Biography

I hope that this is the last autobiography I have to inflict upon readers for a long time. Music industry bios are generally chock full of bold-faced, highlighted references to bands you've never heard of and probably wouldn't want to: ("…He auditioned for the Ukrano-Celtic Grind Core outfit "Hackneyed Ranting" but his disheveled mullet failed to impress deaf lead vocalist Derek Plimsoll…") To boot, there is always a melodramatic paragraph about the artist's early hometown life, meant to serve as exposition to all the "excitement" which follows. So here goes….I was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It was flat, cold, & windy. For fun, young people fought, played hockey, got pissed up and drove around on 'the strip,' played more hockey, and I suspect sometimes partook of farmyard bestiality.

I'd have to say that life began when I moved to Vancouver and started really chasing my career goals. I played with folks like Steven Drake and Doug Elliott. They went on to form "The Odds" a little later but at that time we played in several bands together, the most noteworthy being "The CroonToons." Three complete fools we were, clad in custard yellow polyester tuxes, crooning the corniest material imaginable with a zest and gusto that had to be seen to be fully appreciated. Drake was chronically late, never apologetic, oblivious to these shortcomings, and always able to get away with it. Elliott, when not prancing around in lingerie or spitting fake blood was a good natured referee whose evenhanded nature kept me from constantly yelling at Drake. Of this lunacy and tension was born deceivingly subversive musical comedy.

I also did a long stint with Long John Baldry who was one of the grand figures of Canadian music. An absolute delight of a gentleman, John; flamboyant, hilarious and able to regale one and all with fantastic tell-all tales of the world's most famous rock stars. His band was, at that time, a collection of misfits too unlikely even for the most far-fetched road movie ("…and featuring Judi Dench as 'Spud'...")

His sidekick Kathi McDonald, an earth-shaking singer and performer, made me, at the tender age of 23, quake in my boots. She played as hard as she worked. There were others too; ones who constantly lost their shoes or ones who would pee on my pant leg while I tried to steady them as they took a leak in a Michigan ditch. One piano player ended up asleep onstage after drinking a jug of whisky he'd stolen from me. Baldry was detached from all of this, worried more about keeping the driver "at a sedate pace" or finding a London Daily Mirror at the news stand. A piece of Baldry wisdom that I have since tried to keep in mind is, "Oh Vince...If this madness is your biggest worry, you have no worries at all..."

It was around that time that I began a hitch with Sue Medley (who Baldry always referred to as Moo Sedley). With Medley we had a crack team of young tigers, none of whom would ever be allowed to find real value in the massive expenditure of energy required to earn such pitiful rewards. Sometimes, especially early on, the tour routing was sheer torture, booked by an agent who surely lived at the seventh level of hell. One tour, in particular, began in the evening in Burnaby, BC at a political rally for Ed Broadbent, the old NDP Federal candidate. We played our set, packed the van like sardines and headed non-stop for (get this) Thunder Bay, Ont.

We arrived after a grueling winter run across the nothingness to appear as opener for Dwight Yoakam. We played our 30 minute set, got a couple hours of shut-eye and then doubled back for a show in Winnipeg the next night. Need I say more?

A stint later with Doug & the Slugs was sheer luxury by comparison. They were all savvy road vets. I got paid on time, sometimes more than promised. There were always plenty of free refreshments around and lots of food. To my utter delight, the airlines were occasionally called upon to transport us. There were conversations with interesting band mates who were much better read than the average aggregation (or is that aggravation?) of musicians. Always, always a proper hotel room, a dressing room with a real live toilet, a crew to hump gear and the irreverent, very clever and now dearly departed Mr. Bennett holding the reins. Doug was a great boss - in fact the best boss I've ever had in the touring game.

Sometime during this period (it all gets blurry) I also toured the US with BTO, which was not Bachman Turner Overdrive, but rather simply BTO, featuring youngest brother Tim Bachman. I often wondered if there were a Zeppo and Gummo Bachman somewhere in the woodwork. It was a high paying ringers-in-a-franchise kind of deal. Most money I'd ever earned to that point but it never felt very legitimate. I heard "Y'all wuz the first concert ah ever seen in 1972" far too many times for comfort. Surely someone out there, even a BTO fan, had the arithmetic skills sufficient to deduce that I would have been about 8 or 9 in 1972.

One of my twenty-something career highlights was my brief but satisfying hitch with Paul Hyde. Paul is a lovely guy, a brilliant songwriter, a generous gentleman and capable of the most unusual Rodney-Dangerfield-with-a-Yorkshire-accent imitation. We trounced across the tundra in about 1988 in support of his solo album "Turtle Island" which I thought was tremendous. I still do, actually. With Paul we reached the zenith of road absurdity when we dead-headed from Moncton, NB, back to Vancouver non-stop with me farting all the way and as a result turning the motor-home full of band mates into a festering hotbed of resentment...75 hours of ludicrous agony, worthy of only one pitiful sentence in a bio.

