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 Congratulations to our rising star Aiden Cumming-Teicher on his 2017 Young Artist Award nomination in the category of "Best Performance in a Short Film - Young Actor" for his role in '"Always There" and 2017 Young Entertainer Award in the category of "Best Young Actor 11 and Under - Short Film" for that same role!
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 Congratulations to our rising star David Raynolds on his 2017 Young Artist Award nomination in the category of "Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Young Actor" for United Way and 2017 Young Entertainer Award nomination in the categories of "Best Young Actor 11 and Under - Short Film" for his role in "Always There" and "Best Young Actor Voice Over Role 11 and Under" for
"NinJago: Masters of Spinjitzu!" This monster doesn't scare our rising star, actress Kaitlin Cheung in a scene from Disney's Mech-X4!  Congratulations to our rising star actor Dylan Kingwell on winning the 2016 Joey Award for his guest role as ‘Young Sam’ on “Supernatural.” So proud of you Dylan!  Congratulations to our rising star actor David Raynolds on winning the 2016 Joey Award for his voice role as the Purple Ninja on Lego Ninjago and as part of the ensemble cast for the film “The Candy Girl.” So proud of you David!  Congratulations to our the ensemble cast of the film “The Candy Girl,” including our rising stars Maia Costea, Carla Costea & David Raynolds on their 2016 Joey Awards win. So proud of you guys!  Congratulations to our rising stars actor Peter Bundic & actress Janette Bundic on their 2016 Joey Award win for their roles in the video “Snowflakes.” So proud of you both!   Submit entries to: everiathing@gmail.com
Vancouver's Ranjit Singh (a.k.a. Ranj) makes music with a distinct Indian-Western flair that draws on the singer-songwriter and self-taught guitarist's love for rock music and heartfelt lyrics. He refers to his unique blend of music as “Indo-Canadian Folk." His new single "I'm Still Me" is helping to raise awareness about Acquired Brain Injury and has given a voice to those who struggle with ABI and other related diagnoses. After the song's first debut, Ranj was inundated with feedback and gratitude from people affected by brain injury saying “That is exactly how I feel, thank you.” Ranj began working with Semiahmoo House Society ABIS (Acquired Brain Injury Services) in November of 2015. Often told that his music is "soothing and relaxing," Ranj asked ABIS manager Sylvia Hoeree about the possibility of playing music for the people they serve. She was so enthusiastic that he was soon scheduled to perform for several groups of people, many of whom also became his friends. Shortly after Ranj started, he came up with an idea to write a song together and people were eager to share their amazing and courageous stories about what life was like before, and the changes they have faced following their injury. Ranj notes that "sometimes people see the elderly or someone in a wheelchair or a walker and automatically assume they will be difficult to communicate with," which is often not the case. The common theme and powerful message that everyone shared was “I’m still me”. While writing the song, two of Ranj's friends at ABIS passed away unexpectedly. Deeply affected by their passing and desperately trying to deal with the loss that everyone was feeling, Ranj scrapped the original song and started all over. The night before his first debut in June of 2016 at a Fraser Health award ceremony, Ranj finished writing the final version of the song "I’m Still Me.” Following the event, Ranj and ABIS began to discuss how the song might be recorded and shared with others. Sylvia Hoeree approached Blue Frog Studios in White Rock and requested their assistance. Kelly Breaks, the owner at Blue Frog Studios. Kelly took the idea to a whole new level, not just by offering a recording opportunity but a LIVE recording with everyone being part of the video and song recording. Ranj is extremely grateful to Kelly, Jon, Pat and Claire of Blue Frog Studios, and emphasizes that this would not have happened without their support and amazing kindness. It was an amazing experience for everyone involved and the video speaks for itself. "We truly believe this song has power to spread awareness and the potential to share an important message for those people that are often misunderstood as a result of injury or illness...'I’m still me.' Since the video was released the feedback we have received has been overwhelming and we have heard from families of people that have been affected by Alzheimer’s Dementia, MS and Brain Injury. We have also heard from senior citizens who are deeply touched by the song even though their memory may be intact." ~ Ranj Singh & Sylvia Hoeree "The people at Semiahmoo House Society ABIS have forever changed my life," says Ranj." They are brave, courageous, and humble at times, but always full of love and determination. I would like to encourage everyone to get involved in some small way." Ranj has also just completed The Man Cold, an acoustic album (his third) featuring his signature melodies and distinctive “up-stroke” riffs from his 12-string guitar. Learn more about Ranj and his music at his official sites below. Official Sites: Video Link: https://youtu.be/f5jB8bRsNr8 Website: http://www.ranjsingh.com Twitter: @ranjsingh Facebook: Ranj Singh Indo Folk Music Blue Frog Studios: http://www.bluefrogstudios.ca Semiahmoo House Society ABIS: http://www.semi-house-society.com/abi/ 
Very excited to announce that our rising star Dylan Kingwell will be playing the role of Duncan Quagmire in the Netflix original series, "A Series Of Unfortunate Events!" Way to GO Dylan! #ASOUE   I had the privilege of speaking with musician Brian Ray in anticipation of his two shows with Paul McCartney at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on April 19-20, 2016. Brian is a session musician, guitarist, bassist, singer-songwriter and musical director. He’s been playing lead, rhythm, and bass guitar with Paul McCartney for 14 years and has worked with a long list of other legendary artists. Brian also has a very successful solo career and his own fabulous band The Bayonets. NP: Hi Brian, how are you? BR: I’m doing well. Just kind of feeling really nice and cool and mellow, kind of after glowing from the last show and getting ready for the next show. NP: Are you in Vancouver yet? BR: No, I’m not. I’m at home in Santa Monica, California on a lovely spring day. NP: You picked a beautiful week to come to Vancouver because we are having an early summer! What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Vancouver? BR: Just a lovely, clean city and it makes me think of sunshine and rain and the beautiful bay. I love Vancouver; it’s so lovely up there. NP: Have you played here before? BR: Yes, I’ve played up there many times throughout my life, including about 3 or 4 times with Paul McCartney over the 14 years that we’ve been together. I also played there with Etta James a long time ago in the late 70’s, early 80’s. I played there with a guy named Reggie Knight who did a rock record and it was produced by the great Roy Thomas Baker. So I’ve played with a lot of different people…Rita Coolidge, I think I played up there with. So I’ve played up there a lot, but most notably with Paul McCartney. NP: