Northern Groove

FSJ's favorite Ryan - Hennessey, that is - will be opening for Brian MacMillan and Dave Tolley this Friday, March 26 at Jackfish Dundee's (it's a free show, by the way!).

Ryan Hennessey is a staple on the local music scene, and chances are you've probably seen him play before - I think he's pretty much graced every stage in town at some point! He founded and hosted the infamous Egan's Open Mic, has played in local bands Mindset and Anytown, and released his own solo album last November (which he toured with Rob Szabo to support).

If you've never heard his music you can check it out by visiting his MySpace ... or better yet, by coming to the show on Friday!

www.myspace.com/fairwage

A few years ago, local rockers Mindset were tearing up stages all over the city. The band played frequently in support of their 2006 album, Trying To Find, landing a coveted opening spot for The New Odds and headlining their own shows at Egan’s Pub.

For much of the last year, the band has been conspicuously absent from Fort St. John stages. However, don't let that absence fool you, because Mindset has declared themselves "Fort St. John's band that won't go away"!

With that said, Mindset will be debuting a brand new line-up and showcasing a set of brand new songs at the Rock n' Roll House Party this Saturday, January 30.

Mindset was formed in 2002 as a duo between Mike Strandberg and Jay Dunfield. Since then the band has released 2 albums and gone through at least 3 different line-ups, all featuring some of Fort St. John's most talented musicians. The current line-up consisits of Mike Strandberg (guitar, vocals), Jay Dunfield (guitar, backup vocals), Tyson Mowat (bass), Ryan Hennessey (drums), and Ian Howe (keys).

Mindset has always offered listeners a unique blend of rock (featuring melodic guitars, ear-candy vocals, and a powerhouse rhythm section) and storytelling with captivating lyrics that, on occasion, belie a familiar east coast warmth. Drummer, Ryan Hennessey, says all the members of the band have grown as musicians and songwriters and we can expect to hear a more mature Mindset sound.

So make sure to bring your rock shoes down to Egan's Pub this Saturday and witness the re-birth of Fort St. John's band that won't go away. And keep your eyes and ears open to stage across town this year, I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of Mindset in 2010!

Photo: Mike Strandberg, Mindset's lead singer.

"Shame on you Jodie Ponto!  The January Rock n' Roll House Party is on the very near horizon and you have yet to let everyone know who's on the bill!", Russell Eggleston would have exclaimed if he wasn't road tripping with the band Nine Mile. 

A quick recap before launching into the line-up - Although the Rock n' Roll House Party is a customary Friday night event, this month the show will be held on Saturday, January 30 to support the Fundraiser for Chelsey Chambers happening on Friday, January 29.

With that said, the bands slotted to help us take the roof off this month are:

9pm: Mindset

10pm: The Suspicious

11pm: Unresolved

A few years ago, one could have gone to a number of different musical gatherings and listened to local rockers, Mindset. The band played frequently in support of their 2006 album, Trying To Find, landing a coveted opening spot for The New Odds and headlining their own shows at Egan’s Pub.

For much of the last year, the band has been conspicuously absent from Fort St. John stages, preferring to focus on writing and arranging new songs for an upcoming album. The result is a collection of songs that showcase a new level of songwriting experience and maturity. Ryan Hennessey, who plays drums n Mindset explains: “We’ve been a band for 4 years. We practice pretty much weekly, we talk all the time and we’re constantly communicating the Mindset vision to each other. The result is an ability to write songs that illustrate the progress we’ve made as a band and as individual musicians. These songs show that evolution, I’m really excited to show Fort St. John the new headspace that Mindset is in.”

Still, in order to get back on the radar, the band are providing a web-only release of a brand new song, recorded and produced by Russ Eggleston. Stay tuned for more updates from the band as the summer progresses.

{audio}http://www.northerngroove.com/mp3/Mindset-EnemiesAtMyWalls.mp3{/audio}

Local Fort St. John rock band Mindset will be performing this coming Wednesday at Egan's Pub FSJ on November 5th.

It will be the first chance to see Mindset perform in a while with a new lineup including Tyson Mowatt (from the Dawson Creek band "The Suspicious") on bass guitar, and Russell Eggleston, on lead guitar.

Soul Side in from Red Deer, Alberta will be closing out the night .  Click here to checkout their myspace.  Show starts at 8pm.

