You’ll discover a whole lot of cowl bands in Whistler, and understandably so. As a world-renowned ski resort that transforms into an elite mountain bike scorching spot in summer season months, this city attracts a revolving door of tourists which depart artists with a special crowd virtually each night time. Maybe that’s one purpose teams like A Entire Lotta Led have remained profitable for thus lengthy with out having to department out to different areas.
That mentioned, there’s at all times worth in originality: which is precisely what Pemberton band Mars Crossing intends to convey to its upcoming present.
“The few instances we performed domestically in Pemberton earlier than, we’ve had nice suggestions,” says drummer Tom Rimmer. “Persons are stoked they usually need to hear it once more. Of us need to take pleasure in listening to music, and I believe Whistler locals are possibly getting a bit uninterested in listening to the identical music performed over and time and again.”
Rimmer can be joined by lead singer Caleb Mackenzie, bassist Brad Nichols and guitar gamers Mike Grenzer and Joseph Salay, a.ok.a. Sal. The group coalesced by probability, on an evening when Grenzer went to Mackenzie’s home (the situation of a full of life celebration) and requested him to show the music down.
What may need been a contentious encounter turned out to be awfully serendipitous.
The 2 males fell right into a musical groove and stayed up all night time enjoying collectively. Mackenzie’s the youngest member of Mars Crossing: he’s in his 30s whereas the remaining are of their 50s and 60s. Because of this, he brings a special fashion in comparison with the basic rock roots of his mates.
“We’re a little bit of southern rock, a little bit of funk and a few blues,” Rimmer explains. “Caleb’s songs are actually good—they’re form of commonplace, with not a whole lot of complexity or chord adjustments, whereas Mike’s songs are the overall reverse. We’ve some easy-listening songs, however we even have some complicated-music songs. As a musician, they’re each enjoyable to play.”
Punk rock
Rimmer is certainly a lifelong musician. His dad as soon as performed in a high-school orchestra, whereas his mother was a pianist, and there have been at all times devices kicking round their household residence close to Guelph, Ont. At age 9, he managed to avoid wasting $90 and purchase a drum equipment off
of his neighbour.
By his mid-teens, Rimmer had immersed himself within the burgeoning punk rock scene of Montreal and Toronto: an period the place one might take the metro to 3 or 4 totally different exhibits per night time if desired. Sporting a mohawk and a pair of Doc Marten boots, Rimmer gained loads of publicity opening for extra established bands earlier than promoting his devices and shifting to Whistler at 17 years of age.
He got here for the snowboarding, however in the end stayed for the music.
Rimmer’s first band, The Dank Nuggs, lasted for nearly eight years as he and two different locals toured throughout British Columbia. They lined everybody from Grateful Useless to the Allman Brothers earlier than going their separate methods. Subsequently, Rimmer and Grenzer performed with A Entire Lotta Led guitarist Phil Richards for practically twenty years till Richards moved to Vancouver Island.
Musical development
Similar to with every other ability, apply makes proficient with regards to music.
“Taking part in with all these guys through the years, it permits you to develop musically,” says Rimmer. “Music is a ardour for me. I’m not enjoying for the earnings or the adoration of a crowd. I’m enjoying as a result of I really like enjoying music, and drumming particularly.
“Rhythm is basically what drives individuals to bounce, so I get to have the enjoyable job of controlling the gang. Over time, I’ve realized to pay attention. We actually take time to craft the songs that we’ve been writing. We’ve songs that we wrote three years in the past and we’re nonetheless tweaking their endings or
their beginnings.”
Going ahead, Rimmer hopes Mars Crossing’s recent stuff will proceed to win over audiences and promoters alike.
“Wouldn’t hiring an authentic band that writes their very own music and is self-produced [be a great way to promote arts]?” he asks rhetorically. “Persons are getting gigs primarily based on the covers they play, after which they inject one or two of their authentic songs. We’re attempting to do the precise reverse: now we have 20 authentic songs and two covers. I believe persons are going to be shocked at what they hear.”
Mars Crossing takes the stage Could 11 on the Pemberton Legion.
