Thursday night we arrived in Williams Lake (7 hour drive) to play The Laughing Loon Pub with a Toronto based singer songwriter, Jessica Speziale. We arrived early and the gig was great! We all had a good sleep at the Super 8 Motel and headed off to Hazelton, BC (9 hour drive) the next morning. Bessie started right up and we were making good time, when about 7 minutes before Burns Lake (3 hours from Hazelton) we heard a loud pop. The engine shut off and we lost power steering (our poor drummer Nick was driving and completely thinks this is his fault). Nick quickly pulled the van over and she immediately began smoking and leaking coolant all over the ground. F*ck. The five of us combined knew enough about cars to know that we should call someone who knows about cars. 0/5 of us have BCAA. It’s 4:30pm, and apparently the town of Burns Lake shuts down at 5pm. After calling a bevy of Auto shops, one reluctantly told me they will wait for us until 5:30pm. The tow truck comes quick and Bessie is hauled onto a flat bead… I am trying to play it cool but dying inside. We are 3 hours from the festival with 6 hours before we have to be on stage.
Diagnoses is not good. Her water cooler fan somehow broke off (not Nick’s fault) and sliced through the god damn radiator. She needs a new water pump and radiator. There are no radiators in Burns Lake at this time… there are also no car rental companies in Burns Lake (note this). There is one guy “up the road” who “has some U-Hauls” and may be able to “rent us one”. We call him and explain our predicament. Turns out this man is also the local town taxi and he offers to come grab the five of us free of charge. A grey mini-van pulls up minutes later with a yellow lab named Max in the front seat. The man introduces himself as Dirk (our guitarist Curt will insist his name was Derek, but it was Dirk – he is German). Dirk drives us up to his “office” and shows us the one U-Haul he is able to rent us. It is a two seater, meaning 3 dudes and our gear would have to go in the actual truck bed… on top of that sounding relatively dangerous and uncomfortable, U-Haul quotes us $560 to rent the van until Sunday afternoon. I contest that Dirk saw m throw up in my mouth slightly and in turn piped up offering us a ride in his taxi for $330 flat. That’s 3 hours there and 3 hours back on a Friday night (prime taxi time). We love you Dirk! We head back to the auto shop to leave my keys with the good folks at Moonlight Auto and grab our gear – space is limited, so naturally I leave my shoes behind (this was an accident). We decide Max (Dirk’s pup) won’t fit so we quickly run him home to Dirk’s trailer with a beautiful view and whom I can only assume was his German mother inside. And we’re off.

                                                        The deal is that the mechanics have to order up a radiator from “down South” aka Vancouver. Nothing is open over the weekend (naturally) so it will have to be ordered Monday morning, getting it to Burns Lake Tuesday or Wednesday, putting me home Thursday or Friday. This is no good for the boys (or me but that is my home, so…) and we decide we will need to find rides to either Smithers or Prince George and they will Greyhound or fly from there. My fate is in the hands of the radiator gods.
3 hours and $330 later we arrive at the Festival with an hour and a half to spare before we hit the stage. It was pissing rain and my lack of shoe-bringing left me in Birkenstocks and socks. But then we met the organizers… Kispiox is amazing. The organizers covered our cab, gave us a car for the weekend to get around, and showed us unbelievable hospitality. We killed our set, met a bunch of beauties, saw some amazing talent and went home to our glorious (if you’re cool with taxidermy) billet house on 247 acres of land with 30 horses, a dog named Rosie, a cat name Trogdor (yes, Trogdor) and the comfiest pillow top mattress I have ever slept on. I was supposed to stay on the campground in Bessie – this was the one plus of her not being around.
Word had spread around the grounds of a band that took a cab to the festival, and at breakfast Saturday morning a lady named Norma Stokes overheard our conversation and pieced together it was us. Norma was startled we cabbed – she asked us how much it was and immediately turned to her daughter saying “I have to do something about that”. I re-assured her we were covered for the cost, and she then began problem solving. She mentioned she had an extra car at the festival and offered it to us… to drive to wherever we needed to go and then return to Smithers… we were dumbfounded. She then matter-of-factly told me I would stay with her in Smithers until Bessie was fixed and then she would drive me the 2 hours to Burns Lake. People like this exist? Yea – there is apparently a plethora of them in Northern BC. The boys later ended up finding individual rides (I got on the mic during our Saturday set and explained our situation and had 6 or 7 different offers from festival goers/musicians/you name it) and so we didn’t need Norma’s car after all, but her and her husband George did take me into their lovely home for 2 nights. We sadly had to cancel our gig in Prince George on the Sunday night as we didn’t have any of our back line with us (PA system, drums, etc.), but this meant we got to stay for the salmon feast at Kispiox on Sunday with all of the volunteers and artists. This is really a beautiful festival, and I am so honoured it was my first as a performer.

