Keep Rock in Free Word
Introduction: The Rossdale Strummer's Tonic Chord
Before attending Law School at the University of Calgary and long after the completion of highly worthwhile Music Program at MacEwan University, S.V. enrolled at the University of Alberta in order to study Political Science. While at the University of Alberta, S.V. also developed a keen interest in History and a deep-seated appreciation of the value of advanced research techniques and methodologies marshaled by leading scholars in the discipline. The following vignettes, undertaken with the carving called "The Rossdale Strummer", reveal that S.V. also supported university studies by playing various "gigs" with a "cover band", a part-time vocation which remarkably recalled previous experiences as a member of a highly successful group with a "top-ten" Canadian hit. The extremely unique (and frequently hilarious) experiences documented in the eight selections found below also provide original perspectives into one slice of the History of the "music scene" and popular pasttimes in Alberta during the Summer, 2015.
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For further information about the Music program at MacEwan University, please see MacEwan Music
Bass Tones In the Can
12:10PM 1 May 14, 2015 20°C
Rossdale Strummer takes a rest on the headstock of a Fender Precision bass guitar after a another morning of recording a really cool heavy metal album. The studio has been a hub of laughter, coffee-drinking, and really growly sounding bass tones as 6 of the 9 songs scheduled to be recorded are “in the can.” The client is a Toronto-based act fronted by a woman with a very powerful voice, with most of the lyrics focused on political and social issues ranging from sexism to homelessness. A very interesting project to be a part of, and it was a great gig to kick off the busy summer schedule. It is clear that R.S. is very happy to get out of his home in the bass case for a while to stretch his "legs".
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Staggette On the Rocks
9:00PM May 29, 2015 18°C
Rossdale Strummer relaxes on stage an hour before the first of three sets, with the last song ending just before 2AM. The night promises to be a long one, full of the standard debauchery one can expect in a club on Edmonton's Jasper Avenue. One of the several stagette parties have already arrived, and even R.S. would bet all of his beer money that at least one of the young ladies in this group will be in tears before last call, and at least two of them will jump on stage at some point only to be hauled off by the rather aggressive security staff. Still, the crowd at this venue is always appreciative and gigs are always rewarding to play. This is the first time in over a year that this late gig didn't follow a long day of school and/or work, making the odds of falling asleep while playing much lower than usual. While that has actually happened for a second or so to some people who may or may not have been balancing the twin lives of being a student and a professional musician, the ability to recover almost seamlessly is amongst the most respected of talents within the community of musicians. Yet R.S. has no problem keeping his “eyes” open into the wee hours, though I’m sure he may just be trying to hold on to the amplifier without getting rumbled off by the low bass notes.
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Makeshift Electronic Chart
7:20PM July 16, 2015 28°C
What does one do when their best friend, someone whom has played in the same hard-rock band for 10 years and toured all over North America with, decides to launch his own solo country music project? Well, you throw on a greasy-looking plaid shirt and a trucker hat and do everything you can to help him make the project a success. Here is Rossdale Strummer looking over the makeshift chart for one of the tunes while the band is taking a well-deserved slurpee break on a hot July evening. The rehearsal studio is a great little hidden gem of a facility in a mini-mall in one of the oldest parts of St. Albert, and it can sure get stuffy after a few songs are played. The guys are really wanting to do a convincing impression of a top country band, especially given that the first show for the new project is at Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta, which happens to be one of the biggest country music festivals in all of Canada. The artist that played last year at the same time slot that we are booked to perform had an audience of well over six thousand, so the pressure is indeed on. Luckily, everyone in the room is a pretty skilled and experienced musician so the songs have been sounding great so far. Although R.S. may not agree, since he seems to be getting a little bored. Maybe he is upset that nobody thought to bring him a slurpee…
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Spruce Groovy Soggy Notes
2:15PM June 29, 2015 12°C
Rossdale Strummer looks out to the lake on the 14th hole, wondering if the geese swimming in the water are enjoying the music or not. It is a fair question, since there certainly aren’t any humans in sight at this gig. I am playing at a very fancy private golf course, providing entertainment during a corporate golf tournament. The band is being treated and paid very well, though the constant shower of cold rain is making the day a bit of a challenge. The sound tech had done a reasonably good job in crafting a fortified stage covering using tarpaulins to augment the fairly sketchy tent that the golf course provided, but water was managing to pool in pockets. At one point, what appeared to be at least four litres worth of water poured through the tent, just missing the singer’s head. As funny as that would have been, I’m sure his guitar would not have escaped unscathed. While there is no kind of audience in front of the stage, the golf carts that sporadically whip by always cheer for us, saying that they are loving the music and can hear it from throughout the whole course. The company owner even came by to give us a juicy tip, passing on compliments from himself and other folks. Despite the rain, the gig is going pretty well at the point this picture was taken, though I feel bad for not having put R.S. back in his warm sock right after I snapped the shot.
