We are constantly inspired and amazed at what each collaboration brings, and this pairing did not disappoint. We had the opportunity to chat with both Thawer and Nikolina to get the inside scoop on their unique creative process for this spectacular show and how they brought the affair to a new level of immersive experience.
For each Live @ 44 event, the visual set created is unique to the artist's interpretation of the musician’s music, making for a truly joint showcase of music and art, together. This collaboration made for the perfect storm – both artists valuing boldness, creativity, and pushing the boundaries of tradition.
“The collaboration happened naturally, we were both very open and didn’t hold back on any ideas,” said Kupcevic.
Thawer agreed, noting that “it was an absolute pleasure working together, our vision for a kind of cartoon-like, colourful, lively, fun experience aligned seamlessly.”
This seamless collaboration came from the prominent overlap of shared values, instilled in both artists from a young age. After learning more about each artist’s background, it seems that the key to this authentic approach is to hold strong to those core values and commit to what feels right in your artistry, no matter what.
When it comes to creating something spectacular, the path to success means taking the path less traveled.
For Thawer, performing has been a part of life since childhood. Growing up in a musical family with instruments around the house, Thawer took a strong interest in playing the drums, playing her first live show at the age of six. While she didn’t follow the typical path and was a completely self-taught drummer until age 18, this helped her face trials ahead.
“I got rejected from every university I applied to because I didn’t have the right qualifications on paper,” said Thawer, who also faced the challenge of convincing her traditional family this pursuit was no fool's game. Sure enough, Thawer studied jazz and world music at York University and received the Oscar Peterson Scholarship, the highest award given by the institution, shattering every barrier in her way.
“People can be mean,” said Thawer. “The best thing to do in response is to have confidence in yourself, own your weirdness, and be bold – your authenticity will come through and that’s what will bring you success.”
Aligned with this truth, Kupcevic, a Marketing and Business grad from Wilfrid Laurier University strives for authenticity and mindfulness in her work.
For Kupcevic, art has always been a natural passion, finding inspiration in immersive experiences. First influenced by painting on canvas and now pushing the realms of digital art, printmaking, and set design, Kupcevic is an expert at curating interactive, experiential art that is bold, dynamic, colourful and most importantly – thought-provoking.
“Music is my favourite form of art,” said Kupcevic. “It’s so immersive and always brings me back to the present moment, it’s magic. That’s exactly what I try to encompass in my work."
Magic is exactly what audience members experienced at the latest Live @ 44 show, as the collaboration demanded every second of the audience's attention. Kupcevic’s immersive, 70’s inspired psychedelic art paired with Thawer’s raw energy left audience members on a high as they became fully immersed in a fusion-filled performance.
Working together, the pair gave each other full creative freedom and were open to creating an experience like no other. Kupcevic’s set not only included endless eye-catching elements, she also used greenscreen projection to layer even more into the show. “I was able to produce live animations for this experience, which isn’t something I ever would have tried if we weren’t doing the show online,” she said, complimenting the jazz-fusion sound perfectly.
“To me, jazz signifies improv, and fusion incorporates the hip hop, funk, Indian and jazz music I grew up on,” said Thawer, who took the stage with her band as they played a mixture of jazz standards with their high energy twist. Throughout the performance, audience members heard inspirations from influential musicians like Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams and Anderson Paak, a drummer who takes center stage as a performer like Thawer.
The perfect pairing of raw, bold energy, the combination of art and music brought the at-home experience to a new level, giving audience members a chance to escape from reality for a while and enjoy the present moment.
This event is just the beginning of a new frontier for both artists. Thawer continues to evolve as a solo musician and plans to record her new work as soon as it is safe to do so. Kupcevic continues to build her career as a designer, and create more in the event space, bringing more completely immersive experiences to an even wider audience in the future.
To keep in touch with these great artists, and stay in the loop for the next Live @ 44 show:
To get the full experience, the stream has now been posted live on Good Company Productions YouTube channel, so check it out! Until next time, keep being bold, authentic, and hold onto those values that make you, you.
