Northern Groove

Dave Tolley, a percussionist from Toronto who is normally seen playing with the likes of Nine Mile and Xavier Rudd, spent the month of November living in Fort St. John and working with Northern Groove. Here are his reflections on his adventures in the city:

Fort St. John, British Columbia. Someone told me it was a place for dreamers because it’s a place where dreams are left for the people to grab.  It’s a place assumed by others to be in the middle of nowhere and most people just asked me “What are you doing up there?”

It’s a place where life happens. What did I think was going to happen? How does a musician who grew up in southern Ontario end up in “The John”? After being invited to come up and work for a month I was excited to actually live in a place I had only visited and to thrive in a community that before was an amazing place to perform, but only another stopover along the road.

A friend told me that coming up here would teach me how to not only live, but to live in a reality that does not exist in a city. And they were right. It’s been an adventure that I couldn’t have seen coming, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Fort St. John is a place that combines a hard working and hard playing people - I learned that first hand after a night at The New Frontier. What do you do you when you walk in and the floor is covered with an inflated ring all surrounding a powerful, plastic bull just waiting to be rode? I couldn’t say “no”, could I? Everyday was an adventure, a new relationship, and an amazing time. Everyday started with the finest Americano money can buy at Whole Wheat n’ Honey and ended, generally at 1am with the only thought being, “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”.

What can I say? Everyone reading this knows why they’re here. This town is a beautiful combination of the land, the people, the work, and the Wild West. It has the best of everything and the most amazing people I have met in my travels. In a matter of a month I think I have experienced every human emotion at a level that I never expected. It’s a community of people who support each other and wants every member to grow. It’s a place where dreams come true and a place where passions run high.

So, how do I sum up my thoughts? I was told that once you drink from the Peace, you’ll always come back.  Another friend just smiled and said “You’ll be back”, and others sent me away with warnings, “If you come back you’ll never leave … so be sure you want to come back”. All being said, I have made life long friends - friends I can call on for anything and people that I consider family. My Northern family. Maybe it’s a coffee at WWH, a steak at “The Dill”, or a late night at The New Frontier, where my heart, mind, and two-step were tested to the highest degree.

As I write this the Rolling Stones just came on my ipod. Thanks Mick, you just made sense of everything, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you find, you get what you need”.

No matter how I reflect on my time in Fort St. John it all comes down to one thing, one idea, and one thought – Real life.

Thanks friends, and you’re right, I’ll be back!

- Dave

Photo - Russell Eggleston & Dave Tolley during one of Dave's many long November days in the Northern Groove Office.

November has been busy in the Groove office.  As many of you know, Dave Tolley has taken up residence in our fair city for the month and has been helping us make some major website and magazine changes.  As always, our aim is to get people interested, connected, and involved in our fantastic local music and arts community. 

With that said, there are 4 main ways we plan to spread the word:

Northern Groove Weekly

A free, weekly, four page Northern Groove weekly events listing that will be distributed every Thursday. The first one is set to hit the streets this Thursday, November 19.  They will be available all over town (coffee shops, hotel rooms, waiting rooms, etc.) so make sure to pick one up!

Northern Groove Monthly 

A free, monthly Northern Groove magazine that will have a more in depth look at the month’s events, featured articles on local artists, articles on any visiting artists, and other stories of interest.  You may have seen the Northern Groove monthly magazine around Fort St. John, and we're working hard to revamp it.  The magazine will be re-launched for January, and you can check out the current issue online by clicking here or pick your own copy up at many different locations across the city (Cosmic Grounds, Whole Wheat 'n Honey, Systems By Trail, Simply Music, Computer Factory, Egan's Pub, The Rabbit Hole / Retro Relics, Simply Music, etc.).

This Week, At a Glance Newsletter

A very brief, weekly e-mail newsletter listing the week's events that will be sent out to a growing list of people who choose to sign up.  Click here to sign up if you'd like to receive the weekly events e-mail newsletter.

Revamped Website

We've revamped the website to allow people to find out all of the information they need to know with just a click of a mouse.  We're also working hard to continually post new articles and make sure the events listing is always comprehensive and up to date.  Contact us if you have any articles or ideas to contribute or if you have an event you'd like to have listed.

Photo: Russell Eggleston & Dave Tolley hard at work at the Northern Groove office

Tonight is the night many have been waiting for:

Sean Ashby, Dayna Manning, Dave Tolley, and Mat Savard (with band) will be performing at the Whole Wheat 'n Honey tonight starting at 7pm.

This is Sean's third time up, and for anyone who has seen him in the past, it is a night to remember.

Regarding the Open Mic, it will be starting late tonight after the show has ended at Whole Wheat 'n Honey.... so if you're planning on going to the Open Mic tonight and have time to checkout the Sean Ashby & friends show, come out!  If not, be advised the Open Mic will probably get started later than normally... expect 930ish.

Tickets are available at:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/467043941/rss

or Whole Wheat 'n Honey

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.