Our set on Saturday was electric and I made a posse of 7-11 year old girl fans who took me back to their campsite to meet their parents, which turned into food and wine and an offer to horseback ride the next day, which I took and we did and it was magical. The boys left Sunday afternoon and I hung out with some new found friends and headed off with Norma after dinner. Monday morning I called around Smithers and Houston to see if anyone had a radiator, but it seems the North was fresh out. I told Moonlight Auto in Burns Lake to go ahead and order one up from Vancouver and they assured me Bessie would be ready to rock by Tuesday afternoon. That night I drank wine from a bottle in a brown paper bag by Bulkley River and wrote lyrics. This wasn’t so bad.
 
Tuesday morning Norma and I packed a picnic and started off for Burns Lake (a 4 hour drive there and back, out of her way, after putting my ass up for two nights). Norma and George Stokes started up Midsummer Music Festival in Smithers over 30 years ago with $500. When the festival actually became profitable a decade later, they took the revenue and started a grant-like program that offered $5,000 in funding to small communities that wanted to start their own music festival. This program started Kispiox, Robson Valley Music Festival, and many more. Norma also started a day care called The Ark in Telkwa; they are huge staples in their community and two of the nicest people I have ever met.
Bessie wasn’t ready so Norma and I ate her homemade chicken noodle soup in the sun by the water until she took off and I killed time in town. 4 hours and $850 later, and we’re off!
I don’t really drive very much. I prefer to be driven. Always have. I had my ex-boyfriends car for 6 months once and racked up over $600 in parking tickets and tows (I was oblivious to street signs). Bessie is the first car I have ever owned and I do not take that lightly. She is a tall girl, and when a semi passes her on the highway she likes to shift with the passing wind. After 6 hours of driving (3 in the dark) and the comedown from a red bull buzz, I called it quits and searched for camping near 150 mile house. It took me 30 minutes of driving back and forth along the same dirt road to finally find the site I was looking for and I pulled in around 12:30am. The camp supervisor greeted me in the dark; his name was Wes. We made small talk for a few minutes until I asked him if that deafening moaning we were pretending to ignore was a bear in the woods. He laughed and said “No probably just a Caribou… that reminds me, did you hear about the two peanuts that went walking in the dark? One was assaulted!” I felt safe already.
I woke up at 5:30am in paradise. Sun shining over Dugan Lake and nothing but nature sounds all around me (and the moans of the Caribou). I made myself some tea and oatmeal, took a naked swim and hit the pavement, super thankful for a safe sleep (this is my first time alone on the road after all). I did the 6 hour drive in 9 being cautious with Bessie and my sleep-deprived stressed-out self. Home sweet home some new friends and a wonderful story to tell.

Lessons Learned:
Always quote a music festival your booking fee PLUS your travel…
Bring boots to any BC event in the woods
Get BCAA
All Forestry campsites in BC are free (Dugan Lake is not one of these, but $12 was worth it)
Don’t drive with your propane tank on…
***Continue to have faith in the world and appreciate it ever the more when it pulls through. I very much look forward to passing the kindness and genouristy that was shown to me this past week onto others.

TO MANY MORE #ADVANTURES (see what I did there…)

Em.

The post advantures of the North… appeared first on EMILY CHAMBERS.

Not just any van, my van, Bessie. Between launching my Pledge Campaign, selling my clothes (moving into a van is cause for a downsize), and this post, it might appear that this whole musician life isn’t working out so hot for me. But my friends I assure you it is quite the opposite. I have never been so focused (and overwhelmed) and driven (and super overwhelmed) and stoked to be putting all of my energy into what I love to do. I am in the middle of finishing my EP, booking a US tour, planning my EP release (September 14th at The Biltmore) and gigging like crazy. Spring was a good time to quit the day job, people dig live music in the summer…
So what does all this have to do with moving into Bessie?

Truth is my current living situation has expired earlier than expected, and my tenants are still in my West End apartment (by my I am referring to the place that I rent… not sure if that needed explaining) and while the living is good, I cannot afford to move into some new digs in Vancouver for two months before leaving on tour. Not only is rent cray, but I have a camper van. Hellooo? Seems obvious. I actually manifested this. I asked the universe for a camper van to live/tour in. Sometimes our manifestations turn out a little different than how we imagined, but it is important to acknowledge that they are real. There is a lot of power in asking the world for something… and with that a lot of responsibility!

