album that ranges across the emotional map. From lavish to swinging, the songs are a gypsy blend that is at times playful and at others heartrending.

www.eslband.com>>

Zandhunga A multi-national phenomenon, Zandhunga is the seed that sprouted West Coast Canada's premiere Latin Dance ensemble, Luzna Orchestra. Specializing in flavour-intensive, dance-demanding Salsa, Cumbia, and other Latino styles, Zandhunga is a versatile and far-reaching collective uniting musicians and dancers hailing from Vancouver Island, Canada, Mexico City and Xalapa, Mexico. With searing-hot sax solos, fleshed out by heart-felt and richly exotic vocals over a bed of Afro-Latin rhythms, montunos and tumbaos, Zandhunga delivers fiesta. Cuban bata drums, congas, cowbells, fretless bass and piano are employed in this authentically Latin rhythm section whose purpose is purely to propel bodies to move on the dance floor. Past performances include headlining Mexico's Jazz festival in Mazunte, and the CV Latin-Caribbean Festival as well as numerous sold-out nights in Joe's Garage, Canada. In addition to presenting original material, Zandhunga's performances tribute great legends of Latin music such as, Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars, Ismael Rivera, Willie Colon and many others.

http://www.myspace.com/zandhunga>>

The art of telling stories, of expressing emotion, of speaking with rhythm and register, has been a need of humanity since the very beginning. Without storytelling we have silence. Head of the Herd is opposite that silence – the music and sound of our lives.

NEU-A multi-instrumentalist with a chilling voice, Neu’s sound paradoxically warms the soul and pulls you into the story. He is energetic and passionate, and through Head of the Herd’s distinct lyrics, you can feel his emotion in every song. Neu takes the structure of traditional blues and adds a modern flavour; Rock sensibility, haunting vocals and, now and again, a throat splitting scream.

CLAY-First and foremost a ‘wordsman’, Clay couples lyricism with an innate ability to write boot stomping, bar shaking guitar riffs that make him a dynamic and accomplished songwriter. If Head of the Herd is a musical storm then Clay is the silent lightning bolt to Neu’s screaming thunder. You will hear his smooth yet gravel coated throat singing balancing out Neu’s possessed wail.

http://www.headoftheherdmusic.com>>