How is the tour going so far? I know you’ve just begun this one. BR: Yeah we’re just in the beginning, we’ve got 3 dates under our belt and I think it’s going great! It’s one of those really satisfying feelings when your hard work is finally displayed on opening night. You really don’t know if all departments are prepared, you know you just get out there on the ice and you’re skating. So that’s kind of how it feels, I think we’re all happy to get it out there. It feels great! NP: How much rehearsal do you put into a show? BR: Well this time we rehearsed about 5 days as a band just in a rehearsal hall and then we did 3 days of production rehearsals. It was very brief and tight, actually. NP: How are you finding this One On One tour compared to the last Out There tour? BR: I really love the new set list. I also love the new screens, the new graphics, some of the new additions in the set and some of the different “looks” that the stage has and how the songs are being performed. But I don’t want to give away any spoilers for people who haven’t seen the show yet. The mood is high! NP: Speaking of the set list, has it changed much since last time? How does Paul decide what songs to include and does the band have input? BR: Paul makes decisions on the set list depending on what feels and sounds the best to him in rehearsal. We may try a number of songs, some of which he ends up deciding don’t really feel as good as others. So he’ll choose his favorites for his own reasons out of a number of songs. NP: Are there any songs you haven’t performed yet that you personally would love to play? BR: Oh yeah, there’s a bunch I’d still love to play. I’d love to play “Back Seat of My Car” from Wings; I’d love to play “Martha My Dear” and “Rocky Raccoon” from the White Album. There are a couple of early songs that would be fun to play like “Devil in Her Heart,” I think that would be super fun for some people. Paul has an embarrassment of riches in terms of material to choose from and there’s so many great songs from his more recent efforts as well. So there’s just a lot to choose from and as you know, or you’ve probably heard, the show is about 2 hours and 35 minutes, so we can’t just keep adding songs. NP: You play about 35 or 36 songs in a night right? BR: Somewhere in there, I haven’t counted recently – I’ll take your word for it. NP: You guys have such great chemistry, which is infectious when watching the band on stage. Does the band have any pre-show rituals? BR: Things that you’ve probably seen on any amount of DVD’s of Paul’s…the band has our own lounge and dressing room and Paul has his own of course. As a band, we’re very, very mellow in our dressing room, lit very low. It’s not like we’re in there raging on the floor doing push-ups. We do have Yoga mats and stretching stuff when we want it in another room. We are likely to stretch out and stuff like that, or at least a couple of us are. And then when it’s time to finally go to stage, Paul will come to our dressing room and we usually sing a couple of songs acapella and then we’ll walk to the stage and the five of us will do a little sort of a huddle and Paul will lead us in a little bit of something and then we’ll walk up on stage and rock out! NP: Do you still get nervous, or is it pure adrenaline? BR: I think it’s just really positive adrenaline. I don’t get very nervous to be honest with you but I will get nervous once in awhile when it’s a one off, like a television show or something like that, when it’s very different from our usual routine. NP: Let’s talk guitars, I have a 1978 Gibson SG that I got for my Sweet 16, it’s a treasure. I saw that you have a new Rick Nielsen 59 Les Paul? BR: Yes, I do. Rick Nielsen has become a friend of mine over the last 6 or 7 years and I’ve always admired his playing, writing and his producing with Cheap Trick. He’s also an avid collector as am I. I got a signature model SG, now that you’ve mentioned it, made for me by Gibson custom shop in Tennessee. It’s a really cool remarkable guitar. It’s sort of a see-through black guitar with the grain showing through and a white pick-guard and a white truss rod cover, so it has a sort of evil, formal look to it. It’s pretty cool. So Rick said he loved the guitar when he saw some post on it and reached out to me and said “I want to get one of these, but I want a certain number, like serial number.” And I thought “Oh really, ok so what?” So he said that he always wants number 13 and I said I would see what I could do. Sure enough when the first 100 Brian Ray 63 SG’s were made, I was able to get number 13 for him and he purchased it. Now a year or two later, he’s come to me and said he has a Rick Nielsen 59 Model Les Paul, would I want the chance and I said of course! So we’ve sort of tipped the hat to each other and it’s very nice. He keeps posting pictures of him playing my SG and I’ve just now started posting pictures of me playing the Rick Nielsen. NP: How many different guitars do you usually play during a show? BR: I guess I have about 12 out with me right now and I usually play about 8 of them. The others are sort of back-ups. NP: What determines which songs you play guitar on and which you play bass on? BR: That is determined by Paul’s choices. Paul will choose whatever instrument he feels the most comfortable with playing on any given song and that will determine whether I play lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic or 12-string or bass. NP: Do you have a preference or do you love it all? BR: I love it all. To be honest, I’m a guitar player who plays some bass rather than a bass player who plays some guitar. I always love playing guitar but I have really come to learn to love playing bass. I’m very, very lucky to have been given that chance in this amazing apprenticeship with a man who I would call easily, the most important bass player in rock and pop music. NP: You’ve played with so many legends like Paul, Etta James, Bobby Boris Pickett just to name a few. How have these associations and collaborations shaped you as a musician and influenced you as a person? BR: Great question. I was so fortunate to play with Etta James from a very early age; I was just out of high school, age 19. I went to a rehearsal of Etta’s – a rehearsal that her guitar player just couldn’t make and at the end of the rehearsal, she said, “I like that little white kid.” Then she came up to me later and asked if I’d like to play with her that night in Long Beach. That started what turned out to be 14 years of an amazing partnership – I was her musical director and guitar player for the better part of 14 years on and off and it continued until her passing. She called on me to record and I called on her do a guest vocal on my first solo album called “Mondo Magneto.” It was very, very important – it shaped me as a guitar player because she brings to the table such an effortless, natural command, soul and range, emotional range as a singer and she required of me the ability to play old sort of jazz, rhythm and blues standards like “At Last,” and “Trust in Me” all the way up to Bump and Grind, Honker and Shouters, Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues of the late 50’s and some Soul and Funk from the 70’s. So it really required you to be very versatile and also to be quick on your toes. Being her musical director in the early days was no easy feat because