Where do I shower/shave/pee you ask? I have a yoga pass. Where do I park overnight? Usually residential areas. We may have been neighbours for a minute… WiFi? Prado, JJ Bean, Greenhorn, you name it! Not only has this been cost effective, but it has really de-cluttered my life (not much room for clutter) physically and kind of emotionally… I think I can get down with this tiny-living less-material lifestyle. More room to be overwhelmed! Sure there are nights when I wish the parking lot would have a power outage, or mornings when maybe I don’t want to wake up to the keener running groups at sunrise. When it rains, it may sound like a million kids are shooting pellets from a gun at my tin palace, but when I am awakened by the subtle sway of Bessie as the wind from a passing car reaches my haven, I simply smile, and remember that this is exactly what I wanted.

Em.

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I wanted to thank you for all of your support on my musical endeavors this past year and beyond. It means the world to me to have you on my team.

I am writing to let you know that I have launched a PledgeMusic Campaign to help fund my album due out this Fall! In the last year I have been working my tail off writing and recording new music for your ears and souls. I have quit my day job, bought a van, worked with some of the best musicians in Vancouver, teamed up with an amazing producer and planned my first US tour! This September, with your help, all that work will come to fruition!

With PledgeMusic, you can pre-order any of the items in my store and receive a digital download of my 5 track EP before anyone else, while also gaining exclusive access to behind-the-scenes footage of me in the studio, on tour, and much more! 5% of every Pledge made is going to Parkinson’s Society British Columbia.

Three years ago these were all just dreams and ideas that manifested into obsessions and now realities. Join me on this ride and be a part of my inspiration for the next album! And please pass this along to your fellow music lovers and supporters. I can’t wait to share this music with y’all.

Em.

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I saw this post on Facebook of “Your Dreams” literally calling you, and I wondered what number I could assign to that title, so that one day I could legit answer that phone call. An A&R rep from Columbia Records perhaps? Quest Love wanting to collab? James Bay wanting to co-write? Prince wanting to produce my record? Allen Stone asking me to open for his next tour? Lee Hall (screenwriter of Billy Elliot) wanting to co-produce a broadway musical based off the songs from Mumford & Sons first album “Sigh No More”? (yes. this is a dream of mine.)

I’d like to think that I’ve already answered some of these calls in my life: my first love, Berklee College of Music, my first album, my first band (Champagne Republic), my first apartment all to myself, the courage to go solo, the players & people I am now surrounded with, my full-time musician life, my second love, my camper van… (believe it or not, those are two separate things). I’ve had some missed calls from my dreams, and some conversations that didn’t go quite as planned. I’ve got some voicemails from my dreams that I need to delete; some I need to call back. There are a few that I need to have long, attentive conversations with, and a couple I need to hang up on. Certain calls have been put on hold for way too long, but I know they’re patiently waiting for me on the other line.

It is easy to get bogged down and overwhelmed by the call log, that’s why I believe it is so important to check in with the ones you have already made – even the real short convos: I flossed today; I can hit that note now; I can get through an entire conversation without straightening the magazines on the coffee table (almost); I can eat a piece of sourdough bread and not feel like I am going to explode (this just happened… CAN I EAT BREAD AGAIN!?). Your dreams are out there waiting for you, and when you’re ready, they will call. Don’t discredit the conversations you’ve already had just because your great white buffalo hasn’t wrung yet.

Sometimes “Your Dreams” get the wrong number. Sometimes they aren’t who you thought they were, and you answer and it’s actually that seedy guy from the bar you accidentally gave your real number to. That’s cool… just block and re-program. Sometimes they are waiting for you to call. Don’t be shy, they want you just as bad as you want them; dial those digits!

If I could look at the call history, it would be a lengthy, convoluted road map to where I am today, that hasn’t even scratched the surface of where I’m heading. It would be full of ups and downs, twists and turns, laughs, tears, misdials, re-dials, unanswered and even some unknown callers. It would be a great story full of hilarious soundbites, well worth the charges.

Have your dreams called yet? If they did, would you know who was on the other line?

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I want to thank the Imperial, for hooking us up with a Friday night at an unreal rate in the name of a good cause. I want to thank all of the volunteers, namely the MUSICIANS that volunteered their time and talent to bring us all together – this was kind of a DREAM bill to be a part of… Vancouver’s got souull mann! 

BIG UPS to One Two Productions who ran a social media campaign for this event and also covered the entire show. Made up of two wonderful humans who do fantastic work – these are their photos; you guys are the tits.
I want to thank Roundhouse Radio for interviewing myself, my dad and Joan Copeland from PSBC to spread awareness about this disease and the word on the fundraiser. Thank you to Vancity Buzz & HelloVancity for the shout outs. Special thanks to Kim Bowie for putting us on the map! MOST OF ALL, I want to thank my sister, Kate Chambers, for doing this with me, my mom for her constant support, and of course my dad, for the daily inspiration. I love you!