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Unity Opportunity
9:30PM May 9, 2015 21°C
This stands as one of the more unpredictable gigs of the summer. After driving the five hours or so to Unity, my brother and I drove around the tiny Saskatchewan town trying to find the location of the wedding we were to play that evening. The directions given by the couple were completely bonkers, but we eventually found a large tent set up in a field across the street from the one hotel with more than two floors in the town. There was nobody around, but the other two band members showed up to the same place so we started to load our gear onto the stage. It only took a few minutes to realize that the tent had been set up on top of a few large wasp nests, and the drummer and myself each got a nasty sting or two, with the former making a far bigger deal about it than myself, who took the sting like a total pro. Having been worried that the presence of so many wasps would ruin the wedding, that concern soon gave way in favour of the severe thunderstorm that swiftly rolled in at around 7:00PM, blackening the formerly pristine blue skies with one of the most ominous low-hanging cloud masses I have ever seen. The high winds took care of the wasp problem, but everybody was getting fairly disconcerted about the incoming weather. We began to play our first set at 8:00 since there wasn’t much else we could do, but I could see the first signs of rain after a few songs. Fortunately, the storm missed us by what appeared to be less than a kilometre, perhaps even less. There was a funnel cloud spotted not too far away from Unity, with even the other side of town getting a decent amount of rain. In the end, the very hot day had been cooled to nearly room temperature, and we were able to play the rest of the gig with no problems at all. This picture captures the somewhat surreal quality of this gig, with families celebrating under the shadow of an ominous and possibly dangerous storm as it gently passes by.
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Songwriter's Circular, Stage B
3:00PM July 31, 2015 25°C
Rossdale Strummer strikes his vintage pose atop the road case on the deck of Stage B at Big Valley Jamboree. The crew consists mainly of friends I’ve known for years from various musical endeavours, and is hard at work readying the equipment and organizing sound checks for the 4 different acts scheduled to play that evening. I had just come from the Songwriter’s Tent where I had pretended to be a competent acoustic guitar player while singing backup for Dan as he played three of his new songs. None of the actual guitar players in the band were available this early in the day, so Dan was truly stuck with me. I wouldn’t have minded at all, except that the two gentlemen to my right on stage during this Songwriter’s Circle event happened to be Russell deCarle of Prairie Oyster (Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame Member) and his superbly talented guitarist Steve Briggs. Feeling like a total imposter, I managed to play solid rhythm guitar and sing backups without incident, which felt like an enormous victory. Anyway, this picture of R.S. is just after the band members set their gear on stage, with us having a full nine-plus hours before our actual show begins. You can bet I’m going to find somewhere to take a lovely nap between now and then, hopefully without having nightmares of having to pull off playing saxophone while sitting next to Brantford Marsalis…
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Exit Stage, Right?