we were picking up bands wherever we went. She’d say to drive up to Santa Barbara and use a local band or fly to Colorado and use a local band and I would go in and rehearse that band in the afternoon upon my arrival and then we’d take a little dinner break and go back and do two shows together and move on to the next town. It was a fantastic training camp for a young skinny white kid from Glendale with a woman who is inarguably the most important rhythm and blues and rock and roll singers of this or any other universe. NP: Let’s talk about your own band The Bayonets. BR: The Bayonets, as you might know, is a band entity that consists of my partner Oliver Leiber and myself. Oliver’s a producer, writer and player himself, as am I, and together we co-wrote and co-produced an album together called “Crash Boom Bang,” calling upon a circle of reprobates that we like hanging out with and recording an album in the old fashioned way of real people standing and sitting in a studio together facing each other and having a lot of laughs. Writing the music with Oliver is always fun, it’s a great exercise in witticisms lyrically and cleverness in terms of pop and rock and hooky kind of song writing. We love it dearly – we’ve had 5 singles that were chosen to be “the coolest song in the world” on Sirius XM Channel 21, Little Steven’s Underground Garage. In fact, we’ve had now 6 songs, because we did a Christmas single this last Christmas called “Christmastime is Cool.” Little Steven was finally lending a hand on some production skills toward the end of the project, he was about to start playing the song and he said “hey guys, let’s go into the studio and put a bunch more stuff on it.” I asked him what he had in mind and he said “we’ll just throw a bunch of stuff on there and you guys figure it out.” And he did, and we did and that’s the song. That was the cool song we wrote for Christmas week this last Christmas and we’ll be hearing some more of that soon. NP: “Sucker for Love” is one of my favorites from the album. BR: That was the first song Oliver and I completed together. NP: Do you have a special method for writing songs? BR: There’s at least 100 different ways to write a song and to come at it. When I write by myself, there’s a few different ways I might go – start with a guitar lick or a lyric idea or a melody or hook or phrase, chord changes, it can start in any number of ways. Whatever it takes. It’s a seed and then that seed seems to be sent to you and then you kind of get into a space where you grow it and you let it grow and you follow it and maybe you guide it a bit. Sometimes it tells you where to go. Then when you’re in a partnership, it’s that times two. Now you’re sensitive to letting somebody else create – it’s a little different when you write in a partnership, you have to be willing to suck. Writing alone, it’s easy to do that, you edit yourself. But when you’re with somebody else, you’re going to have 50 ideas and 25 of them are going to be no good. You have to be willing to honor each other in a partnership in order to get to the very best thing, and sometimes that includes open warfare to get to the best lyric or the best changes. You have to fight for the things you believe in, but I find that really thrilling and satisfying. Oliver and I have written together for over 10 years and that’s just a part of the relationship. NP: It seems as if you’ve had a dream career so far, what is left on your musician’s bucket list that you’d still like to do? BR: I’d like to do a little bit of producing for other bands, continue working with Paul is the main thing. I would like to do some more Bayonets stuff and some more solo stuff. I’ve just finished a new solo track you might be hearing in the near future and some more solo recording. I’d like to do some TV and film too. I’m open…I love it all. NP: We’re looking forward to hearing all of it! Is there anything else you’d like to share? BR: Yeah, for any of the younger musicians and fans of music out there and people who are trying to apply themselves but aren’t sure what method to employ, I would just say the following: for me I was driven from a very early age and I was very strangely focused on rock and roll and rhythm and blues from the earliest age of 3 ½-4 years old and knew from that time what I wanted to do. Now that’s not the case for everyone, some people figure this out later. It’s all good. I would just say apply yourself, give yourself a lot of room, get out there and say yes to every opportunity, even if it’s beneath you and most especially if the opportunity scares you. Just move forward and follow the muse. NP: Wise words indeed. Thank you Brian!! Brian Ray Online Official Site The Bayonets © 2016 NoodleHead Productions, all rights reserved. (Originally published at Examiner.com)   Based in Vancouver, The Fab Fourever, Canada’s most renowned Beatles Tribute Band, will soon be heading to Hong Kong for the first time to debut their amazing show for the Asian market. In the summer of 2015, they took the trip of a lifetime to Liverpool, England where they gave 10 performances as part of International Beatleweek. They were the only Canadian band invited to this prestigious event. The annual International Beatleweek Festival celebrates the music of the Beatles and is organized by Cavern City Tours, Liverpool’s leading tour operator. The Fab Fourever is managed by Simon Gunn and consists of Jody Tennant (Paul McCartney/Bass & Vocals), Kevin Davey (John Lennon/Rhythm Guitar & Vocals), Charles Boname (George Harrison/Lead Guitar & Vocals), Paul Kaszonyi (Drums & Vocals), Blake Mackay (Keyboards & Sound Effects), Jenn & Terry Cormack (Road/Stage Manager). I had the pleasure of speaking with Jody Tennant back in September 2015 after they had returned from Liverpool. NP: Hi Jody. Congratulations and welcome home! How’s the jet lag? JT: Thanks so much, it’s good to be back. The jet lag has been challenging. My legs have felt like lead, and I’ve been extremely lethargic and tired, but I would welcome the opportunity again should it arise. NP: Can you tell us how the band came to be invited to Beatleweek? JT: Our manager has communicated with several ‘Beatle Fests’ throughout the world over the past several years, but the one in Liverpool has been at the top of our list. In the fall of 2014 we were told that they would send a representative out to ‘scout’ the group and see if we would make the grade. June of last year saw us performing at the Clova Cinema in Cloverdale. They were closing it down for good and wanted to give it a grand send off and we were to perform for two nights. Just before the first show we were told that the representative of the International Beatleweek was in the audience, which was nerve wracking to be honest. The cinema wasn’t a music venue and we had to turn it into one, so there were bound to be a couple of hiccups. The show turned into a rousing success. Both nights were sold out, and the representative seemed happy with what he saw and stayed behind to introduce himself and talk to the group. We received notice this past February that we were chosen to represent Canada at the International Beatleweek. Needless to say, we were pretty excited for the opportunity! NP: Had any of you been there or performed there before? JT: Our drummer Paul, and rhythm guitarist Kevin had performed at the Cavern Club ten years previous