Randy Mathers
Posted by Musician
Photography by M. Margison © 2010
As a child Randy always had a need to bang on whatever he could find that would make a cool noise—like metal oil drums at his father’s saw mill, or the kitchen pots and pans. His first formal training was in 1964, when at the age of 11 he joined the Fraser Valley Junior Pipes and Drums. Advancing to drum sergeant, he toured with the band to numerous military tattoos, parades and other ceremonies at various venues throughout the Pacific Northwest.
By the time he reached high school it was 1966, and music interests shifted from Celtic to rock and roll. The first garage band he and his friends put together was called It’s Better Than Nothing, and technically speaking, it was (just). He played in a band called Blind Truth which practiced at an Abbotsford orphanage. One of band members and resident of the orphanage was (to be) punk artist Art Bergman. Art went on to fame and fortune many years later while Randy and five friends formed a band called The Young Society. In 1968 they made a television appearance on Club Six, and cut a record titled Games—flip side Flyin’ Away—both composed by their late lead singer, Jim McWilliams. They performed at many venues from hotels in Hope to the Vancouver night club scene and numerous dances on the west coast.
The band broke up in 1969. From there Randy played with several groups including country rock bands The Rancheros and The Jane Clark Five.
He has been playing drums for another band of predominantly medical professionals called No Code Blue since 2004. This group plays a wide variety of genres but is totally lacking in the blues department. Randy’s love of the blues attracted him to Deception and has been working with them since 2009.
Deception is the Abbotsford-based blues band formed in the mid-90s by guitar player Art Panchishin.