Throughout these years I played sessions on various albums, some which achieved success, and many which did not. The spookily photogenic Mae Moore had me appear on her "Oceanview Motel" disc. I still hear "Red Clay Hills" on the radio today, which I think of as a lovely keepsake of that period of my life.

At around that time, and due in great part to Paul Hyde's kind endorsement, I hooked up with Spirit of the West. They had never had a full-time drummer and were looking for someone to carve a niche for himself. This suited me fine, as I was never completely fulfilled simply playing copycat "rock" drum parts, no matter how much self-hypnosis I used.

The blessing and the curse with Spirit, at that time, was that although they had established themselves as a solid folk trio, they were now trying to expand their own instrumental & stylistic capabilities while simultaneously adding a dominating fifth voice (drumkit) to the lineup AND find a balance with the recently added fourth member Linda McRae. All of these factors were new and not under consistent control, turning the first few months into quite a musical schmozzle. As well there was a pervasive air of suspicion towards any influence which smacked of "the establishment," musical or otherwise. None of this was ameliorated by my extreme directness, infamous lack of patience, or the Spirit's stiff upper lip unwillingness to confront vexing issues.

What I did know about the band, however, was that although there were some rough edges, there were some dazzling aspects, too. John Mann was (and is) an idealistic, competitive, proud fireball, who has taken for his own all the surplus charisma left languishing by frumpy math teachers far & wide. Geoffrey Kelly was revealed to be the funniest and cleverest man I'd ever met. Hugh McMillan, the quintessential mad scientist, seemed quite possibly as good a musician as anyone in the known universe, but this was difficult to demonstrate when a series of Rube Goldberg wiring experiments and technical jury rigs often resulted in equipment standing charred and silent, with Hugh kneeling, perplexed, over its dead hulk lying there on the stage. Linda McRae was profoundly kind and gentle - but often overshadowed among this collection of remarkably powerful personalities. Spirit's songs were like beloved children, with never a hint of watered-down commercialism.

Euphemistically put, there were some "growing pains" but clearly they have been worth the suffering as I feel very proud of what we have achieved. With Spirit I have been able to tour much of the world, cross Canada countless times, play with nearly every major Canadian symphony, perform thousands of concerts, many TV shows, radio broadcasts...I could write an entire book just on the Spirit road stories alone...

During these years with Spirit I was able, during our rare down-time, to record and tour with such people as Oscar Lopez and James Keelaghan, the whip smart and much under-appreciated Pete McCormack, and a number of others.

Keelaghan and Lopez together are difficult to sum up in a single paragraph. Both are experts at what they do - but what they actually do is deceiving. Keelaghan is as broadly and deeply educated as he is traveled, and that is saying something. Perhaps some of the Mir cosmonauts have more miles on their odometer than Jimmy, but not many. He disguises himself as a folk singer of historical songs but the truth is that he is a teacher, specializing in history and culture, in the old and honoured troubadorian sense. If I had to make a comparison I'd venture to say he's like the Carl Sagan of music.

Oscar is known as "a guitarist." Truth is he's a force of nature that uses the guitar as a conduit. He is well and truly a warrior; performing with him is a visceral, pants-on-fire experience. He is powerfully charming, but occasionally moody and testy unless you can stand toe to toe with him, and then you have his respect. This motherfucker can play.

By 1994 it seemed clear that I was settled with a young family on beautiful Vancouver Island. This is heaven in its own way, but a tough go as a musician. I was miles away by ferry, making me practically invisible for all intents and purposes. Spirit was pretty well it, at least on a day to day basis. In Spirit I had not entered the line-up as a composer and the law of precedent seemed, much to my dismay, to possess great weight. It was obvious that I had to strike out on my own to prove that I could write and conceive music as well as I aided and abetted my fellow writers.

I began to write and produce. This gestation went on for a long, long time, until I felt I could acquit myself in a solo project. Eventually, I tackled what would become "Supertonic"(an album I am very proud of and which sold literally dozens of copies). Thousands of dollars and months later I realized that the exhausting, costly, occasionally gratifying, and totally transforming arc of making a debut solo album is actually peanuts compared to the planning, legwork, marketing and 'exploitation' (ugh, can't we find a better word?) of the 'product' that follows.

Conceiving the child is easier than the labour of delivery.