with their original act. The Cavern hosts many acts from around the globe and continues to be known for its live music. So Paul and Kevin performed there and were able to let us know some of the details. NP: What went through your mind when you first arrived in Liverpool? JT: As a lifelong Beatles fan, the first thing I noticed/felt was the history. An older building here in Vancouver is 80 years old, where in Liverpool that is considered a fairly new building. But ultimately just to be THERE! This was the birthplace of my musical heroes. And Liverpool has not forgotten the Beatles. They were everywhere. Be it Statues, or on the side of tour busses, taxis, road signs tourist shops… The Beatles were everywhere. NP: Was playing the Cavern Club everything you dreamed it would be? How’s the air down there? JT: Funny that you should mention the air… or lack thereof. It is true what you’ve read. The air is stifling. It is thick, hot and moist. There is a dank smell that reminds you of your aunt and uncle’s basement. Thankfully they have banned smoking or realistically I don’t know how one would be able to breathe down there. And yes – it was everything that I had dreamed about and more. In fact, I don’t think it had ever occurred to me that I would have played there until we received the news, and even then I kept thinking that something would happen to prevent it – a freak power outage etc.… The instruments were wet to touch due to the moisture and the room was electric. The group was in fine form, despite our nerves. There we were – playing their music, on their stage, in their hometown. Somebody pinch me. NP: Was the band well-received? JT: Surprisingly so. I thought we would be ridiculed for our ridiculous attempts at our ‘scouse’ and there was a lot of pressure being a ‘tribute band’. We were pretending to be these four much-revered sons of Liverpool for Liverpudlians. They seemed to love it. Not one person mentioned anything about the accents. In fact we were asked what part of the ‘North’ we were from. And we developed a bit of a following and they attended many of our shows throughout the week. NP: What are the audiences like in Liverpool? Do they differ from the audiences you’ve had at home in Vancouver and across Canada? JT: The audiences have been tremendous wherever we perform, but those attending Liverpool Beatlweek were a more discerning audience, to be honest. These audiences knew their Beatle music. We had prepared several different sets featuring many rare tracks and most of the audiences sang to every number. For instance, we couldn’t perform track like ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, or ‘I’m Only Sleeping’ during one of our theatre shows. Most would think that it is one of our own songs. Only a handful would recognize it. But there – they were all sing-alongs. NP: How many other tribute bands were performing in the Festival? There weren’t many full ‘Tribute Bands’. A tribute band is one like us – who chooses to not only play the music, but to actually perform as if we were the Beatles, in dress, mannerisms and song presentation. Each member plays/sings what their particular Beatle did all those years ago. Many of the bands were ‘cover bands’ or original acts that have been inspired by the Beatles and covered their songs for this festival. We thought we would be one of many tributes and each one would be up there in the suits/wigs etc. all performing ‘She Loves You’ over and over again, but it was far from that. The International Beatleweek was meticulous in its scheduling to keep the acts different and unique at any of their venues. NP: What are some of the differences between The Fab Fourever and the other Beatles tribute bands you’ve seen/heard? JT: While in Liverpool the tribute acts were all quite similar. I think we held our own against some of the top tribute acts from the world. We arrived as a little fish in a big pond, and left with feeling larger in a smaller pond. People/other bands did indeed take notice and we enjoyed the camaraderie at his event. What sets us apart here at home is our attention to minute details. From left handed bass/guitar work to keyboards/sound effects that are second to none, to amazing costuming and well rehearsed on-stage mannerisms correct to our characters. NP: It must have been amazing meeting the Beatles original drummer, Pete Best…did he have any words of wisdom for you? JT: Meeting Pete Best was the icing on the proverbial cake. There was no expectation to do so, and it came about in a magical way. When Paul and Kevin had gone to Liverpool ten years prior, they had met Pete Best’s guitarist Phil and had struck up a friendship. While walking the streets of Liverpool this time around we ran into Phil and the rekindled their relationship with him inviting the group up to a very private affair at the Casbah Club. This club was actually created for the Beatles by Pete Best’s mom so that they had a place to play in the early sixties. Their show started at 10pm as did one of ours, so we hopped into a cab right after our show and headed up to the Casbah. We arrived and were escorted into the coolest venue I’ve ever been to (even cooler than the Cavern). It was deep into the foundation of an older house. Seemingly carved into the brick. We could here the music and see light through a throng of heads bouncing up and down. The door was small, and the ceiling quite low. It was as sweaty and hot as the Cavern, if not moreso. The music was pulsing and raw. It was perfect. I’ve head many people say that Rock n’ Roll is dead… but its not – it has gone underground. In places like the Cavern and the Casbah Club. It breathes, it is sentient and indeed is alive. During the show I made friends with Pete Best’s grandson and he introduced us to Pete after the show. It was an amazing experience to meet one of the Beatles in the place where it all started. It is tough to put words to it. Unfortunately we had to race back to perform at 2am and we couldn’t stay to visit. We tracked down a cab and were off for our eighth show in four days… NP: You also had a private guitar lesson from Donovan – what did you learn from him? JT: Donovan is a musical genius and continues to create musical wonders. The Fab Fourever joined four other individuals for a Guitar/Songwriting Masterclass from Donovan. During this time he shared with us how he would create melodies and chord structures. He would also go into how some of his peers would create their songs. He discussed John, Paul, George, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, etc. and how they would find inspiration in the notes that they played. Donovan found musical melodies in everything he did. It was pretty cool to watch. What was also cool was that he would ask The Fab Fourever’s Charles Boname (George in the group) to tune up his guitar as Charles’ proved his worth to Donovan. I know that Charles really admires Donovan and regards him as one of his musical heroes and for him to be asked by the Master himself to tune up his guitar would have been an amazing experience. NP: Let’s ‘get back’ to the beginning for a moment. What made you want to start a Beatles tribute band and how did you go about it? JT: The idea came about in late 2005. My family and I had met Paul McCartney backstage at his concert in Seattle and it was a feeling that I won’t soon forget. What came about