A Busy Kickoff To The Summer
Posted by Musician | Filed under Performances
Although we’ve not had much to say here, we’ve been busy as a group.
On June 12 (the night of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final) we played to what eventually became a full house at the Gourmet Gallery. Although the evening started off with lots of empty seats, by the time the game was over, the staff at the Gourmet Gallery were kept busy as patrons filled the place to close to capacity. This was our last show of the season at the Gallery. We look forward to playing back there again in fall.
This last week we’ve fit in an extra rehearsal in order to make sure that we have a chance to go through the 4 sets we are going to need for this coming weekend’s shows at the Church Of The Bues in Dewdney. We will be playing at the old Historic Dewdney Pub on Saturday from 8:30 PM to 12:30 AM. Then on Sunday we’ll be back hosting the blues jam from 3:00 to 7:00 PM.
The blues jam has become a Sunday afternoon institution at the Church Of The Bues, with some very talented local players coming out regularly. Personally, I have really enjoyed getting a chance to play with Gerald Charlie, Corey Lavigne & Dave Conroy. Hopefully they will come out again, and will be joined by other talented performers as well.
Hopefully you’ll be able to join us out at the Church Of The Bues, AKA the Historic Dewdney Pub, on either Saturday, the 27th, or for the jam on the 28th.
An Evening Of Blues At The Gourmet Gallery
Posted by Musician | Filed under Performances
Last Friday evening (the 24th), we had a great show at the Gourmet Gallery. The audience was made up of many of the Gourmet Gallery regulars, and also a lot of new people. One thing I really noticed, was how many of the audience members were really listening to the music, and not talking during the performance.
As musicians playing this type of venue, we fully expect that people will carry on conversations during the show. When we look up and see people leaning towards the band, making eye contact with individual band members that they don’t know, singing along with the music, or in some other way expressing their engagement with our performance, that gives us a strong sense that our music is in some way resonating with the audience. There is of course no greater reward for a band than this.
We have one more show at the Gourmet Gallery before the summer break. We play there next on Friday, June 12.
If you like blues, and you haven’t yet seen Deception, come on out and give us a listen. We have a unique sound, that appeals to more than just blues fans.
While we do a number of traditional blues songs, much of our music is far more complex than just simple 12 bar, 3 chord blues progressions. Check us out, and see what you think!
Another Packed House
Posted by Musician | Filed under Performances, Photos
Last night we played to another full house at the Gourmet Gallery. There were a lot of new faces in the audience, as well as a number of our loyal fans, and regular Friday night Gourmet Gallery music enthusiasts.
Kimberley has rearranged the stage area where the band plays, which now gives us quite a bit more room.
Photo by M. Margison
Here’s a nice shot of Gary. It’s impossible to get a photo of him playing that doesn’t have something, or someone, blocking part of his face.
Photo by M. Margison
Speaking of faces… It’s nearly impossible to get a picture of a sax player when they’re playing, that doesn’t look a bit “off” in some way. All those things we learned while studying seem to get forgotten when we perform. In the end, it’s all about our individual sound, and how we achieve it.
Photo by M. Margison
The new song we introduced, Everybody’s Got A Mountain To Climb, was extremely well received. This really was the perfect place to play it for an audience for the first time.
As usual we had a great deal of fun playing at the Gourmet Gallery. We’re really looking forward to being back on April 24. Hopefully we’ll see you there!
Rock ‘n Blues At The Station Pub In Downtown Abbotsford
Posted by Musician | Filed under Performances, Photos
On February 12th, Deception, along with a number of other local bands, christened the stage at the newly renovated Station Pub in Downtown Abbotsford. This effort was led by Abbotsford’s own Paxton Bachman, whose Blues band kicked off the night as the first band on the new stage.
It was a Thursday night filled with great music, as Downtown Abbotsford was rocked by the some of this city’s most well known musical acts.
Deception was the second band up on stage that night. As you can see, the stage is actually not that small. It can accommodate a 5-piece if you don’t have too much gear…
Now poor Gary is forever having a hard time with band photos. He is always behind the front line, or behind his cymbals, or as in the case above, behind a microphone. So I decided he needed a little something “extra” to indicate just how much he means to us.
So Gary, in honour of your gold medal performances over the years, I hope you enjoy this touch of gold edging in your stylized portrait. 
Jammin’ At The Church Of The Blues
Posted by Musician | Filed under Performances, Photos
Our 2 shows at the Historic Dewdney Inn, AKA, The Church Of The Blues, were a great deal of fun, and were full of surprises.
On Saturday night the place was packed when we got there to set up, because a ball league had some kind of event going. There wasn’t a table or seat to be had for hours. The crowd stuck around for most of the pm, and even our last set, from midnight to 1:00 am, saw dancers on the dance floor, and patrons enjoying the atmosphere of the pub.
On Sunday, the jam started at 3:00 in the afternoon, and the visiting talent, didn’t disappoint the crowd. Again, a special event was going on. This time it was a birthday party. A table of 15 party-goers came around 3:30, and the last of them didn’t leave until around 8:15, which coincidentally, was when we started our last song! Besides the B-day party crowd, the place again was packed, and finding a table was difficult.
Here are a couple of photos I took before we started the jam. Pardon the blurriness. My camera doesn’t have an image stabilization feature, and I had a bit of a tremor yesterday. (I really need a new camera!) Just click on either image to enlarge it, and you can then scroll through both of them that way.
The musical talent that comes weekly to jam at the Church Of The Blues is varied and quite diverse. Yesterday we had a couple of harp players, a few guitar players, drummers, a bass player, and a vocalist. (I hope I’m not forgetting anyone. If I am, I apologize!)
On a personal note, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to play with Corey Lavigne & Dave Conroy again. Both of these guitar players are very different to both each other, and to Art in their playing style. Working with them gives me a great chance to try different things, and groove on different riffs.
Yesterday I also had my first opportunity to play with Gerald Charlie, on his original Blues tunes, that were featured on his CDs. That was a great experience! Again, a very different Blues guitarist, and I found myself doing very different types of licks and riffs.
We’re looking forward to our next weekend of shows at the Church Of The Blues. If you haven’t yet checked out the music at the Historic Dewdney Inn, and you like the Blues, you owe it to yourself to do so. The music is great, and so is the atmosphere & the food.
Deception is the Abbotsford-based blues band formed in the mid-90s by guitar player Art Panchishin.