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Playing Guitar with CounterPoint

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So on Thursday Oct. 30 I was jamming with Counterpoint!

This is the band that was playing in the 2008 Nuance Art Rock festival. This experience was one that I will remember for years to come.

The guys in CounterPoint are looking for a guitar player that will help round out their unique sound. As you’ve read in some of my other posts on this blog and on my Guitar Licks and Tips site, I have been very excited about how these guys approach song writing and how they play, because they achieve that BIG FAT sound that I LOVE.

The guys from CounterPoint

They asked me if I wanted to jam/try out for the guitar player role for these masters of progressive rock, when I saw them that fateful night at the show. I hummed and hawed about this for months it seemed (really it was only a couple of weeks). Then finally one night I said to my wife, what the heck and just threw my hat into the ring! That night I had a lot of trouble sleeping. In the back of my mind I was saying to myself Am I really ready for this?

We then set a date to get together. It was delayed a few times because of this, that and the other thing, but finally we got together.

When we sat down in the rehearsal hall, Rising Star Studios, I was finally relaxed. You couldn’t find a nicer bunch of guys. We sat and talked for a while, they even brought a couple of beers to make the jam more relaxing, nice touch.

I just stuck to my coffee because I had the songs that I went through at home in my old brain box running in overdrive and I didn’t want to mess anything up! As a rule I don’t like to drink when I play guitar, unless it’s at a campfire or just goofing around here and there. While jamming with guys of this caliber, you need to have your head screwed on correctly! As it turned out, these were just your regular kinda guys and I had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Keep on Jammin’




Rebel Wheel at Nuance 2008

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Rebel Wheel at this years Nuance 2008 was like the icing on a perfectly made musical cake! Once again, real nice line up there Wilton!

This Ottawa band played with so much feel and expression that night. Their sound was great and their approach to music showed a level of writing that I have not seen in many years. If they keep this up, then this will not be the last that we see/hear from these guys! Watch out for them.

Their on stage presence is that of a bunch of fun loving friends that are just jammin’ in a hall, and you just happen to be there at that point in time! They first gave me the impression of a Bare Naked Lady that meets a Jazz fusion band. I think that the BNL’s are the most entertaining band to see live!After a short period of time, I soon realized that there was much more to them then meets the ears. It honestly looked like Rebel Wheel was having a blast!

The true leader of the band is David Campbell. I loved some of the Steve Howe influences that he used in Tempra, but more on that stuff later! His approach to the guitar is wild! It was enthusiastic and intriguing to watch him jam. Aaron Clark, the drummer of the band and the guy I bought a shot of that black ouzo for, was funny … but he certainly is the back bone of the sound.

Gary Lauzon is the bass player of the band. He also had the best playing stance of anyone that played there that night … he was sitting down in a chair the whole show. Ah, Leon Redbone, I get it! Don’t get me wrong, the man was re-inventing how the direction of bass playing maybe going towards! His technique with his hammer on’s where something to behold. Very neat way to play the bass!

Now last but not least, there is Angie MacIvor. Who wouldn’t want a player like her in your band. Her sax, voice and keys were nice touches everywhere she put them into a tune. Not over powering at times, but intense when you really needed it! She added that Shuffle Demons feel to them, that night, LOVED IT!!!

So I have to give the Rebel Wheel band a 2 thumbs up! Now, go and check out their site for dates in your area and see for yourself … they are worth the drive.

Rebel Wheel, Keep on Jammin’

CounterPoint at the Nuance 2008 show

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CounterPoint is the kind of band that you DO NOT want to miss seeing live at least once in your life. These guys are just that good.

I read their bio’s from the evenings program and it was so nicely done that I have decided to show you all what was in it.

Member Biographies taken from the Nuance 2008 program:

Rick Kazmirchuk, Keyboards & Backing Vocals.

In February of 2008 he went out on my own to start the CounterPoint project as I wanted to write a more aggressive style of progressive rock. I needed to find players with a high level of musicianship to pull this off which I am happy to say has been accomplished with Jeff Morrison handling vocal duties, Chris Noto on bass and Joe Pawslowski on drums.