after this meeting was that I really wanted to play/perform as ‘Paul’ in a Beatles tribute act. I was trying to figure out how to make this possible when I read an ad on Craiglist looking for people wanting to start a Beatles tribute. I answered the ad and met Eric Lefebvre who wanted to play the role of ‘John’. We got together with my brother on drums and just played Beatles music in his basement bedroom and just had a great time. We loved it. We weren’t very good, but definitely the spark was there. We started playing pubs and clubs and it took off from there. In 2009 we started into Casinos and Theatres with our multimedia presentation and audiences have loved it. NP: One of the best examples of your commitment to the band is that, although you are a righty, you actually learned how to play left-handed bass for authenticity – how difficult was that and long did it take you to perfect? JT: You know the Beatles were unique for many reasons. Musicality, personality and style. But one of the things that is most recognizable about the group is their symmetry on stage. With two guitarists right handed and Paul on bass left handed creates a beautiful symmetry that is a key part of the show. Many times during performances I can see parents pointing me out to their children describing the left handedness. And I’ve been complimented for this fact as people want to see this symmetry (as long as it doesn’t effect the musicality). It took hours and hours to learn to play left-handed and in fact I am still learning to this day. Although I can’t play right handed anymore. My ukuleles at home are left-handed as well. At night after my wife and children were asleep, I used to listed to the Beatles through small head phones with my bass through larger head phones and just play the music over and over and over. McCartney’s bass lines are quite challenging, and to perform them live with vocals is a lot of fun. NP: Who came up with the name “The Fab Fourever?” JT: I did out of necessity. Our previous group had been called ‘Twist and Shout’ but a large group out of the U.S. with the same name wasn’t happy about us having their name (which is odd to me to this day as there are so many Beatle bands with the same name). So I wanted a name that would make one think of the Beatles when they hear the name, yet have it spelled incorrectly so that we weren’t copying another group or could be accused as such. It seems to have stuck and people enjoy the ‘four’ever and can see the similarities with the ‘bea’tles name. NP: How many years has the band been together and how many configurations has it gone through? JT: The band started in March of 2006 with myself as ‘Paul’, Eric as John, we asked his friend Elliot Langford to play ‘George’ and had my brother Aubrey Tennant on drums initially, until we could find our Ringo. We found him soon after. His name was Rocky Sounds and he was an accomplished Beatle musician and could play any of the roles. We had a Elliot’s friend Joe join us on keyboards for bigger shows We played in pubs and clubs throughout Vancouver and had a great time doing so. As the band grew in popularity we were asked to play more and more and the time commitment created some challenges and Elliot and Joe decided they wanted to focus their attention to their original act which had released a new album and they even made the front cover of the Georgia Straight. Simon Gunn joined us as our manager and added some solid leadership and a wealth of knowledge from his prior musical experience as a manager/music promoter. In late 2008, Eric and his fiancée were heading off to live in England and Kevin Davey joined the group as ‘John’. Not only did he look and sound the part, but he had the drums, a couple of George guitars and a fire in his belly to make this thing take off. We had one of Kevin’s former guitarists Phil Bell join us as ‘George’ and we asked Kevin’s lead guitarist from his group Paul Kaszonyi to join us as ‘Ringo’ although he needed a month “to get the drums down”. With Paul as ‘Ringo, Rocky moved up to George for a short stint before heading home to Quebec to be with family, and we found Jean-Luc Perron to perform as ‘George’. So by the end of 2009 the group was set. Myself as ‘Paul’, Kevin as ‘John’, Jean-Luc as ‘George’ and Paul as ‘Ringo’. Jennifer Cormack and her husband Terry joined us shortly thereafter as our ‘Road Manager/stage manager’ and are an integral part of our family both on the road and at home. We added keyboards and sound effects with the master - Blake Mackay in 2010. Last year we Charles Boname joined the group as ‘George’ due to scheduling conflicts with Jean-Luc and the rest is history. It is a tremendous family and it was great to share the success of Liverpool with all involved. NP: How comprehensive is your repertoire now? JT: We try to have a new show every year. We change it up so that it is not the same show that a city saw the previous previous. Obviously audiences want to see/hear songs like ‘She Loves You’ and ‘Hey Jude’, and we will always play these immensely popular songs. But what we also do is try to bring out the rarities. Those gems that are little known, but well loved by those who know them. Songs like ‘In My Life’, Obla-Di Obla-Da’, etc. We now have a ‘Cavern Club’ portion to our show, as well as ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ amongst the veritable plethora of costume changes we already have. We can switch up these sets and have become adept at costume changing without missing a beat or stalling the show. For example, I will perform ‘Yesterday’ with my acoustic guitar (left-handed of course) while the others change into the costuming for the next set. When finished I change as the other three are performing the next song. It is quite clever and we’re quite proud of how we do this. NP: How many sets and costume changes do you go through during an average performance? JT: Normally a full theatre show will consist of four costume changes. Two in our first set and two in our second set. But we have have some new plans for our shows in 2016 that will push these boundaries. It would be quite funny to stick a camera back stage and watch how we have to change suits/costuming/wigs/facial hair in the matter of a couple of minutes. We’ve never missed yet with the changes, but they are always walking a thin line and we can laugh about it after the show has finished. NP: What were some of the other highlights of your trip? JT: The Cavern Stage, The Casbah Club were key highlights. Meeting and watching the other bands performing. We would be having breakfast with a Russian Tribute and they looked equally exhausted as us. The locals were amazing as well. We were befriended by a lady named Anne who was born and raised in Liverpool and she took an afternoon and drove the group around the town and showed the rare spots that the Beatle tours don’t go to. The early homes of the Beatles etc. It was great to see the city through her eyes. The main highlight though was being able to share this experience with the Fab Fourever family. What a great bunch of people. We soaked it all up and just had a blast. NP: So now you’ve performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, met Sir Paul McCartney backstage at one of his concerts and actually bumped into Paul’s son James in London this trip. You must really believe that dreams do come true! How