We are thinking about making this an annual event for Parkinson’s Disease! What do you think? Would you come out again? I would LOVE your feedback so next year is EVEN BETTER!
Photo by Christopher Edmonstone

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Quick update: I’ve been on a writing tear lately – writing about anything and everything that pops into my head, from tunes to raps to spoken word – I am diggin’ it. I will be recording next month and into January – so stay tuned for new tracks.

Played some rad gigs last month. One of which was a Give Thanks dinner put together by Fam & Co. and The Juicery Co. in support of the Adopt-A-School Children’s Fund. I am proud to say that both of these companies are run by my friends, and are all about supporting local food, music, art & charities.

Photos by Matt Bourne

Philip Laessoe

I also scored my first opening slot at The Biltmore for Jillette Johnson and Delta Rae! They were both wicked – I especially dug Jillette. She has a smokin’ Stevie Nicks vibe to her and killer vocals. I played a 30 minute set with my friend and new writing partner, Benjamin Parker. 3 out of 6 of the tunes we played were brand spankin’ new and I had never sung them for anyone… hadn’t been that nervous for a show in a while, and it was awesome.

I realize I am wearing the same outfit at both these shows . . . it’s a glamorous profession . . . meaning I’m broke.

The next show that I am really stoked for is what spawned this little update (see featured image) – a private house concert on November 10th with Kaylee Johnston and Claire Mortifee, two kick ass local artists that are joining me to raise money in support of a larger fundraiser I am throwing at The Imperial on January 8th for Parkinson’s Disease.

Barry Chambers

My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s almost 13 years ago, and I have always wanted to contribute to this cause somehow. This year I finally felt like I was in a place to collaborate with the amazing support I have around me, including the wealth of talent I have met here in Vancouver over this last year, to put together a concert in benefit of this disease. I have teamed up with Parkinson’s Society British Columbia, and with YOUR HELP we are hoping to make this a sold out event.

The line up for January 8th includes Star Captains, David Morin, Tonye Aganaba, Dutch Robinson, Camaro 67 and myself. There will be a silent auction along with a live auction of 3 amazing paintings done by my immensely talented friend, Lauren Taylor. Tickets will be available November 10th, and 100% of the proceeds are going towards Parkinson’s research. More info to come on this soon!

IF you are interested in attending the November 10th House Concert, please RSVP to the Facebook event and you will be sent the address. This is going to be an intimate night of acoustic performances. There is a suggested $10 donation at the door, and all RSVP’s will be entered in a draw to win a pair of tickets to the January 8th show. Help us make this happen! Oh and BYOB!

Sooo yea…. that’s what’s goin on with me! Eating tacos and hittin up Leon Bridges tonight at The Commodore! You going? Let’s taco ’bout it…

The post star gazing and fundraising appeared first on EMILY CHAMBERS.

Some of my favourite gigs so far have included two shows at Alexander Gastown, being a part of a benefit for Nepal at The Cobalt with some of Vancouver’s best (including Dawn Pemberton, David Morin, The Star Captains, Tonye Aganaba and more), playing with The Darlings Cabaret at Guilt & Company, being a part of the To The Max fundraiser for BC’s Ride to Conquer Cancer (for the 6th year in a row!) and taking the stage at West Vancouver’s Harmony Arts Festival at beautiful Ambleside Beach – my hometown! The players I’ve had the pleasure of riding with include Alexander Flock, Philip Laessoe, Georges Couling, Brendan Krieg, Brent Mah, Graham Clark, Eric Lipschultz, and many others.

I couldn’t be more stoked on this first chapter of my journey as a solo artist, and I can’t wait to see what the Fall has in store. Thanks so much for all of the support!

Photos by Mayo Will Photography 

The post so long summer appeared first on EMILY CHAMBERS.

I’ve always wanted to write a bit of a blog, so here you will find tid bits of my life, possibly streaming beyond my music and into the vast world of what new albums I am checking out, that beauty hike I did, or what I ate for breakfast (obviously). No – I will keep it interesting I promise (“best eggs benny I ever had yo!”). I am pretty much just very excited to have a platform you can come to for new tunes, videos, news and mainly gigs! Drop me a line in the comments section for any booking inquiries, or simply to strike up a conversation! Thanks so much for the support and I hope to see you out at a show soon!

Photos by Shayne Zwickle

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