Deep Cove Big Band went to work a few weeks ago in preparation for their busy 2026 season.
If you don’t already know I play trombone and have been with DCBB for close to two years now. I play whatever chair needs filling. For example, for the next few months I am second trombone as our 2nd is currently in Spain learning to Flamenco dance. LOL!
We recently spent the day in a recording studio to create a demo tape. We played 6 songs. My lips were numb by the last song but the experience was amazing – we had mics, audio, video, lights and a solid crew to set us up.
I jumped at the opportunity to take a few photos of the band while we played. In hindsight though I think it’s easier to play or take photos but not do both. I was running around like a crazy lady. Haha!! But, I’m pretty pumped at the results.
Here are a few pics. Hopefully, I’ll be able to post the demo tape when it’s available.
This is Casey Thomas-Burns – our leader extraordinaire. Love working under her guidance – she’s such a talented musician and we learn a lot from her.This is Tony. He had a stern face because I gave him my trombone for the photo. Otherwise he’s a super nice guy and a great musician.Tony then took my photo. Thanks Tony!!Thanks Casey for the photo.Our trumpet lineJonas – keeping the beat and keeping us real.Mike – our lead alto pumping out fantastic solos.
At last nights sectional practice instead of playing I broke out my camera and lighting gear. This is part one of the photo session, part two will be with the horns at a later date.
The bands name is The Abominable Show Band and we are eight musicians who get together weekly to play mostly 70-80’s tunes. We are a rock band with horns. Think Chicago, Tower of Power, Boz Scaggs, KC, Stevie Wonder, Blues Bros., Toto and all the other great tunes from the past. We also have a few originals thanks to some super creative types in our group. On lead guitar we have Davers, Malcolm on bass, Ray on drums, and Chris on keyboards.
Our goal is to start playing gigs and to do that we need an online presence. For this photoshoot I wanted the band to shine through with a fun and retro look. I absolutely LOVE playing with these guys – the music is so good, and they are just an amazing bunch to play with – respectful, professional, inclusive and safe. No egos here just plain fun! To convey this, I decided to gel a few speed lights that I used as background lights as well as my key light. I used a combination of yellow, red and blue. I did start with a green but the bass player looked like Frankenstein so swapped it out. I chose to gel my main light yellow because I liked the warmth it gave and it just created a happy scene. Which is what our band is…we are a fun and happy group that love to play music. To create a retro papparazi edginess I kept the lighting simple with no modifiers and lit the players to create shadows.
For the horns we will be working in another studio that is a bit larger and perhaps I’ll throw on different coloured gels or set the lights up differently. I don’t really know until I get to the place and let it speak to me. I hope you like these pics and if you’d like to hire us (seriously, we’ll get the party going with tunes you know) feel free to contact me. In the meantime, part two with the horns will be coming up in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
Congratualtions to the Lynn Valley Black Bear Band for a wonderful 20th anniversary concert that took place at the Blue Shore Financial Theatre (Capilano University) on Monday May 12, 2025.
I might be biased (because I know quite a few people in the band) but I think they played amazing. As always, LVBB is precise, captivating and energetic when they play. No big surprise with conductor and director of music Kevin Yang at the helm. He strives for the best in his musicians and this band delivered!
I was lucky enough to be invited to take photos and captured images during rehearsal as well as during the concert. Thank you for having me!! For the full album, LVBB members please refer to the link that was emailed to you. If you didn’t receive it please email me.
Enjoy and let me know how you like them in the comments below. 🙂
Over the past few years I have been working with musician J. Randy Krauss on a variety of projects ranging from CD Covers to Posters to a full-blown CD Cover + Insert. See my post on his album ‘Double non Genre’ that my friend Jason Dack and myself created a while back with the sweetest insert (super proud of what we created)! Just like the good old days of sitting on the floor, listening to music while reading the album inside covers and leaflets.
Randy’s latest albums and singles are smoooooth and Canadian! His jazzy notes combined with hints of country remind me of what a good whiskey should drink like: smooth and gets better with age.