do you plan to top all of this and what’s next for the band? JT: Interesting – it sounds pretty cool when put this way. It has been a lot of hard work and there has been a lot of heartache and blood sweat and tears that has gone into this project. Next week we are off to the Okanagan teaming up with an amazing Buddy Holly tribute artist named Zachary Stevenson to show the ‘Big-Bang’ theory of the Beatles with the Buddy influence. It is a very cool show featuring Buddy Holly and his influence on the Beatles. The international market has been calling for several years and now that we’ve played abroad this could become a reality. A cross-Canada tour has been bandied about. Going into Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and the East Coast etc. But in all honesty we really enjoy playing at home. BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan – Western Canadians love this music and we really enjoy brining this music to those that maybe were old enough to see the Beatles but were one of the many who couldn’t get tickets, or for those like me who weren’t alive during the Beatles’ days and give them the feeling of knowing what watching them might have been like. I feel that there is a responsibility of groups like ours to do their homework so that the audiences actually feel like they are watching the group. The details - the harmonies, the costuming, the guitars, the symmetry. It all adds up. There are many Beatle cover bands out there, and audiences will enjoy the experience and the music transcends the details. But to have the music as well as the details is what sets us apart from many of the other acts and the audiences will see/hear the differences and will appreciate the full true experience. We take pride in this. It’s what keeps our fire burning and it’s what brings back our audiences to our shows. It’s our passion and it’s contagious. It’s why we say ‘A Splendid Time Is Guaranteed For All’. Thanks Lisa, for having me, and I look forward to seeing you again soon. Stargate Fans Rally In Fight To Save Actor’s Niece: Exclusive Interview With Actor J.R. Bourne4/15/2002  Vancouver film, television and theatre actor JR Bourne, best known internationally for his role as 'Martouf' on the award-winning science-fiction television series, Stargate SG-1, has been involved with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF) for several years on behalf of his young niece Madison who suffers from the disease. Cystic Fibrosis is a fatal disease which affects the lungs and digestive system, causing difficulty in breathing and digestion, repeated infection and inflammation, and ultimate damage to lung tissue. When JR began such a personal quest, he never imagined that his fans would become such an integral part of the battle. For the past several Septembers, Stargate fans have converged on Vancouver, British Columbia from as far away as Australia and New Zealand to celebrate their love for the show at an annual convention known as Gatecon, and in the process, have become JR’s most ardent allies in the fight against Cystic Fibrosis. The kick-off to the convention is a CCFF fundraising event known as Sekh’s Party, the brainchild of one innovative and feisty English fan with a heart of gold, Patricia Smith (aka Sekh - who according to ancient Egyptian lore, was one of the most powerful Goddesses in ancient Egypt).
The party was originally planned as a ‘small’ fete for fans attending the first Stargate convention. Much to the surprise and delight of all involved, attendance exploded the following year in 2001 when ‘Sekh’s Party – The Second Coming’, decided to donate proceeds from ticket sales and auctioned items to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. JR appeared as a special guest and was absolutely amazed at his fans’ generosity and the amount of money raised. The event held at Vancouver’s Planet Hollywood, was the second largest single event and largest fundraiser (organized independently of the Foundation) for CCFF BC in 2001, with $6565.00 (CDN) in total donations and an additional $12,000 (CDN) donated by fans via JR’s official website. Several hundred dollars were also donated to the 9/11 charity. Sekh and crew held their third annual gathering, affectionately dubbed “Close Encounters for the Third time,” at Vancouver hot-spot Maverick’s on the Waterfront. The event sold out in just five months and was a smashing success, raising $17,000 (CDN) for CCFF and $1200 (CDN) for the Twin Towers Orphans Fund. According to Sekh, a total of $30,250 (CDN) was raised for CCFF from party proceeds and other fundraising activities, including the sale of a charming new children’s book, “Yummy Yummy Nummy Nummy, Should I Put This In My Tummy?,” featuring tales of Madison and written by JR’s sister, Kim. A portion of sales proceeds will go towards finding a cure for CF. Sekh’s Party is no longer simply just a social event for members of the fandom, but has become an important and meaningful charity fundraiser. Partygoers especially appreciate the opportunity to help those in need while having a blast with friends. Through their admiration for JR and his work, his fans have come to embrace his niece, her courageous fight for life and have dedicated themselves to fighting by his side from across the globe. I had the privilege to speak with JR about his involvement with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF), Sekh’s Party and ‘Stargate’: NP: How did you come to be involved with CCFF? JR: Madison was born three years ago, April 13th and it would’ve been…was it that September or the following September that I did Stargate for the first time? I think it was the following September, two years ago, I met all of you guys at the Gatecon convention here in Vancouver. We did an auction there and wasn’t it at that convention that a napkin that I wiped, we signed a script, Amanda (Tapping of Stargate SG-1 and LEO Award winner) and all of us, and we put lipstick on and kissed the script and wiped it with the napkin. I think that napkin went for $340. That made me think ‘oh my god, these people are amazing, this is to help a cause.’ And then it was that year I guess that I tried to actually auction stuff off and, not items, but dinners, lunches and a dog-walk with Amanda and her dog. So we set a $10,000 goal that year and we ended up going over. NP: What are the most important facts to know about Cystic Fibrosis? JR: I think one of the most important facts is to know the urgency. That we’re up against a time-frame here. This isn’t a disease that people can live with and have it be managed, or have it just be discomfort for their whole life. It is a fatal disease, they only have a limited time to live. So I feel, especially because it’s my niece, that we’re sort of up against a time clock. We want to find a cure before she hits that age. The other thing I think very importantly in talking with my sister Kim, is that Cystic Fibrosis does not affect your outwardly appearance. It doesn’t affect how you look, it doesn’t affect your motor skills, so from the outside you don’t know. It affects internally. It doesn’t affect their brain, or how they think. NP: How close are we to a cure becoming a reality? JR: I went to the US Consulate’s house here in Vancouver, he invited me because they were honoring Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui (Nobel Prize