Northern Groove Musician-in-Residence: Dave Tolley

November is shaping up to be an exciting month of music in Fort St. John.  In addition to copious amounts of concerts, November will see legendary Canadian percussionist Dave Tolley becoming Northern Groove's first ever Musician-in-Residence. 

Fort St. John has developed quite a reputation among touring musicians.  Our city is one of the favourite stops for many tours as we've become known for our friendly and appreciative crowds.  Musicians return again and again - some so many times that we should grant them honorary citizenship. 

It is for these reasons that Dave Tolley has agreed to live, work, and play in Fort St. John for the month of November.  During his residency he will host workshops, work with Northern Groove to help build up and spread the word about our fabulous local music community, and if we're lucky maybe participate in some live shows (rumour has it he will be arriving on October 30 - the day of the Halloween Rock n' Roll House Party).

Many of you have probably already met Dave in the 4 years he has been stopping in FSJ.  Although we're used to seeing him play with Toronto's Nine Mile, Dave has drummed all across the world with the likes of Xavier Rudd.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we bring you more info about this exciting endeavor.  Until then, here is more info about Dave's impressive career:

Born in 1978 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Dave Tolley’s interest in Percussion began at an early age.  While studying piano, Dave figured out that hitting stuff was much more fun than playing melodic instruments.  At 11, he created a makeshift kit from a set of bongos and a handful of cardboard boxes and never looked back.

 While in high school, Dave studied privately with Kitchener-Waterloo drum teacher Gary Tomlin and was accepted into the York University music program in Toronto, Ontario.  While honing his craft, he worked as a backline tech managing to get work with legendary artists like The Monkees, Chubby Checker, America, Sha-Na-Na, and many others.  After leaving York University to play professionally, Dave played in numerous local, funk, rock, blues and singer-songwriter outfits.

 A landmark moment in his burgeoning musical career, Dave was accepted to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, and was a recipient of the World Scholarship tour.  During this time he had the opportunity to flex his percussive muscles and study under some of the best Jazz, Blues, Afro-Cuban, and South Indian percussionists such as Bob Tamagni, John Ramsey, Bob Weiner, Trichy Sankaran, and Gary Tomlin.

 In 2003, Dave met Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd when he performed with another group that opened up for the artist.  The two very quickly developed a bond both personally and musically, jamming together at every opportunity.  In 2006, Xavier asked Dave to sit in on a performance, and the day after asked if he would consider heading on tour with him.  Dave’s musical relationship with Xavier is one of true musicality, trust and improvisation.  Often cited with critical acclaim in show reviews, Dave is an integral part of Xavier’s live show.  Both musicians inspire each other and push the musical envelope, making each live show fresh and exciting.

 Dave has performed with several different acts in the Toronto area and continues to perform and play sessions when not performing with Xavier Rudd.  He has performed throughout North America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, UK, and Europe and appeared at huge festivals such as: Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, Alive Festival (Portugal), Nuke Festival (Austria), Blues and Roots (Australia), Austin City Limits (U.S.).  He has also played major television performances including “Live at the Chapel” in Australia, and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in Los Angeles.

 Dave Tolley is currently endorsed by Yamaha Drums, Vater Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, and Meinl Percussion.  Recently, he worked with Xavier on the film score for the upcoming major motion picture “Surfer, Dude”, starring Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, and Willie Nelson.

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