It’s not always easy to be in a professional partnership with your significant other but it’s a venture that Danielle and Drew McTaggart have taken on with a smile and sky-high ambition.
I met up with the pop-rock duo from the band Dear Rouge this morning to talk about how they’ve been selected a Top 20 finalists in this year’s Peak Performance Project. As I walked back from the coffee shop I didn’t just have a notebook full of interview questions that were answered. I carried a custom-made burned mix CD, a smile on my face, and an anticipation to see the couple again this summer.
Drew said that Danielle is really good with people and he likes the planning, logistics, and the behind-the-scenes process. “You assume your roles when you’re a couple, based on strengths and weaknesses… …I love music but I’m not as gifted a performer as [Danielle].” Danielle admitted that she likes being the centre of attention: “I love entertaining people and helping them have fun.”
Danielle and Drew were individual artists and it wasn’t until just over a year ago that the couple got married but also combined their creative efforts. Forming Dear Rouge, they have put all they have into making a go at a career in music together.
Drew explained that they’ve been in the industry for a while but Dear Rouge itself is still in its infancy. “We’ve done music our whole lives separately and that’s kind of how we met. We had all of these separate music things — we’ve done tours we’ve played shows but when you start a new band with a new name you don’t have anything to show for it. We just needed to kind of let people know we’re not just starting and we’ve been around for a bit.”
With the help of their friend Sam and the Peak Performance submission due date, they focused their eyes on the prize. “We were in this pre-phase. We got married last year, we had the tracks there but we didn’t have the website and everything we needed to setup to just kind of launch,” Drew said. “So, the deadline for Peak Performance project was coming up and we were like ‘Ok, let’s go’. We filmed our live acoustic performance… … we got that done, tried to get followers on Twitter, got all our friends on Facebook, all of that.”
They’re now ready to take on the process that comes with the Peak Performance Project — shows, development, and bootcamp. “It was pretty crazy when I found out that we were on there,” Danielle said with a laugh. “I was driving and I pulled over and was screaming by myself — we were the first ones called.”
The first song I heard from Dear Rouge was You Step of Out Nowhere which has a YouTube video posted on their website. This sweet tune was written by Danielle for Drew and you won’t believe how she keeps her composure as the video takes her up and around the old wooden roller coaster at Playland.
I think the You Step of Out Nowhere video is a great introduction to the band. You immediately get a sense of sweetness and care, with smiles turning to laughter.
Other tracks from their Heads Up! Watch Out! EP include the energetic title track and Diamonds, which makes me want to be out on a road-trip with John, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway with sunshine kissing our faces and hair blowing out of control. Simply put, it’s fun.
The EP is currently available for download for just $3.96 — well worth the price given how many times you’ll want to click ‘replay’ on every track.
You can check out Dear Rouge at Surrey Canada Day on the Peak Performance Project stage and you’ll be sure to find me and my own sweetheart in the audience. Follow Dear Rouge on Twitter and Facebook for more information about where they’ll be playing this summer and their campaign in the Peak Performance Project.
Read all of my Peak Performance Project Top 20 Finalist interviews so far: Headwater, Dominique Fricot.
The 24th annual Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival takes over False Creek this weekend with a free festival and hundreds of racers from dozens of teams paddling for victory. From Friday, June 15, 2012 to Sunday, June 17, 2012 everyone is invited to Creekside Community Centre and the surrounding area of False Creek to watch the dragon boat races.
The races will start at 8:00am on Saturday and the World Beat Stage and beer garden will open at 11:00am. Throughout the weekend you can enjoy offerings from food vendors, browse the marketplace, learn more about participating non-profits, and the kids area will entertain younger family members.
It’s a dazzling event with powerful paddlers and entertainment in and out of the water. Follow the Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival on Facebook and Twitter for information this the weekend and how to get involved throughout the year.
Trout Lake Day is a free family festival that is coming up June 24th. Everyone is invited to the park for music, games, art workshops, and a picnic.
Photo credit: Ruth and Dave – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.
The event will run from 2:00pm to 6:00pm at John Hendry Park, surrounding Trout Lake, which is located at 3300 Victoria Drive (at East 15th) in East Vancouver. There will be free parking but you can take transit or ride your bike to the event.
Attendees will also be invited to join in on a world record for the most people holding hands in a circle around the lake. An estimated 1,500 people will be needed for this project, dubbed “Circle of Trout”, in order to break the world record.
Trout Lake Day is hosted by the Grandview Community Centre Association/Trout Lake and the Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House.
If you can’t make it out for Trout Lake Day, check out their “International Nap Day” event this Sunday, June 17th. Show up from 3:00pm to 4:00pm for a nap in the park. There will even be a prize for “Best Napper”.
For me, as of this moment, the S III seems to be the best Android experience available although I haven’t personally tried out the HTC One X which is another hot Android device right now.
I really like what Samsung has been doing with their devices lately and as I’ve been wanting for years, they are finally a true competitor for the Apple juggernaut. So many devices are marketed as an iPhone killer but fall so far short it’s not even funny. Not so with the S III. [Continue reading »]
The Samsung Galaxy S III Launch will feature Canadian rap-rockers Down With Webster live at VENUE on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 7:00pm. I have 5 pairs of VIP passes to give away to a few lucky Miss604 readers. If you would like to attend the launch party, here’s how you can enter to win your way in:
Leave a comment here listing the top feature you look for in a smartphone (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win your way into the #GS3Launch party with @SamsungMobileCA from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/bAgzn
Samsung is also doing a contest through their Twitter account and are using the tag #GSIIIsecretVan to provide clues on how you can win tickets. I will draw all 5 winners on Monday, June 18, 2012 at 10:00am. Must be 19 years of age or older to enter, win, and attend.
Update The winners are Albert C, Rav, Yaletowner, @Lady)Nay, @VancityPegger — congratulations!
Commentary from emcee John Thorrington: “This third it represents another aspect of our unique roots in British Columbia.” — “Arbutus brown and the accents are sky blue and glacier white.”
The Whitecaps have kicked off their second season in Major League Soccer and they’re refreshing their look, taking a departure from their standard blue and white kit.
The new look will be worn by the team this Saturday when they take on the Colorado Rapids. Scarves, hoodies, t-shirts and specialty apparel will be available for sale immediately following today’s announcement.
A merchandise kiosk will be setup from 12:00pm to 6:00pm at Terry Fox Plaza and the new items will be available in-stadium kiosks going forward. With the purchase of a new jersey you also receive 50% off a white WhitecapsFC jersey of equal or lesser value.
John and I are season ticket holders and I’ve already asked him about renewing for next year. The quality of the play, the fan experience, and the atmosphere at BC Place during a Whitecaps game is second to none in this city. We think the brown is fitting, “earthy”, and we can’t really have green on there since it’s a colour heavily associated with our rivals, the Sounders and Timbers. It looks good with jeans though, as modeled today by our goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
Follow the Whitecaps on Facebook and Twitter for more information and check out a game for yourself. Tickets are very affordable, starting under $20.
Drew said that Danielle is really good with people and he likes the planning, logistics, and the behind-the-scenes process. “You assume your roles when you’re a couple, based on strengths and weaknesses… …I love music but I’m not as gifted a performer as [Danielle].” Danielle admitted that she likes being the centre of attention: “I love entertaining people and helping them have fun.”