nominee), who discovered the Cystic Fibrosis gene. They were saying that ten years ago the life expectancy was 19-20 years of age, when now ten years later, life expectancy is 20-30 years of age, which is a lot more. There are reports that they thought they had found something that they thought would make it a manageable disease, a livable disease, meaning it would be something like Diabetes, but that hasn’t been fully passed yet. I hope, I want to say but I don’t know statistically, that we’re very close. Because that’s personally what I wish to put out there. NP: What has contributed to the advances and increase in life expectancy? JR: It’s the research. The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto is the leading research hospital in the world for Cystic Fibrosis. I would have to contribute the support that we get from people to raise money, and the research that’s being done has some brilliant people working on it to figure it out. And all the gene research and all of the developments that are coming along with that, is helping. NP: So CF is hereditary? JR: Yes, it’s an inherited fatal disease. So both my sister and her husband, both parents HAVE to be carriers. Both Kim and Jeff are carriers of the gene. And then two people coming together that are both carriers, you then have a 25% chance of having a child with Cystic Fibrosis. So with her twins, both the twins are carriers but they’re not active. I’m probably a carrier, my older sister is probably a carrier, but her husband probably isn’t. NP: Is there a test to find out whether or not you are a carrier? JR: Yes. When I’m ready to have children, both myself and my wife will be tested to see if we’re carriers. Just to know that those would be our chances. The twins were tested at the 3 or 4-month point. NP: By Amniocentesis? JR: Yes. Isn’t that amazing?! They can tell from that fluid that they are carriers, but that they don’t have the Cystic Fibrosis active gene. NP: What are some of the biggest obstacles families of those with CF must overcome? JR: I think it would be knowing that you’re staring at your child and that you have a better chance of outliving them. Knowing that she may only live till 20 or 30 years of age. Right now Kim is 33 years of age and she most likely already at this point in her life has outlived the life span of her own child. My family in particular, my sister – the way she deals with it, they don’t actually talk a lot about that. They know it’s there, but they are strong believers of what you put out thought-wise, energy-wise to the universe. You help to manifest those things. As aware as she is of the illness and what it entails, she doesn’t concentrate on the fact that ‘my child is only going to live till 30 years of age.’ She’d rather concentrate on ‘what is my child going to achieve in her life span, what can I help her achieve, and that we’ll find a cure.’ She sort of sticks to that mentality. She does Qi Gong, which is a form of Chinese medicine. She’s done Qi Gong on Madison since she was born, from that day in the hospital till today, she still does it every single day, and plus she does therapy in the morning and in the evening, tapping therapy on the lobes and she does laughing therapy. The doctors tell her how healthy Madison is, ‘she’s so healthy, she’s amazing, she looks incredible, blah, blah, blah’. How great she’s doing, that she’s in the top percentile of weight gain, top percentile of height, top percentile of everything, ‘what are you doing’? And Kim told them everything she’s doing, and the doctors said ‘oh you’re doing too much, you don’t need to do that much therapy.’ Hey listen, Madison’s doing that well, Kim’s going to keep doing what’s she’s doing. NP: How has CCFF helped your family? JR: There are support groups that they link them with. They’re tremendously helpful to the family, Kimmy says. They offer a lot of support, understanding, explanation and that sort of thing. NP: How does CCFF allocate funds raised? JR: A lot of big companies support them. I know that they don’t do individual allocations. The money we raise won’t go to help Madison in particular, it goes to the research. But I think I can request that it go to research for the Delta 5 Gene (F508) which is what she has. NP: When did you first hear about Sekh’s Party? JR: At the Gatecon convention. I didn’t go to the first Sekh’s Party that they had, but I heard about it. And then the second time around I guess it was, they contacted me and told me that the money would be going to CF, which was just beautiful. They just called and said that ‘this year we’d like to donate the money raised to CF.’ Because that was the year I had done all the fundraising and everything, and that was my goal to reach $10,000, which of course we surpassed. So they contacted me and said ‘you know this year we’d like to do this, would you mind coming down?’ And I said ‘of course I will…and I’ll continue to come down if you continue to raise money.’ NP: What kinds of items are auctioned at the party to raise funds? JR: Well last year (2001) I think I missed all that. I showed up for about an hour or so. I think I drew names for a raffle. This year I think they’ve asked me for some stuff to auction, I usually give them whatever I have. But I don’t really have any ‘Stargate’ stuff left, only the odd t-shirt. But for MY fundraiser, I auctioned off lunches, dinners, the dog-walks. This year I am so behind with the fundraising, I don’t know what’s going to happen. NP: Can you describe your personal experiences with Sekh’s Party the past couple of years? JR: Insane…next question… (laughs) wonderful, glorious, disturbing, extreme, delightful, incredible, unbelievable, shocking, scary. NP: JR brushed up on his adjectives this morning. JR: Yeah. You pick an adjective, it pretty much applies to the Gatecon. NP: How much collaboration takes place throughout the year between yourself and Sekh in regards to planning the event and fundraising? JR: The individual fundraiser I do, like that kind of stuff, the dinners and the lunches, Simon in the UK (Wolf Events and JR’s official website) sort of organizes it and sets it up on e-Bay. This year as I’ve said, we’re completely behind. We’ve set no dates, we haven’t auctioned anything off yet because I’m in Toronto for a couple of weeks to maybe even a month, then I come back in September and the convention starts. And then October off to London, I don’t know what I’m going to do this year about raising money. As for Sekh, she’ll e-mail me or my agent and tell me what they need, but she handles everything. She is absolutely incredible! She handles all of that, she does everything, I just show up and try to look pretty, which doesn’t usually happen. NP: Now come on, that takes no work at all. Would you say your biggest fan-base comes from your role as 'Martouf' on ‘Stargate’? JR: Yes, most definitely. I don’t think anyone else knows who I am. NP: How instrumental have ‘Stargate’ fans been in helping your efforts with CF? JR: It’s all them! I’m shocked that at this point in my career I’m able to raise money for a foundation, for a charity and that I’m able to attach myself to something that means so much to me, and actually be able to auction off a lunch with myself for $2,000 or $1,500 or however much. It’s shocking to me. It’s amazing…it’s humbling. I’m constantly blown away that these fans are so