Lulu's and the best night ever!

Last week I had the absolute joy and pleasure of playing with a wonderful group of musicians at the River Rock casino. I have been nothing but blessed with the incredibly high caliber of players that I have shared the stage with over this last year of gigging at the casino, but this last show was perhaps the highlight of the year for me.

I can't explain it exactly, but the combination of musicians was magic. They seemed to lift me up and hold me high. They let me just take off and fly away and they were right behind me like a gust of wind. I felt so free as a singer, and so safe, and it made for the best night I ever had there.

Gene G. and Sharylin B. thankfully took some footage of me and the boys playing that night. Here are a few of the clips. They are not edited the way I would normally like to edit them because my software didn't work with their video formats. Without my 'tools', I am clearly not very patient. No matter, its worth sharing the night with you!

The first video is mostly focused on me, I have it up on my website now as a bit of a demo reel.




The second features more of the band and I highly recommend that one if you are a fan of the musicians because it features more of the amazing players who joined me onstage:

Message to the band: You lifted me higher with your energy and excellence! Thank you. :)

Russell Marsland (guitar) http://www.russellmarsland.com/
Shawn Soucy (drums) http://www.drumsetc.org/
Nathen Aswell (bass- guitar) http://www.nathenaswell.com/
Andre Kunkle (keys) http://www.facebook.com/andre.kunkle
Mike Norman (keys) http://www.mikenorman.com/





This is an original song from my CD. This video is neat for me, as it is documentation of the very first time I ever played this song with a band.

How buzzy was this? We never even had a rehearsal, this video is IT, try number one.

There is a point in the song, somewhere around 3:59 I think, where I recognize Russell playing the solo (and it sounded just like the recording on the song). Ha, it was cosmic and in the video you can see I was excited to hear it, Shawn heard it too!!!!





Enjoy the show!

xox
Rach

Session 1 Vancouver League of Rock

On July 22 Vancouver's chapter of the League of Rock launch at the Yale and I saw nothing but smiling faces all night long!

Founder Terry Moshenberg flew out from Toronto for the draft event and put us all into our bands! Terry brought his partner Topher Stott and it was such a pleasure to meet Topher finally and have a chance to jam with him as he is a monster talent! Also out to support and help kick off the event were Kyle Shannon (New York LOR chapter head) and two of our our highly respected coaches Tal Bachman and Shaun Verreault so it really was an exciting night!

Speeches were made and contests were won, and then Terry got down to the business of the draft event!

I was put in a band with Nando and Steve and we started talking about songs right away. We all seemed to like the same sort of music so we really got off to a great start!
Some of the other bands.......
Yeah baby!

Everyone seemed just as happy as we were with the way the draft went!

Once we all had a chance to meet the people in our bands, some of us got up onstage to jam. There were some really groovy moments where people gelled together musically and it was fantastic to see and hear!
I can't wait to see how this all progresses!

I got up with my band members and sang/played a few tunes!

I love these little cards that were on the table, our beer sponsors.

I met the fine folks at TREE brewing and they are good people who make fantastic beer, we are delighted to have them join with us!!




It was a cool night, I wasn't the only one wearing a smile!

We all (the members) went home and started our email exchanges discussing and deciding our songs to have ready for the next week. Our band was short a bass player still, and I had always wanted to try bass but never had anywhere to really give it a go, so I contacted my band members and asked them if they would tolerate having a beginner bass player.

Thankfully they both agreed wholeheartedly so I rented a bass, took a lesson from friend and LOR chapter head Rob Boshaw, and spent the next few days cramming for the first session.

I am quite thrilled to announce that session one rocked!

(that is, no one asked me to quit trying to play the bass)
I love it, I am totally embracing this experience.

Abbalicious!

<

As mentioned previously, one of my gigs is with Mooncoin Productions in their show called Abba-cadabra which is a musical journey through the music of,... well, Abba. I love the job and the people involved with it but I didn't apply for the gig because I am an Abba fan, in fact, I was not drawn to Abba's music as a child and I didn't have any of their records so I never really listened to the words of the songs.

Having said that however, the melodies were certainly in my head just by virtue of the fact they seemed to be played everywhere all of the time, so preparing for this job was basically a lyrics exercise for me.

Once again, I have to note how funny it is that things arrive into our lives to help us right when we need them, we just need to be open to them. As I listened and learned, I realized how timely and helpful the lyrics were for me and it occurred to me that if I had learned these songs as a kid I would have missed the messages.