]]>Debs and Beharry noticed a clear gap in our community – many BIPOC groups can’t find mentors to relate to. So, the pair worked to build WOKE events as a platform for racialized members of the community to share stories and find mentors in a safe space.
After so many years of education, advocating and standing up for justice, this was a night of warmth and uplifting celebration of where the community is right now and where it's going.
]]>The first virtual event in the series, local organizers and co-founders Selam Debs and Carla Beharry curated a night of speaking, music, DJing, dance & spoken word as a tribute to African and Caribbean culture by amplifying stories of resilience and challenge through storytelling.
Both Debs and Beharry are social justice and advocacy workers in the community and co-founded WOKE WO/MEN Speaking Events and The Antiracism Community Collective as a way to amplify BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) voices and challenge the community to take action for tangible, systemic change.
Debs and Beharry noticed a clear gap in our community – many BIPOC groups can’t find mentors to relate to. So, the pair worked to build these events as a platform for racialized members of the community to share stories and find mentors in a safe space.
“For the first time, I shared my life story in a real way where I felt empowered and supported by my community,” said Debs, recalling the first WOKE event back in May 2019, hosted by Beharry, at Debs yoga studio. From there, WOKE events filled spaces like the Registry Theatre, the Button Factory of Arts and more, motivated by the deep desire to change our community to better represent its diverse nature.
While KW has seen change and growth in the past few years, we still have a very long way to go. “Things that are acceptable here that would never be acceptable in a place like Toronto, where it is much easier to be immersed in culture, food, music and more,” said Beharry. “Here, it’s somehow become acceptable to push racialized groups to the edges of the community, to erase people of colour from boards where decisions are being made.”
Believing that this community deserves much better, Debs and Beharry choose to stay local, invested in giving KW what it needs – a wake up call.
This year, unlike other years, we are living in a global pandemic and at the same time, we are in the midst of the largest civil rights movement that we have known in history. Conversations about the Black experience in Waterloo region growing, particularly in the wake of the death of George Floyd, the focus also shifted to cases of injustices within Waterloo region.
The Black Lives Matter march in downtown Kitchener in June 2020 was one of the largest rallies in the province as 36, 000 people gathered on the streets and thousands more joined online. The event was pulled together quickly, as Debs, Beharry and friends made connections with grassroots organizations in the community. Organizations like the ACB Network helped make the rally a safe space as thousands of people met outside 44 Gaukel in downtown for the opening of the march. Good Company Productions offered support by supplying microphones and loudspeakers so the organizer's voices were heard.
Over half a year later, the most recent WOKE event returned to broadcast live from 44 Gaukel, this time for a hybrid event, bringing in-person hosts Debs and Beharry on-location while other speakers, dancers, musicians, and more joined the event virtually.
After so many years of education, advocating and standing up for justice, this was a night of warmth and uplifting celebration of where the community is right now and where it's going.
The event included a number of speakers including Dr. Kathy Hogarth, associate professor in the School of Social Work at Renison University College at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Christopher Stuart Taylor, a UW history professor who also serves as the school's Black equity strategist and anti-racism advisor, Nicole Brown-Faulknor, a Registered Psychotherapist, Umi Mohammed, a Community Enabler and Equity Leader, and Dr. Funke Oba, an assistant professor of social work at Ryerson University and a member of the African Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and Area.
“We carefully curated this event to raise voices that would uplift and inspire with a cross section of voices and stories that span several generations, and experiences,” said Debs and Beharry.
But it wasn’t just the speakers: the evening included music, art and spoken word. Special thanks go out to Trisha Abe for artwork and poster design, Utamika Van Zyl for hosting and moderating the event, Jaleel Debs for sharing spoken word, DJ Jon Corbin and musician Rufus John for bringing music to the celebration, and sponsors Wilfred Laurier Women Entrepreneurship Centre (WEC), Black Lives Matter Waterloo Region, Sidewalk Beer Shop and Third Moon Brewery, all for making the event a celebratory night to remember.
Black History Month is a time for us to really become aware of the systemic changes we need in our communities, but also to highlight the community leaders making a difference right here in KW. “It is important to join together in community to amplify voices and support each other, to understand Black history, Black presence and Black futures, not just celebrating for one month a year, but long term for continued advocacy,” said Debs.