Joined my first band (Purple Haze) at 15 playing cover material and some original. Worked with numerous original bands over the years (Meshiana Wish, The Wish, Spinal Tramp, Media, NRG) still writing and performing original material and playing more cover material that was progressive-oriented along the lines of SAGA and Genesis and played in a SAGA clone band in the early 1980’s.

In 1986 I joined CERAFIM and was the major contributor and influence to the writing of the band’s
music in the styles of progressive and contemporary rock. CERAFIM went on to record 4 well received CD’s and is still musically active through Internet radio stations and is distributed internationally by a number of independent record labels.

In January of 2005 I ventured into a new musical partnership as keyboardist with the Canadian original progressive rock band THE LAST PLACID DAYS OF PLENTY.

Chris Noto, Bass guitar

Chris has been playing bass guitar since 1972 and has been surrounded by music as far back as he can remember as his father Sam Noto is one of the best jazz trumpet players in the world.

Chris brings a unique style of bass to the band, a cross between prog rock greats such as Chris Squire (YES) and Greg Lake (ELP) as well as a be bop jazz influence from his father. Chris grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and moved to Toronto in 1975 and has been here off and on ever since.

Chris opened for the band Mountain in Las Vegas when he was a mere 21 years old. He has played with keyboardist Rick Kazmirchuk in NRG, CERAFIM and a brief stint with the Last Placid Days of Plenty before teaming up with Rick as bassist for the CounterPoint project.

Joe Pawlowski, Drums & Percussion

I’ve been playing drums for almost 30 years. My main influences are Gene Krupa, John Bonham, Carl
Palmer, Billy Cobham, Bill Bruford, Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy. I have been in a variety of different bands, from Rock, Jazz and Progressive.

I plan to give you a blow by blow description of their show in upcoming posts in the future. Stay tuned for more … I promise it will be more then worth the wait!

CounterPoint, Keep on Jammin’

Lorne Hind at the Nuance 2008 show

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Lorne Hind from LorneHind360, was a natural opening act to kick start the Nuance show. He is also listed as the only instrumental band to play that night as well!

Lorne Hind

Lorne began his musical career in his hometown of Whitby, Ontario. As they say, good things grow in Ontario! Sorry that was a bad one, but there is absolutely nothing wrong in his playing style at all.

There at the impressionable age of 9, he was enrolled in the prestigious Royal Conservatory of Music. I started taking lessons from a teacher with these accreditation, but as you know some people are natural instructors and some … well not so much.

As a student of guitar, he was taught music theory, classical guitar and wanted to take what he fathered there and move on to learn about the electric guitar. This is where he found his first love.

He said that his knowledge of music theory was a little shaky in the beginning stages but, that didn’t stop him from forming a teenage garage band. Now let this be a life lesson here kidz, don’t think that you’re not good at playing any instrument at first try. If you keep up the love and the drive, you CAN and WILL achieve anything that you set your old brain box to do.

At the age of 16, his parents moved the family to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Now while residing in the USA, Lorne concentrated his efforts on teaching himself more about music theory and the structure of songwriting. This is something that I did, but the structure of songwriting is the only thing that has eluded me still to this date!

So while looking over his site, take note of when and where he is playing and go out and see him live. Like myself watching him for the first time, you’ll probably say, who the hell needs Jeff Beck when we have Lorne!

Keep on Jammin’

Nuance 2008 Music Festival

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This was a celebration of Art/Progressive music scene in Toronto. In it’s 3rd year, I find it was more than what was advertised in the Toronto media.

I once again proudly proclaim that this years 2008 Nuance Art Rock Festival was a massive success!

I just can’t say enough great praise for this event. If you live in the Toronto/GTA area and your a big lover of Progressive rock, then keep your eye out on all of my blogs for next years event. Having missed the last couple of years, I feel that I have lost an opportunity to see other bands of this great musical genre and help keep this torch alive for future generations to come!

So check out some of my links to see what it is that I am talking about!

Keep on Jammin’ Nuance

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