Mindset has been going for quite some time, making music in and around the Fort St. John area. Their contemporary acoustic/electric style is a blend of the members' diverse musical tastes and influences, ranging from country music to heavy metal.

Fort St. John band Mindset has just finished recording another song. The song entitled "Sunday" was written by Jay Dunfield and Mike Strandberg. The band first initially started recording the song in 2003 while they were working on their first CD.

According to the band - while still relatively unknown in Canadian music, Minset has topping charts in Japan, Korea, and now more recently Indonesia! Congrats! ;-)

Mindset - Sunday
{mmp3}Mindset - Sunday.mp3{/mmp3}


UPDATE:  Due to the number of people calling to ask about this article... I best make it known that this didn't actually happen.  But it was pretty funny at the time : )
 

Two well-known local bands are pairing up to play a show together at Egan's Pub! Mindset and Fair Wage will be playing at Egan's Pub in Fort St. John at 8pm on Friday, May 25th. Both Mindset and Fair Wage have been around for quite some time. Mindset has played RocKIN The Peace twice, while Fair Wage has played along Side Effect and many other shows. If you'd like to read more about Mindset, or even give them a listen, you can head to the link below to the article all about Mindset.

And while the musicians in this town are the real entertainment, Egan's Pub has done a great job at bringing in many different artists that we normally wouldn't be able to see so far up north. Egan's has been holding Open Mics every 1st and 3rd Wednesday for the last two months or so, and are still keeping on top of it! The next one is on May 30th, so take the opportunity to show off your talent, or get a friend who you think deserves some recognition for their music to go! If all else fails, you can always expect to catch the great regulars who head out to Egan's to share their music.

http://www.northerngroove.com/news/latest/local-fort-st.-john-rock-band-mindset.html

On June 23rd, while touring Edmonton, The Miniatures had their van and all of their gear stolen. Sadly, none of the equipment was insured which is why This Saturday 8th we're all pulling together to hold a concert in their honour to raise some funds to get these awsome musicians back on the road.

All proceeds of the event are going directly to The Miniatures. There will be three band performing, Sean Cullen is opening the night at 8:00, followed by Side Effect, and kicking off the night will be Mindset. There will also be a silent auction. Tickets are $10 at the door.

A little bit about the bands playing... Mindset is weeks away from releasing their second CD - you can listen to their first released single off the new CD called "Memories" by clicking the play button below.

{mmp3}Mindset - Memories.mp3{/mmp3} Mindset - Memories

Side Effect, shown in the picture, had just played a show with The Miniatures less than a few weeks ago in Fort St. John and High Praire Alberta. A video of the song "Tell the Birds" shot in Egan's Pub the night of the Miniatures Concert is available for viewing by registered users. If you are not a registered user, click here.
 

Please feel free to add your comments about Mindset, Side Effect, Sean Cullen, The Miniatures, or what you think about the event.

This local band, currently calling Fort St John, BC, home, draws it's talent and inspiration from all corners of the country. Mike and James were both born and raised here in FSJ while Ryan hails from Ontario originally and Jason rounds out the band calling New Brunswick home and is responsible for the subtle maritime flavour.

This local band offers a unique blend of contemporary rock and melodic storytelling with captivating lyrics that, on occasion, belie a familiar east coast warmth. This, their second album ( as yet untitled ), features numerous radio-friendly hits, the first of which is a track called "Memories - a prime example of the bands ability to blend great stories with remarkable musicianship

The band formed in 2002 as a duo - being Mike Strandberg and Jason Dunfield. Their first album, Remember The Day, required that both members use all their music talents as between the two of them, they recorded all the instruments - drums, guitars, bass as well as vocals and harmony vocals. Whilst this worked from a recording perspective, it was glaringly obvious that if this band were to grow and play live with authenticity, then a drummer and bass guitarist would be needed - enter Ryan Hennessy and James Gardner respectively.

In 2005, they played at Grizfest in Tumbler Ridge, the Canolafest in Fort St John, RocKIN The Peace and had the occasional gig at Egan’s Fort St John a very certain direction. Together for approximately 6 months now, Mindset have a clear, certain and focused direction. Look for their new album in the coming months!

To hear the first single off of Mindset's upcoming album, click play below --- If you like what you hear, click read more and add a comment!

{mmp3}Mindset - Memories.mp3{/mmp3}