The lyrics from 'I have a Dream' in particular were really powerful for me, they even helped me get through some tough stuff by reminding me that failure can be a reason to learn about yourself and move forward.

I know the world is not all sunshine and rainbows people, I know that. Crap happens to me just like it does to you. I don't really think there is magic determining everything around me but I do choose to hope there is something to this energy we all seem to tap into collectively. I can't describe it, and I don't know that we can even conceptualize it fully, I just like to think that it is a nice thing sometimes, to dream the impossible.


I have a dream
a song to sing
to help me cope
with anything
if you see the wonder
of a fairy tale
you can take the future
even if you fail
I believe in angels
something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
and I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream
I have a dream

Rach~

League of Rock, the buzz gets louder!

The message is getting out there that the League of Rock is coming to Vancouver!


People are telling ME about it now. They say they saw it on television, in a paper, online or they heard it on the radio, and people are starting to get it. Now they want to join up. I don't blame them, it's going to be a lot of fun!

To say I was excited when I first wrote on my blog about the LOR is understating things and as the story unfolds I continue to be amazed and thrilled by all the developments.

Founder Terry Moshenberg flew in from Toronto last week for a media tour to let Vancouver know that LOR is 'going global' and that Vancouver will be one of the original chapters in a worldwide League where real everyday people 'the unsung hero's of rock' really truly DO get the opportunity to live out their dreams of playing in a band.

So far with leagues already running or starting up in Toronto, New York, and Chicago, Vancouver is keeping some impressive company. League-wide there continues to be amazing opportunities for members to play at some very impressive events. Take for example the Toronto chapter, they recently sent 5 bands to represent the LOR and played at the Grey Cup festival. I don't care who you are...... a doctor, construction worker, teacher or rock star, that is just SWEET with a capital S and goes to show this league is the real deal.

I do love it, what members will gain from being in this kind of environment is immeasurable and working in a team with others under the guidance of the coaches will be an experience like no other.

I find it interesting that Terry calls his quest for members a search for the 'unsung hero's of rock', while at the same time engaging one of Canada's greatest unsung hero's in music Tal Bachman, as the figurehead coach for the Vancouver chapter of the League of Rock.

Tal Bachman, is of course already well known worldwide and holds various musical kudos and honors including 2 Junos, but I really think he deserves even more recognition for his talent and ability. He writes, plays and produces or co-produces all of his own material, and if you haven't heard or listened beyond "She's so high" you are really missing out on some incredibly tasty well written music.

I've been a fan since his first album and I currently follow Tal's blog and facebook page so for me jamming with our new coach the other day while doing the media tour was a lifetime highlight. Tal seems to be able to play any song that you throw at him (which is a huge treat for any singer or player) and as we all called out names of tunes and discussed what to jam (everything from Beatles to Zepplin) you could hear Tal quietly noodling on his guitar little solos played note for note from the songs being talked about. Crazy. Equally impressive was when he felt like playing a song on another instrument, he would just walk over and play it. Put those skills together with a really genuinely nice person and really, you got a great coach. It is clear he will be able to help any player on every level. We are fortunate, our coach is not only a rock solid talented musician with a wide scope of experience, but he is the sort of kind and empowering human who is willing to reach down and lift people up in their own quest to grow and make music.


And the great news is this, Tal is not the only one. All of the coaches Terry and Topher have found to come work with, inspire and help out at the League of Rock are people who are filled with as much internal 'human good' as they are extraordinary talent. These are people who get it that musicians of all levels can flourish in a friendly community where people push each other by inspiring them and by sharing what they know, its a place to learn from each other by focusing on learning to listen to everyone else as much as to yourself.

So part of the reason for my post today is that I have just found out who some of the other incredible coaches are going to be and I am EXCITED all over again. I must tell you about some of them and give you some links so you can go check them out!!

Right away I noticed that Shari Ulrich is going to be a coach and I am SO thrilled to see her name on this list. Shari is of keen interest to me because I have seen her Bluebird North series a few times here in Vancouver and it is always outstanding. Watching her sing and play live is impressive because she is enormously talented and plays a multitude of instruments with full possession of each one. You really pick up on her warm sincere energy as it truly fills the room. I love that she does so much for musicians and the songwriting community and being new to songwriting myself, I can't wait to meet her and see what I will learn from her. Yay Shari!

I also spotted Craig Northey , Doug Elliott and Pat Steward from the Odds on the list and once again for you rockers out there, this is something to get hugely excited about. These guys are supremely talented and highly regarded and I can imagine they will bring with them them their incredible repertoire of knowledge and experience, I can't wait!

