Mike Vigano knew the city's most popular party band was going to break up. He knew, because he was in it. When the various parts of Sound Addiction came to a natural halt and Vigano wanted his lead guitar skills to have a home, he started looking for new ventures.
Across town, another popular party band contained another lead guitar player named Mike. Mike Smith was still happy playing in Deuces Wild, but that project gave him the time and flexibility to do more. He had a part-time duo with drummer Brad Martin, for instance, but both of them agreed they felt stronger urges.
It was the BC Northern Exhibition that brought these three forces together. BCNE general manager Amanda Chandler was a mutual friend and suggested they all meet up and put a trio together for the fall fair's local entertainment stage.
This they did, with Smith on lead guitar and Vigano on bass, with all three sharing the vocals. Those layers felt good to sing, but, Martin said with an eye-roll, everyone knew putting such a talented guitar player on bass was a misallocation of valuable musical resources. They needed a bass player.
When the trio was hired for Pacific Western Brewery's annual tailgate party, a friend of the band members got invited along to observe. Bassist Peter Dumoulin was without a band, and the trio knew if he they could show off their formative stuff to the well known local player, he might fill that void they were having. Dumoulin heard their blend of classic rock, uptempo country and strategically placed original tunes. It was a recipe he was excited to join.
Almost overnight, he was rehearsing and gigging.
This all happened in a matter of weeks. The band was so new they hardly had a Facebook page together (they do now) but they were already stringing together paid appearances in Prince George and Quesnel.
"(Vigano) was just pumped. He was wound up like a Jack Russell," said Smith.
Vigano said the music was of such quality, that slingshoting out of Sound Addiction suddenly felt like it had a target, and he couldn't believe the attitude of his new bandmates: positive, fixated on band success, helpful to each other, and not a whiff of discontent from anyone when they had to bounce from gig to gig in a narrow time frame and still get to their various day jobs.
"I haven't heard a complaint from anyone in the band, even though we were tired," Vigano said. "Brad, Mike Smith and Peter are so ambitious and goal oriented. Besides their talent, that is why I chose to be with those guys. Plus, they are willing to write originals. These guys are amazing and the bond between us is priceless."
"I'd play every day, if I could," said Dumoulin, to a round of agreeable nods from the others.
"The day jobs just fund the music habit," Martin said.
They seem to be getting their wish. In the past few weeks they have played at Shiraz Cafe, Cowboy Ranch Pub, Bednesti Lake Resort, and more shows are already scheduled. Even a mini tour to some western Highway 16 towns is in the works.
Part of the appeal is the classic rock/roadhouse country style they play. There is a reason bands like The Eagles and John Mellencamp and Linda Ronstadt have been so universally embraced. That crossover music is friendly to the common ear, and as long as the lyrics tell an interesting story or inspire stereo singalongs, fans are even keen on new material they haven't heard before.
That opens up the songwriting possibilities for the guys in Bralorne, who take the literary side of music seriously. Sure they like to pound out the old favourites by the big stars, but they pride themselves on bending those old standards to their own personalities and they have the instrument confidence to do it. And they have the chops to know they can also compose their own.
Even their name is right out of B.C.'s deeper historical culture. Bralorne was the name of a rural community founded in the gold rush era, located in the Lillooet-Bridge River area. It was a favourite area of Smith's so he suggested it as a band name and it worked for the others in the group who understood how that fit with the classic backroads appeal they were going for.
"We probably have 60 songs ready to go, so from night to night we swap a bunch of them out. An audience will never get the same show twice," said Smith.
"There is a bazillion songs out there, so you have to pick ones you like and ones you know people will respond to hearing," said Martin. "Having two great guitar players really gives us a lot to work with, and they are so good that sometimes I get caught up not paying attention to my drumming because I'm watching what they're doing up front."
The group is already busy, but they are hungry for more. To book them for fall events or Christmas and New Year occasions, send them a message through Facebook. To test them out, come see their next scheduled Prince George show (they are in Dawson Creek on Sept. 19) on Oct. 1 at Nancy O's, then a two-night stand at the Westwood Pub on Oct. 23 and 24.