2:00AM 1 August, 2015 13°C
The crowd of mostly drunken country fans has largely dispersed, and I snapped this quick shot of a tired-looking Rossdale Strummer taking a perch on the big Ampeg bass rig. It might be the warmth that is attracting him, since the temperature has dropped significantly over the last couple hours. August nights in Alberta tend to do a great job in reminding us of our nearest latitudinal parallel. The night had been an exciting one, and Dan couldn’t have been more eager to play his new songs in front of the 8,000 or so humans assembled in the beer gardens. The place was crammed by midnight, and the band was very excited to share the show that we had been working on over the last month or so. Yet halfway through the set of the band playing before us, the rain started, bringing with it some impressive lightning. The Big Valley Crew had little choice but to stop the show, especially given the incident of the stage collapsing a few years before. Dan was very disappointed, and understandably so, since he had been working on this project for the better part of a year. Luckily, the rain and lightning blew by quickly and Paul the stage manager gave us the go-ahead to perform at 1:00AM. We are all very happy to have been able to actually play, but it was hard to be quite as excited to play in front of the 500 or so committed music fans/partiers after seeing such a huge crowd only an hour before. The set itself went incredibly well, and it was exciting to play some new songs with some good friends, but I can’t help feel bad for Dan. He pulled off the show like a pro and thanked everyone involved with the event without showing a hint of disappointment, but I know him well enough to tell that he is feeling a bit defeated. Next year, Danny boy. Next year..
Coda Pysanka
12:36AM May 23, 2015 19°C
The last weekend of summer is here and the festival season is coming to a close. Tonight I am playing in a cover band with my close friends at Vegreville’s “vEgg-Fest,” celebrating forty years of the giant Pysanka gloriously demonstrating Ukrainian pride to tourists and townsfolk alike. Rossdale Strummer managed to find his way out of his comfy sock in my bass case and onto my amplifier in time to get his picture taken yet again, even though we there is only a ten-minute window between the end of Kim Mitchell’s sound check and us starting to play. The stagehand looked at me a little funny just now as I took this picture, but I can’t honestly blame him. I imagine I’ve been given a whole bunch of odd looks throughout this summer as I’ve been carting R.S. around taking pictures of him. Either way, I’m pretty excited to watch Kim Mitchell play when we are finished. Even though he is a bit before my time, the band has to be one of the most talented groups of musicians I’ve ever seen at a rock show. I’m realizing that I’m actually going to be finished playing by 7:00, and there is a catered meal and a tub of beers backstage. This may actually be a beautiful way to say goodbye to what has been a rather enjoyable summer, raising a cold beer and a pulled pork sandwich to another festival season in the books. I may just be able to remember this feeling as I’m once again buried in midterms come October, though only time will tell.
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Eight Strong Winds: About the Rossdale Strummer Carving
Consistent with many of the early pieces conceived by the School of One Carver, the Rossdale Strummer is guided a comparative reading of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican and Andean interpretations regarding the comparative “spiraling” of light, sound and water as well as complimentary Eurasian insights regarding “cosmic bundling” (as represented by the string-like fissures defining one of the flanks of the carving). When gently nudged in either direction, Rossdale Strummer will neatly rotate and too much force will produce an unhappy result. The major spiral found on the other flank draws inspiration from the way fish swimming upstream will use eddies to facilitate locomotion and the sound of moving river and stream water was recalled frequently during the carving and polishing of the piece. Meanwhile, the rock for Rossdale Strummer was quarried from in and around the environs of Kinbasket Lake, B.C. in August 2014, just when the Salmon complete their life cycle journey towards the origins of the Fraser River. The carving is dedicated to the inspirational past, present and future academic achievements of graduates of MacEwan University’s Music programs and the impressive musicians who study History and Political Science at the University of Alberta. Rossdale Strummer was presented to S.V. , a highly talented musician and equally gifted student of History and Politics, in anticipation of S.V.’s entry into one of Alberta’s Law Schools.