Of course there is Terry's partner in the League of Rock, Topher Stott who will be making the trip from Toronto to share his vast wealth of experience. Topher has studied in private lessons with Andy Newmark, Joey Baron and Joe Morello. As a performer, Topher has specialized in drumset and percussion/hand drums as a hired gun with a variety of artists in the fields of rock, folk, jazz, world music, funk, pop and improvisation including Karen Durrant, Laurel James, Janet Whiteway, Phillip Sayce, Jeff Healey, Stop Die, Andrea Florian, Bruce Gordon. As a leader, Topher runs the Squawking Heads, a deep ambient groove project, and co leads both the Tiny Specks (Garage jazz) and The True Hot fo' Gandhi (live Jungle/Funk) with Adam Faux. I'm so looking forward to meeting Topher too this week, the jam is going to ROCK!

Some of Vancouver's top working musicians/writers/producers Mick Dalla Vee, Marc LaFrance, and Brent Howard, make up a band called Cease and Desist. Cease and Desist tours worldwide on concert stages as themselves and they also work as Randy Bachman's band when he is on the road. I consider myself very lucky to have been working this year with Mick in his studio (Millennia Sound design) on my original music and I would highly recommend him to songwriters like myself who want to flesh out their tunes into fully produced songs. Marc LaFrance you may notice, is the drummer in the jam session video I posted above. He was one of the pro coaches in there helping out on media tour day, and he is one hell of an awesome solid drummer who can sing like no body's business, in fact during our jam he sang AC/DC and it sounded like the record, awesome!

And also I noted Shaun Verreault , Verreault is best known as the virtuosic singer/guitarist/song-writer for blues-rockers and Canadian live favourites Wide Mouth Mason (currently at work on their 7th album together while also enjoying a lack of musical monogamy). Meaning he has his own fantastic projects on the go too! I am looking forward to meeting all of these wonderful coaches!

There are more equally impressive people on the list and I would go on, but I think you get the picture, there is really something cool going down here. I want you to pay attention, and don't be afraid to come be a part of it. It's just real people rocking out, and if you want to come and just observe, I invite you to the Yale in Downtown Vancouver on Wednesday July 22nd, to see the draft event and be a part of the jam!

~Rach

OS5 and Rachael Chatoor, just for Peggy!

Life is really funny sometimes. The way one thing leads to another, how unexpected twists and turns can bring you to places that lead you to people who eventually come together for one perfect moment.

I think I captured one of Peggy's perfect moments a couple weeks ago, and maybe a few other people's come to think of it. Dave certainly had a great day because he pulled off a wonderful surprise 50th Birthday party for the woman he loves.

It was a long time in the making too.

Dave contacted me early in the year through my website, he introduced himself and told me that he and his wife had followed my contest win on Jack FM the year before. He said he was planning a surprise 50th party for his wife and he thought it would be so great if I would be willing to play for the party.

I was touched by his sincerity and obvious desire to make an incredible day for his love, I wanted to help him make it a special day. The first thing I did was tell Dave to bring Peggy out to see me play live, suggesting that if she went home having enjoyed the music that evening, then he would know for sure he had the right act for his party.

So he brought his wife out to see me play and I wound up sitting at their table chatting with them, getting an idea of the kind of songs Peggy liked so I could plan the event accordingly. I so liked her warm energy, right away I noticed it, some people just have that warmth. I sat with the group for my entire break, so comfortable and fun was the conversation, and having now met Dave and Peggy and their engaging friends (all of them in on 'the secret' by the way), I was really looking forward to the gig myself.

Suddenly this was looking like it was going to be much more significant than just a night at work, it was going to be an event.

Dave contacted me the next day and confirmed he wanted me to play his wife's party and we started to plan how to make it happen. Though Peggy loved the duo she saw me play in, Dave wanted something bigger and more exciting for the party, he wanted a band. So I started thinking about the band I would use.

There was this one group whom I met indirectly through Jack FM, they are called OS5, and I first noticed them on facebook through the postings of their super promoter Shauna, who herself had found me through the Jack Contest and added me as a FB friend after I won it.

So on my facebook feed and in my mail messages was a regular stream of posts raving about her favorite band. One day I decided I had better check it out and am I ever glad I did because I really dug their stuff and became a fan quite straight away. In looking at their website, I finally understood what OS5 stood for. The Other Side of Five. They call themselves that because they all have day jobs and they practise, well, on the other side of five.