I had the priveledge of listening to the single ‘That Gal Wears Black’ ahead of its release date to help me design the CD Cover. The image itself has a cool story that begs to be told – it was created by one of Randy’s high school shop teachers in the early 70’s for Randy’s old band. That’s one cool cat to draw a poster for his student! I had Randy go to a professional scanner so he could send the digital file to me. It was faded, ripped in the corners, and had pencil and tape marks. I cleaned it up in Photoshop allowing me to continue with the design process. The poster was originally black and white but I changed the white to a cream colour and the black to a dark grey. I felt this suited the song better as it created wamer tones oozing with slickness.
The single ‘That Gal Wears Black’ releases June 3, 2023. This is one song you won’t want to miss!!
Hailing from Calgary Randy has produced several albums and his latest single ‘Walkin’ in Saskatoon’ is a rich and a romantically feel-good piece. Click here for a quick listen.
The legends have spoken and the bands have answered.
The energy level was nothing short of high last night at The Blueshore Financial Theatre located at Capilano University. The crowd cheered and rocked-on as bands took over the stage one after another for a spectacular two hour show that would have us hear songs from rock legends such as David Bowie, Queen, Mötley Crüe, Guns n’ Roses, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Prince and more.
Thanks to Deep Cove Music for organizing an amazing band program for kids to play, learn, and cooperate as a band. I know my son and his band mates, The Mop Dogs, are loving this opportunity.
Enough said, here are a few photos to wet your whistle for next years show!
Photos remain copyright of your friendly neighborhood photographer. I would rather give, than you take without permission. Just ask please 🙂
I created and designed a CD cover and booklet top to bottom and side to side along with my friend Jason Dack. What a rush and experience it was. Woot!!
With it’s edgy guitar playing and smooth lyrics this album feels right on a long road trip or when I’m home with a really good sound system. It’s Canadiana – a music genre coined to reflect Canada’s diverse cultures and music. It’s fun, bright, catchy, romantic, honest and rockish with hints of country and jazz.
I met the man behind the tracks, Randy Krauss, a few years ago taking photos of a motorcycle event in Calgary. I did a bit of work for him afterwards putting together a really cool poster of his Norton 850 Commando. A beautiful bike! But, that’s another story.
Bob Christy – Track 2 ‘Crows Road’ (L) and Randy Krauss (R) with his wicked Dusenberg Guitar.
Randy reached out to me early summer to see if I would be interested in creating a CD cover and inside booklet from start to finish. I would head up the entire operation. OMG! YES!!
I spent a few weeks listening to the tracks and studied the title before I did anything else. Since I was on vacation it felt right to sit down by the dock with a Kracken n’ Coke to listen, think, feel and refine my ideas.
I contacted my friend Jason Dack, a fellow photographer and graphic artist, whom I knew enjoyed music and would appreciate working on this project. Together, we hashed out ideas and eventually created several images and layout options for Randy to choose from.
Once the layout was chosen my next step was to find a suitable duplication services company. I eventually chose Sask Media. Don, the owner, was instrumental in a timely production and was there the entire way answering emails on weekends, late at night etc.
We used a combination of stock images as well as those I took from both an informal and formal photo sessions with Randy. We wanted the photos to reflect the songs and the vibe of the music.
A large part of the success is that I understood what Randy wanted and was after. Take the cover for example, Randy a retired pilot, often saw dark, looming clouds while coming in for a landing in his native Southern Alberta. And, his explanation of how he remembered his mother in the song ‘Ella and Her Fella’ as a young boy had me in tears. The production of a CD is more than just putting photos together – it’s essential to get the vibe right and have the images tell a story that coincides with the songs, and the artist.
I could go on about how Jason and I put this together but it’s rather nerdy, and techy. It’s suffice to say that I couldn’t have done this without Jason’s savy Illustrator and graphic arts skill set. We met a lot of good people along the way, and had fun working and creating this project. Smart writing, talented musicians, recording gurus, photographers and graphic artists pulled together to create a very strong album.
You can find Double non Genre on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Deezer and CD Baby. Or, click here for the full album. For the best experience grab a drink, sit back, crank it up and don’t be afraid to sing or play your favourite air-instrument.
