The 10th annual Music Therapy Ride takes place September 17, 2011 between Vancouver and Whistler to raise funds for community-based music therapy services throughout British Columbia. Founded by members of the music industry (from artists to label representatives, agents, managers, and promoters) all motorcycle enthusiasts are invited to participate in the event.
Over the last decade, the Music Therapy Ride has raised over $350,000 for Music Therapy programs, a recording studio at the BC Children’s Hospital, and a mobile recording studio (“Band Wagon 1“) to service patients outside of the hospital. These recording studios give clients the ability to record the music created during their therapy sessions and provide a legacy for their family, friends, and community.
You can sign up for the ride if you’re a single or double rider or a four-wheeled vehicle. You can even register at the “Hitch Hiker” level if you’d like to take part but don’t have a vehicle.
We all know that a good tune can make us smile, lift our spirits, and move our souls. Megan McNeil wrote and performed the song in the video above, “Will to Survive” with the assistance of Garth Richardson of the Nimbus School of Recording Arts. The charity single supported childhood cancers and showed how much of an impact music therapy can have. Unfortunately, at the age of 20, Megan lost her 4-year battle with cancer in January of 2011 but her inspiring message and legacy lives on through her music and the causes in which she believed.
This year Nimbus asked me if I would partner with them to not only give away an amazing prize, but to support their cause and the Music Therapy Ride. The prize is an acoustic Yamaha Guitar (value: $300) that has been signed by the one and only Sarah McLachlan (value: priceless).
We decided to setup a silent auction format for this prize so if you would like to win the guitar, and support music therapy in BC, please leave a bid below in the comments. The starting bid is $500 and let’s see how high we can go from there. The prize is rare and valuable to any Sarah McLachlan fan.
Thank you in advance for your support of this cause and the 2011 Music Therapy Ride.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Review — Journalists were not paid to participate in this trip however airfare was covered by The Watermark. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
Earlier this summer I was invited to Sechelt along with other media to check out the site of the new Watermark development. After working with residents to plan these new seaside condos, developers were ready to show off the buildings’ designs and locations.
We flew out of the sea plane terminal in Coal Harbour and landed on the Sunshine Coast a quick 20 minutes later. The alternative is to pay the one-way fare from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale by ferry however flying gets you there in about half the time. Located about 30 minutes from the ferry terminal in Gibsons, it’s close enough to the city yet far enough away to enjoy the beaches, forest trails, coves, rapids, artisan offerings and more that are all abundant in the region.
I’ve been visiting Sechelt for the last 20 years and there hasn’t been any major changes to the town’s core during that time (although now they have a stoplight) which is part of its charm. There are more neighbourhoods and bigger shops however nestled between the Pacific and the Sechelt inlet, the community is still very close-knit. The Watermark will have two buildings (phase one and phase two) each sitting at six storeys with terraced levels. It’s located near the Sechelt Library, the Aquatic & Fitness Centre, retail, and an oceanfront pathway.
After a quick bite at the Lighthouse Pub (right in the terminal) we hopped back into our sea plane and took off again for Vancouver in the same afternoon.
Returning home, I handed my camera over to John Biehler who rode in the co-pilot seat. Ships criss-crossing the inlet, a BC Ferry on its way to Horseshoe Bay, the green tuft of the Stanley Park peninsula, and the ever-growing skyline of the downtown core.
Sechelt from the air
The Sunshine Coast will always have a special place in my heart (and it’s still a part of the “604” as well). It was nice to hop over for an afternoon and see how it’s growing. The Watermark development (with its impressive floor plans and affordable pricetags) seems to be just the beginning of new chapter for Sechelt. Soon enough, this alluring hidden gem won’t be so hidden.
John and I have known musician Phil Ayoub virtually for about five years now. John discovered his pod-safe music and added his tunes to the RadioZoom podcast (which John started in 2004 and will some day resurrect, I’m certain). A few months ago I made a friendly wager with Phil, who lives in Massachusetts, regarding our favourite hockey teams that were involved in a highly-esteemed championship battle at the time.
The winning team’s fan would receive a collection of local music assembled by the fan of the team that will definitely have a better go next year. I have put this off for long enough and it is now my duty to assemble the most fantastic “Vancouver Mix Tape” to send over to Phil.
Over the last few years, Vancouver has nurtured a surge of talented and upcoming artists that no longer have to travel across the border to gain enough fame to get them a headlining gig at the Commodore Ballroom. With so many options I’m not sure which albums I should collect and send over to The Bay State. Here’s what I have on my list so far:
Dan Mangan: Nice Nice Very Nice or perhaps the new Oh Fortune
Louder Than Love: Dark Days
The New Pornographers: Together
Black Mountain: Wilderness Heart
The Matinee: The Road
It being “Music Monday” I thought I would crowd-source the rest. If you could travel with only a handful of local albums, which would they be?
Canada’s Got Talent, our version of America’s largest talent show, will be airing next spring on CityTV and auditions are coming to Vancouver this month.
Vancouver auditions for the reality competition show will be held September 19th and 20th, it’s the third stop on the tour that will also visit Winnipeg, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax.
If you can dance, sing, juggle, play piano, rock the guitar, or have an unique talent you think the world should see, come out to audition. Solo and group acts are welcome to compete.
What Canada’s Got Talent Audition Tour in Vancouver
Where The Westin Bayshore, 1601 Bayshore Drive
When Competitor lineup starts at 6:00am PT. Doors open at 8:00am.
There are some extraordinarily talented people in Vancouver so I know the West Coast will be well-represented. Those wishing to participate should visit the Canada’s Got Talent website to find out how to get signed up and to fill out the Participant Agreement Release form. Walk-up performers will be welcome but they will need to have two pieces of valid ID.
Update November 9th and 10th there will be call-backs in Vancouver for the next round of Canada’s Got Talent.
The Vancouver Canadians won the Northwest League title today at Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium. It was a one-game, winner-take-all game against the Tri-City Dust Devils and the Canadians came out on top.
The Canadians are the minor league affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and enjoyed a high number of sell-out crowds at home this season with a record attendance of 162,162 fans (according to their Twitter account). With plenty of sunshine, lots of action, a unique dance team and one of the best ticket deals in town, there’s no wonder Vancouver had baseball fever this summer.
The Canadian affiliation also helped the popularity of America’s Passtime quite a bit and the C’s even started off the season with six Canadian-born players.
I also got more into baseball this year after watching all 10 innings of the Ken Burns Baseball documentary series. I admit, it took me 30 years to come around but I think the game is really growing on me. Marrying a man from the Midwest and playing catch the at Field of Dreams movie site helped a bit.
I was also proud to host threeticketgiveaways (and the chance to throw out the first pitch) with the BC Sports Hall of Fame this season. Thanks to the Hall, my readers and 27 of their friends were able to attend games this season.
This is the Vancouver Canadians’ second title. They also won the Pacific Coast League championship in 1999 [source: Bob Mackin].
Congratulations to the Vancouver Canadians on bringing home the title today. Follow them on Twitter @VanCanadians and on Facebook for news and updates throughout the rest of the year.