LOL, I liked that, and I wrote them an email saying so. Good for you, family guys. That was cool to me. And so began an online friendship and sharing of links and show info. One night when I was not working I came across an invite to a venue that OS5 was playing, which was not too far from me so I organized with the band to go see them play and sit in for a tune or two. I got up for my songs but wound up staying up on stage for rest of the night backing them up with vocals because we were all having some fun with the collaboration.

Shortly after that, we collaborated further as I was asked to sing background vocals on one of the songs OS5 was in studio recording for their CD. It right was around this time that Dave contacted me so the timing being what it was, I thought OS5 was the natural choice. I suggested Dave check out the bands website. Coincidentally, there was even a connection between the band and Dave and Peggy somehow. All the ingredients were looking ideal to make the day perfect.

After months of planning, a couple of rehearsals and a gig where I came to sit in with the band again, the big day arrived and it was so fantastically perfect in every way that I decided to take all the photos and footage from the event and use the song I sang on the OS5 CD to make a keepsake video of Peggy's party. It's a lovely memory of the collaboration between myself and the band. I think it turned out quite nicely and I want to share it with you.

Without further adieu, I say thanks to Dave and Peggy, and cheers to the awesome folks at the party who made it so much fun that night.

Special thanks to OS5 for asking me to be on their album, and for collaborating with me on this wonderful event. I love your music and I do want to invite everyone reading to check out the fabulous new CD here.

I'm too Young for this Stupid Cancer CD released!

Cancer took my fathers life in 2007.

I took my grief, processed it, and turned it into a song. (There is a blog post about it and a video of the rough draft here . )

The recorded version of the song found its way to Matthew Zachary, a talented and inspiring young man who fought and won a mighty battle with a brain tumor. Matthew is the founder of Stupid Cancer, I'm too Young for This ( i2y), a youth advocacy website who assists young adults, living with cancer. Stupid Cancer does endless good for young adults around the world, helping them shed their fears by giving them real tools, leads, and advice, as well as connecting them with resources and support. Stupid Cancer (i2y) has been awarded and named as a top charity website on the worldwide stage. (one of Time magazines top 50 websites in 2007)

One of the many, many things that Matthew does is he assembles musicians from around the world who are willing to donate a meaningful song to his cause, and he compiles these songs onto a single CD which is sold globally, through CD Baby. The proceeds, 100% of which, go to the support of youths with cancer. Volume 2, has just been released, and I am very proud to be a part of it.

This is an excerpt from the CD baby blurb.

I'm Too Young For This! Volume 2 features 20 original tracks composed by a brand new community of young adult recording artists who have been directly affected by cancer, either through their own personal diagnosis or that of a loved one. This album, in particular, is toned to specifically address the darker realities of cancer survival in the young adult population in that three of the musicians – Katie Reider, Jeannie Kauffmann and Michael Minton – are being recognized and memorialized posthumously.

Founded in 2007 by young adult survivors and for young adult survivors, the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation is a global leader in the fight against cancer working exclusively on behalf of survivors and their care providers under the age of 40. A TIME Magazine Best 50 Website for 2007, we have helped bring the cause of 'cancer under 40' to the national spotlight and rallied a brand new generation of activists to improve early detection, advocacy, research and support for this forgotten population.

"I wanted to create something radically different than other cancer benefit CDs," says Matthew Zachary, i[2]y Founder and young adult survivor. "Instead of simply slapping a pink ribbon on an existing compilation of songs by random pop artists, this project has deeper meaning and purpose as a practical educational tool that not only raises awareness for our mission but fulfills it simultaneously."

What a delicious and diverse album, there are artists from all around the world expressing a wide variety of music. Matthew, being an accomplished concert pianist himself, has excellent taste in music and an eye for quality, they are all recording artists in this bunch. I am honored to be included with these incredible people on this compilation. On the very first listen I thought, wow, I am part of this. Each song I heard impressed me in a new way.

Sometimes albums are criticised for having no theme, feel, or continuity in the music, and some would say that musically there is no real identity to define this CD because it is so diverse but in fact, I believe it is perfectly appropriate to have a collection such as this. I think the diversity of the music is reflective of how invasive cancer actually is in our society. It touches all of us, no matter who we are or what sort of rhythm we dance to, cancer affects us deeply as humans, and our humanity is the tie that binds.

And this is a beautiful CD.

I hope you will share this post with anyone and everyone, who might wish to support this very worthy cause! Just click the underlined words in my blog and you should be directed to the relevant websites, such as CD baby where you can purchase a CD online.