That said, I learned a vast amount about contracts, lawyers, record company reps, marketing plans, advertising, budgets, 'buzz' (another 'ugh' word), contacts, resources, self-motivation, astronomical phone bills, 16 hour workdays, the plusses and perils of partnerships, the vast difference between thinking you've gotten a 'yes' and actually getting the 'yes,' and the mystical balance between the smile and the snarl.

In the meantime, in a half-baked attempt to capitalize on my hard work as a composer and producer I took a stab at movie soundtrack composition. Though I, along with cohort Alec Watson, can claim credit (?) to a couple of film soundtracks ("Salmon Chanted Evening," "Beauty Shot") I found the whole movie industry alien to my experience. After all of these years I had apparently stumbled into an odd, secret club which bore no resemblance to the loosy-goosy but at least democratically minded music world I had called home for all these years. Granted, musicians tend to be a bit misguided in the nuts and bolts of a career, but here instead was a business construct rigid, inflexible and arrogant, with the Director at the top sitting exalted like an absolute monarch, with a neurotic court of Producers flitting about like drones feeding this Queen bee, all wary, all officious, all kicking down but kissing up. What a wakeup call. Now I was expected to learn the subtleties of sycophancy. Good sense, it turned out, was to be determined by others farther up the food chain. I didn't provide the feast; I was merely a bus-boy. I choked on the lessons... I failed the course.

As a kid the music compelled me to become a drummer. But I realized that in this modern technological era a drummer will probably end up a cipher, unless by some miracle he chokes to death on vomit, preferably not his own. Artless twits with more software than brains have nearly succeeded in eradicating real drumming -- reducing it to nothing more than a way to discern port from starboard in the rhythmically retarded. Undaunted, I figured I could always write songs for the sake of expression. But bringing them to life requires a producer. Therefore, I had to produce. Soon afterward I discovered that a producer's job ends exactly where the real endurance test begins - management.

In the summer of 2004, while playing on a workshop stage at the Winnipeg Folk Fest with Spirit of the West I happened to start a conversation with a young man on the chair next to me. I'd never met Matthew Harder before but I liked his vibe and I could instantly appreciate his skilled musicianship. He was accompanied by a gaggle of people who were all part of a group called "House of Doc." By the end of the hour long workshop I had realized that this group of people was very special indeed, remarkably musical, and easy to like. We hoisted a much needed pint afterward and, quite literally within a few minutes I had thrown my hat into the ring as a potential producer of their next project.

The album was a complete joy to make. I mention this because so few of them ever are. I felt an unusual amount of confidence in House of Doc - They were young, a bit green, but the musical depth they already demonstrated in early days left me convinced that this would be a group that could endure and excel for 15 years, 20 years, maybe a quarter century. I put my shoulder into the project and with their constant help got the animal into motion.

Much to my own surprise, and against a heretofore strict personal dictum, I happily agreed to become House of Doc's manager when they suggested it.

Management, it appeared to me after a time, was not a long list of thankless tasks as much as it was a conundrum. “When will it ever end?” is actually balanced perfectly with “Where in the hell do I start?” But on the other hand, I had a fire in my belly lit by decades of hard won experience. I could author a syllabus on 'what NOT to do,' and given a choice between stewing in my own cynical juices, or using my experience to foster better decisions in deserving young artists I decided to take the high road. And I began to love the job for some absolutely inexplicable reason. It likely has something to do with a desire to be the boss, or a desire to be bossy, at least. After about a year of dragging myself and House of Doc through the dust and weeds towards greater success I met 'Quinzy' who were also Winnipeggers and close friends the Docs. Young upstarts they were, but it seemed crystal clear to me that their conceptions, compositions, and overall attitude were well worth representing to the musical world, worth nurturing; like House of Doc their achievements and personal deportment fill me with pride.

So now all these years later I am a manager who represents a small but growing roster of artists, and I hope I've explained how I got here from way back there. If you have read this long bio in its entirety you are either a total keener doing deep background research for some arcane project or else an insomniac desperately looking for a soporific. Either way I hope I've helped out.

VRD 7/08

Journal

July 15, 2008

What started as a conversation over dinner a year and a half ago has today resulted in 'Spirituality: The Consummate Compendium – 1983-2008'. There have been a huge amount of phone calls, emails, miles travelled and music recorded, mastered or tweaked. I held the disc in my hand for the first time yesterday afternoon and said, 'well, this represents 18 months of my life'. Until I realized that it also represents 20 years of my life at the same time. The fine folks at Warner/Rhino have come up big and made this happen, even when schedules, budgets and coordination made it look as if, some days, it might crater. So I am happy, and I am satisfied that we have created something that is simply a nice, enjoyable, appealing and tangible album of songs that have meant so much to us, and to our fans.