giving, are so loving, it’s amazing. And it’s even more shocking that it’s for myself who isn’t even a regular on the show, I find it unbelievable. But it is ALL the ‘Stargate’ fans, most definitely. NP: And your character of Martouf isn’t even alive anymore! JR: No, Martouf isn’t even alive anymore. NP: How do you feel about your fans becoming so personally involved in a cause that is so close to your heart? Has it brought you closer to them? JR: Yeah. It’s amazing. I always think it’s important to keep a line, and it’s not just between you and your fans, it’s between me and my agent, between me and my public, that’s fine and I want to keep that line as my career continues. But to have the fans be so giving and so understanding, and they haven’t crossed those lines. Everything they’ve done, they request and they give, is all out of concern and of love, and I believe it, for my sister and for my niece. It’s a great thing. NP: What are other people’s perceptions of your ‘Stargate’ fans? JR: I haven’t had any negative perception. I think everybody, my closest friends and family, are just so thankful. It’s nice what everyone offers and puts out there. NP: You have been a regular at ‘Stargate’ Conventions since day one. Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences at these events. JR: (Laughs) Just refer to the adjectives I’ve already used. Come on, it’s like crazy. Only on a sci-fi show would I experience this. But they’re great, I love them. NP: What is the best way for those interested to become involved with CCFF and other CF organizations internationally? JR: On my site, Simon has posted links to CCFF and to CF. It’s as simple as contacting the CF foundation within your city or country, wherever it is you are. And there were fans last year that were raising money at their office, or doing little events at their schools to raise money. It’s amazing. I encourage you to do that. Donating is important as well. I think also Simon has on my site there a link to the CCFF where you can make donations via their webpage over the net. NP: Has your celebrity status enabled you to do more for the cause than you would have been able to otherwise? JR: If it wasn’t for the ‘Stargate’ fans, no one knows who the hell I am. Most definitely, I’ve said this before. I may be in some project or some other movie that does well and I have a little tiny part, but the ‘Stargate’ fans…it’s aired all over the world, and it’s really international and that’s where most of my fans are, international. I don’t know if it’s that you guys care more about it or what. But you guys make that effort. I don’t know anyone who’s watching any of my other shows kind of going ‘I’m going to write him a letter.’ NP: How can other celebrities get involved? JR: Best way is just to call them. When I started doing it for CF, I just called up and said, ‘you don’t know who I am, but…’ But the funny thing is, when I went to the US Consulate’s house, surprisingly enough, Ken Reed who invited me to the ski thing to do charity, he’s attached to CF as well, he invited me up to the ski challenge. And I said, I didn’t really feel like going because no one knows me but it’s very flattering and all. Turns out Ken’s a fan and his kids are fans of ‘Stargate’. So if you want to be attached, you just call up the foundation within your city. Amanda Tapping has offered to help in any way she can, like if we manage to wrangle up another dog-walk or something. NP: Any chance we’ll be seeing you on ‘Stargate’ again? JR: Definitely not. NP: Even an appearance in the proposed feature film? After all, it IS science-fiction, anything is possible! JR: I don’t think so. You know that they wrote me back in last summer, but I was shooting a movie in Montreal. I don’t know what their idea was, or how they got me back on, but no talk as of yet about the movie, so I don’t think so. I think Martouf is gone for good. NP: What other projects are you working on now? JR: The movie I shot about Leonard Cohen (starring role) is hopefully going to do the Festival circuit first. NP: Is that the film you shot in New York City, right before 9/11? JR: Yes, we did that one in Montreal and New York. I was there in New York right before, I left a week prior from New York. NP: What’s the film’s title? JR: “The Favorite Game.” It’s an Independent, and it won’t be out to theaters or anything for probably another year or so, but it will do the Festival circuit first, hopefully Berlin, internationally. And “Stuck,” the movie that Amanda and I did together in March, I don’t know where that’s at. Indie as well, about four people that get stuck in an elevator. Other than that, I’ve really just been trying to write, you know what I mean?! I’m trying to still write the same script I’ve been trying to write for how many years. I kept handing it out to people, but now I’m trying to tackle it myself. It’s something that’s very close to me. It’s very meaningful. And I’m just now starting to read some more scripts and hopefully maybe be starting to shoot something soon. I agreed to do a play here in Vancouver and I’m so excited about it. It’s an original by Sara Deakins, who’s an actress, and she’s going to be in it as well. Tom Scholte is directing it, wonderful actor. He’s a great actor, he’s won a number of awards, been in a ton of movies. Also co-starring are Marya Delver, Gabrielle Miller, Sarah Deakins, Robert Maloney and Michael Dupud. NP: Is the play comedy or drama? JR: It’s a bit of both, I suppose. It’s called “Of Buses and Diners.” Great group of people. NP: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about CF? JR: Go and read, definitely. That’s one of the huge things. I mean my family didn’t know what Cystic Fibrosis was, we’d heard of Cystic Fibrosis, but we were unclear of exactly what it was. So please educate yourselves as to what it is, how it works and that there’s an urgency to find a cure…and we will. NP: Thank-you JR. JR: Thank you and god bless everyone. Learn More: According to Max Pinsky, President of BC CCFF, the Foundation sponsors several fundraisers throughout the year, with the ’65 Roses Gala’ being held in November 2002. Proceeds from fundraising efforts are allocated to fund grant-proposed research and specialized CF clinics across the country. BC has two Cystic Fibrosis clinics - Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis clinic at BC Children’s Hospital and the Adult Cystic Fibrosis clinic at St. Paul’s. With the average lifespan of CF patients at 35.6 years, a higher proportion of those with the disease are now living into adulthood and proving that they are indeed winning their fight for survival. The Foundation always welcomes those who would like to lend a hand or make a donation. Gatecon JR Bourne Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation *Copyright 2002 Lisa R. Wartur & NoodleHead Productions - All Rights Reserved Author's note: I had the opportunity and privilege to interview Canadian actor, JR Bourne (Martouf of Stargate SG-1) at a Starbucks in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2002. I would like to express my appreciation to JR, JR's sister Kim, Murray Gibson, BC CCFF President Max Pinsky, Sekh and Stargate fans. This exclusive interview is on tape, copyrighted and is NOT to be reproduced anywhere online or off without permission. - Lisa |
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