If you wish to know more, you can meet Matthew Zachary here:

You can also check out Rebecca Bollwitt's E! Online post on me if you missed it, the links there will also take you to Stupid Cancer!

To hear my song which is on "I'm too Young for This" CD you can go here:

http://rachaelchatoor.com/Showcase.html Credit to: Mick Dalla-Vee for instrumentations and arrangements, and to Millennia Sound Design for the production and recording. Thanks Mick, for taking my You Tube rough draft, and turning it into something I could send to Matthew for his project, you have been very helpful in my growth as a singer/songwriter. http://www.mickdallavee.com/

I will leave you with this.....I am constantly amazed at how music can be used to connect people, share a message, build a community, bring a smile.

This is one of the reasons I choose to play/write music, its not just because it is good for my soul, but its good for everyone, the language of it is so universal. And it's for this moment right here, right now, where you sit at my blog reading about someone who is doing something wonderful for other people.

I hope it inspires you, moves you, touches you. This isn't a song to chase fame, it was written to be told in the village square, around the campfire, at the kitchen table.

Good for you Matthew Zachary, thanks for including me in this project, I am so glad my song found a home! I had an inkling of this when I wrote the song, a sense, lots of signs along the way, but the picture was not clear until recently. Thats how it seems to work. If I was ever asked to share a story of hopeful divine intervention, I could easily tell this story.

And with that, I will say this, hey Daddy, I love you, I miss you. Thank you for showing me the way. I am learning to swim in the deep end finally, keeping my head above water and everything.

xo Rachael.

League of Rock ($1000 Membership giveaway CONTEST)

I have the opportunity to make someones day, I mean, really make someone day, and very soon!

Rachaelpachelwasmyname, (my blog) has been given a full membership to the League of Rock, to giveaway in a contest!

People, could I BE any luckier?? Could you?

I am a girl who likes to spread the 'warm and fuzzy' around, and I have been asked to administer the single, thousand dollar membership prize to one lucky musician.

This is perhaps the coolest opportunity that's ever found me.

If you haven't yet done so, please take a moment to read the post below this one and browse the videos, information, and links to the League of Rock. Prepare to be impressed with everything you see, plan to be excited and want to join. (and for those of you who are going to skip that step, here are the footnotes )






So, without further adieu, I will tell you how you can win the ($1000) membership prize, but first I will explain that I have never run a contest or given away anything like this before, so I immediately thought of sharing the prize with tech savvy internet goddess and personal hero Rebecca Bollwitt (who is also very well known as Miss 604 and is one of Vancouvers most influential bloggers). Thankfully Rebecca was excited to jump on board, so together now, we will give away the prize through both of our blogs.

There are actually two memberships to be won and two ways to win them, the rules are simple:

The first membership draw has excellent odds because the only entries will be from the people who actually register and join the league before July 17th, so basically, all joiners will have a chance at winning their registration fees back.

[It's your first and best shot at winning a prize, and if you are interested, you need to really look at the program and decide to participate. Once you register for the course, you are automatically entered (with ONLY the other registrants). There are only 40 spots for all of Vancouver so the odds are good to win, but do take note, spots are already being reserved so if you wait too long, you'll have to wait for the next session. ]

SIGN UP for the L. O. R. HERE

Now if you don't manage to grab a spot at registration time, there will still be a chance. Because the big membership giveaway is where Rebecca and I come in. We are collecting entries through each of our blogs and one lucky entry will win a membership for an entire season (value $1,000).
REBECCA's BLOG


Enter by simply leaving your name and info in the contest box at the link provided here:

CONTEST ENTRY FORM


BONUS: You can gain an extra entry if you Tweet about this contest using the hashtag #LORvan and link to either mine or Rebecca's contest blog post. Or, you can post our contest link to your own blog. Just make sure to come back here and post YOUR link in my comments box below, so I can find it and count it as another entry!


On the big League of Rock Vancouver launch party night at the Yale on July 22, Rebecca and I will bring all the collected entries with us and make the draw in person. You must be at the Yale when the draw is made to collect the prize.

Please note,

Deadline for entries is on JULY 14th!
(but you can still register all the way up until July 17th provided spaces are still availalable)


Make sure to listen for more LOR info on Rock 101!

And I want to send a special shout out to LOR corporate sponsor Long and McQuade , who have been the source of more awesome guitars and music gear over the years than I care to admit! For more LOR sponsor info go here.. SPONSORS


Good LUCK, and Rock on!