Original Song

The People & Music of Southern Alberta & Beyond

Alberta

In the studio for Living On Laughs

by

So, I was going through yet more old pictures that I found and came across the following pictures of most, if not all of the people who so kindly contributed their talent and time to my project, the Living On Laughs album. 

When I think back to that time, and those long days and nights in the studio with these people, it is a very fond memory. These were really fine players all, and we really had a blast playing these songs. To all of them, I say thank you for being there for me. It was a really fun time. 

Am I do not want to miss thanking the two engineers that worked with me on this: Barry Hegland and Laurie Ingalls. They made it possible for me to play with these fine musicians without worrying about the recording end of it. And of course, Chester Mook for financing the whole thing. 

There, that’s about it.

Peter Archer – The Mystery Man

by

What happened to Peter?

Archer's Cigar

Peter was a bit of a mystery man. I thought I knew  him really well, hell, I lived with the man for a number of years back in the mid 80’s in a little farm house on SE Marine Drive in Burnaby, down by where all the vegetable growers were and the train whistles could be heard off in the distance as they ran the rail along the Fraser river. So, you’d assume I had a handle on him but you would be wrong.

Pete was a stubborn, private man, born in England and came out of the rough punk music that was predominate in England at the time. Pete had talent … lots of it really. He could sound rough and then in a second, he could soar sweetly. That described him pretty accurately, a man of opposites.

He went through a divorce in the early 80’s and he never really let go of his bitterness over that. He drove a Vancouver city bus for years … and hated it. But he stuck with it long enough to get himself a good enough pension to but a nice little cabin on a beautiful piece of land on, I think, Salt Spring Island. He basically hide away and I rarely heard from him..especially as I had already moved to Toronto .. so far away. Every once in a while I would get a package in the mail with a strange concoction of music he had recorded. It was always interesting. And, he never put a return address on so I could never get in touch with him. Until one evening when my phone rang and there was Peter on the other end … sounding a bit tired … and weak. He said he had emphysema and he did not think he was going to make it. Oh, and he wanted to give me his property. This…out of the blue. Well of course I said “Come on Pete, you’re going to pull through these … don’t give up. It will be OK“.

I never heard from him again … and apparently, neither did anyone else. No one. We have not been able to find out what happened … and where. We tried, but nothing. He just disappeared. Maybe he died in hospital …maybe he just walked into the ocean he loved so much. Maybe he is still alive and just wants to be left alone. I really do not know.

I think of him often. And I think about how much talent he had. So, I decided to do a bit of work on a bunch of songs Pete and I recorded, along with a number of really fine players that were friends of mine and Pete’s and who frequented our little studio on 5th street underneath Prugger’s Music Store in Lethbridge. I think these sessions were somewhere around 1978/79. Things are a bit foggy after all this time.

The players I remember on these sessions were, and I know I will miss some so please let me know if you remember: Brad Valgardson, drums, Robbie Berday, drums, Russ Hauser, Dan Dube and Earl McAuley on various keyboards, maybe Jim Williams and Laurie Ingalls on bass but I know there was at least one other bass player that I cannot remember, myself and maybe Steve Cross on guitars (Jeremy, did you play on these at all?), Vern Dorge on tenor sax and flute and Pete on acoustic guitar … that glorious Marten D28 of his.

This list of credits hopefully will evolve as I get more feedback.

  1.  The Shape I’m In
    1. Acoustic Guitar: Peter Archer
    2. Flute: Vern Dorge
    3. Guitars: Dave Filchak
  2.  TV Child
    1. Acoustic Guitar: Peter Archer/Dave Filchak
    2. Drums: Robbie Berday
    3. Leslie Guitar: Dave Filchak
  3.  Well of Fortune
    1. Acoustic Guitars: Peter Archer/Dave Filchak
    2. Bass: Laurie Ingalls
    3. Leslie Guitar: Dave Filchak
    4. Vocals: Peter Archer
    5. Backup Vocals: Dave Filchak
  4. The Music It Makes
    1. Acoustic Guitars: Peter Archer/Dave Filchak
    2. Bass: Laurie Ingalls
    3. Vocals: Peter Archer
    4. Backup Vocals: Dave Filchak
  5.  Why Was It Me
    1. Acoustic Guitars: Peter Archer/Dave Filchak
    2. Drums: Robbie Berday
    3. Electric Guitars: Dave Filchak/
    4. Vocals: Peter Archer
    5. Backup Vocals: Dave Filchak
  6. Right Kind of Company
  7.  Heartbreaks, Milkshakes and Fries
    1. Piano: Dan Dubé
  8.  Johnny Ringo
    1. Talking Drum: Dale Ketcheson
  9. The Hook Line
    1. Drums: Brad Valgardson
  10.  Millionaire
    1. Bass: Laurie Ingalls
  11. Fancy
  12. 110 In the Shade
    1. Drums: Brad Valgardson
  13.  Deeper and Deeper
  14. Give Me That You
  15.  Almost Home

These recordings are old, probably were not stored as optimally as they could have been…but the essence of Pete and the fine playing of the players involved is all there. I hope you enjoy. 

Terry Kushner

by
Terry Kushner rocked! I say that with conviction. She is a wonderful, funny, great performer and a better person. The girl can sing. I was going through some old cassettes I have collected over the years in an attempt to catalog all the music I have and came across a demo tape made by Terry in 1986. Not sure who were the players as I was already in Toronto at that point. It is a really good demo from the eighties version of Terry. Would love to hear her now. If anyone has some good quality pics from the day, please forward them to me. Give this a listen.
 

Gimmie That You

by

My friend Peter Archer, was a big talent in the rough. I miss him for sure.

There were a series of tracks we recorded late night over several weeks at Southern Sound, with some of the best Lethbridge had to offer at the time. However, memory fails me to some degree. I know Robbie Berday (one of my all time favorite drummers) played on them, Jim Williams, perhaps Russ Hauser on piano, maybe even Brad Valgardson on drums (also one of my favorites). If anyone remembers who was involved in these sessions (maybe it was a sign of the times :-)) please let me know.

On this particular track, I know Vern Dorge, a Lethbridge boy who was with Blood Sweat & Tears at the time played tenor sax on this cut. He rocks!