This weekend is the Vancouver Folk Fest for Spirit. I look forward to the workshop with Lau, and with bumping into old friends on this 25th anniversary year. I will have my camera in hand, in autofocus mode, to capture anything accurately which is becoming too blurry for me otherwise unaided.

Quinzy have released 'One Boy's Guide to the Moon' – It came out June 24th and since then they have played a handful of shows, one of them a behemoth of a Canada Day event in the heart of Winnipeg, to tens of thousands of people. Tomorrow night they play a small, intimate 'CD release celebration' at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg and I expect a chock a block full house of well-wishers and grass roots superfans.

I recommend picking up their new CD, or downloading it at iTunes (it will be available there this week). You will be delighted!

House of Doc have laid low for the last few weeks but August is slammin'. One weekend they're on Vancouver Island, the very next weekend they're in Lunenberg, NS. The weekend after that they hit Ontario. This is tour routing that can only be borne by the young or the insane. I am unsure as how to categorize the group at this time but I will keep you posted.

December 31, 2007

Welcome to 2008! I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. A quick glance at this website will attest to how much will be happening in 2008. Firstly, Spirit of the West celebrates our 25th anniversary and we will be offering a 2 disc retrospective anthology, complete with two new tracks, in the spring (on Rhino/Warner). Recording for this begins in early January. We also have a very big celebration planned for 14-15 March, 2008 with our Vancouver show at the Commodore Ballroom. Our special guest this year will be Ashley MacIsaac. This is truly a once in a lifetime event so we hope to see you there.

Quinzy's new album has been a long time coming – but a good album takes time to perfect. Without a doubt this is one of the most sophisticated collections of pop songs in a long time, all on an album called "One Boy's Guide to the Moon." Even in its pre-release infancy this album is getting a tremendous amount of attention. As the machine ratchets up for the New Year there will be plenty of news and updates. www.quinzy.ca

House of Doc's CD "East of West" was released to radio in September, and made fantastic inroads, getting to #2 on the Earshot! Folk/Roots chart at one point. One of the group's biggest supporters, Jurgen Gothe of CBC Radio's "Disc Drive," picked East of West as one of the best of 2007. I know this bodes well for their adventures in the future, and they are completely primed and ready to hit the road throughout the year in support of this outstanding disc. I predict that there will be many award shows to attend in the Fall! www.houseofdoc.com

August 24, 2007

It has been one helluva busy year so far and it's only getting busier. I couldn't be happier about all the activity! The new Quinzy album is sounding absolutely outstanding and I am just as impatient to have the finished product in my hands as the band is. I want to get these lads on the road and spread the word.

The wise people at Pacific Music are distributing "East of West" by House of Doc. This album is a serious step forward for the band in performance, composition, conception and completion. I am very proud of everyone involved and I had a tremendously good time producing "East of West" (which, incidentally, took 1 month to record but 5 months to name). Richard Sera's engineering skills and judgment have only gotten sharper and Bath House engineer Aaron Holmberg was a total pleasure to be around for the entire intense month we were in his company.

The people at the Western Canadian Music Association have asked me to put on a Drum Clinic at their annual event, this year held in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan on 20-21 October. I will indeed whack the drums and attempt to impart knowledge to the few who don't get deafened by the din.

As well, I am beginning to stoke the machine for 2008 and Spirit of the West. We are celebrating our 25th anniversary and we will be announcing a number of plans, offerings and appearances very shortly. Please return here for details, or visit www.sotw.ca

November 7, 2006

The month of October was 'campaigning month'; a series of conferences, awards shows and showcases. I was pleased to speak as a guest panelist at the WCMAs along with fellow managers Jill Brooksbank, Brian Hetherman, Michael McMartin & Chris Burke-Gaffney on 'management in the new music industry.' I look forward to a European tour with House of Doc in Nov/Dec and I am excited about the big 'Quinzmas' bash with both groups. This annual Xmas event grows every year and is a wonderful time to stop and celebrate the past year's progress and growth. Many happy returns!

Please check back here for reports from Europe from 28 November – 10 December.

Click here to see House of Doc European concert dates.

June 1, 2006

Welcome to the newly redesigned website by Toronto's 'Duke of URL' Web Design.

House of Doc is currently on tour and swinging into high gear for their summer of Festivals and shows. Click here to see their touring schedule.

Quinzy is preparing for a NXNE showcase in Toronto (June 10 / 'Crowbar'/ 11pm). Listen to their live in-studio performance and interview for XM Radio / 'On the Verge' with Jeff Leake to be broadcast on Friday June 9 @ 9 pm, Sunday June 11 @ 9 am, and Tuesday June 13 @ noon. Visit Quinzy's site: www.quinzy.ca

Vince R. Ditrich

Biography

Journal