Action needs to be taken in our communities, our businesses, our leadership boards and more – for the right reasons. Many are motivated to diversify their organizations, but are motivated by the social pressure to do so, ignoring the important work to get training and change the culture of their organization to create a safe space for racialized employees.
Moving forward comes down to a collective willingness to continue the learning process, and everyone has the ability to do better. To learn more about how you can get involved and help create tangible systemic change within our community, check out more of Carla Beharry and Selam Debs work with WOKE WO/MEN events, anti-racism workshops, and more.
Photo by Issac Bender.
]]>Hundreds of virtual audience members from Kitchener-Waterloo and beyond enjoyed the free live-streamed concert, while others who purchased the exclusive Apollo Cinema Concert Box enjoyed locally-sourced treats as they watched the show.
The event, supported by the City of Kitchener Music and Film Office, allowed fans of film and music alike to collide and engaged a broad audience that may not have crossed paths otherwise. In a time where in-person entertainment is still not an option, the event gave attendees a valuable at-home experience and provided the opportunity to support local businesses and musicians.
In Canada, the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for the arts, entertainment and recreation sector has dropped by 61 per cent since February 2020. No other industry group experienced a larger decrease, besides air transportation.
“The film industry as a whole has shifted in incredible and what feels like unprecedented ways,” said Cara Watson, Director of Operations at Apollo Cinema. “For us this means continuing to focus on events and community building with events like this. It's incredibly important to us to work with other local, independent businesses within Waterloo Region and we believe that cross-promotions are integral to building this community.”
“It has definitely been a breath of fresh air to have a show to prepare for and it’s a reason for us all to get in a room and play together,” said members of Excuse Me., who quickly became a local fan favourite after performing at the first ever Live @ 44 show hosted by Good Company Productions in August last year. “People are missing live music, on both the performer and audience side. While streams will never feel quite as visceral as the real thing, we do think it helps everyone get a bit of that feeling we love so much from live music, and that’s important.”
As the band looked out beyond the stage, the audience wasn’t completely empty, as those who purchased a Concert Box also had the opportunity to submit a photo to be used as a life-size cutout placed in the “audience.” Meanwhile, attendees who purchased the box enjoyed local goodies that included a mystery merch item from Apollo Cinema, movie theatre snacks, and drinks from TWB or KW Craft Cider.
The Concert in a Box concept was first developed by Good Company Productions in May 2020 as a response to the pandemic to keep live music alive by bringing the experience into people’s homes. Since then, it has expanded to collaborate with local businesses.
Thanks to support by the City of Kitchener Music and Film Office who covered costs like musician compensation and matched in kind production services by Good Company Productions, 100 percent of the box sales went to Apollo Cinema. This kind of collaborative event is important as it allows engagement and exposure and supports more than just one local business. Collaboration is key to keep the entertainment industry alive amidst a global pandemic.
“We're very thankful to both the City of Kitchener and to the Downtown BIA for their continued support in events like these as well as their grant and funding programs. Using their platforms to share our events and help get the word out has been a great help as well.” said Watson.
To support local venues, businesses and musicians, the band encourages community members to buy local and share music and recommendations from the artists and business you love with your friends. “Word of mouth is huge for bands at our level to acquire a bigger audience, and garner more support,” said the band. “We’ve been blessed to receive the support we get from fans, friends and family amidst all the craziness.”
To learn more about how you can support local bands and businesses, stay in touch with Apollo Cinema, Excuse Me., The City of Kitchener Music and Film Office and Good Company Productions.
Read CTV Kitchener's coverage of the event here.]]>On Sunday, February 28, ticket holders enjoyed the streamed show from the comfort of home as they were introduced to a new sensory experience, entering the enchanting world of Jaguar Sun’s ethereal melodies and Vandeborne’s beautifully layered artwork, broadcast live from Good Company Productions headquarters in Downtown Kitchener.
Live @ 44 is an event series that pairs a live musical performance with visual artwork from a different local designer each month. The visual set created for the show is unique to the artist's interpretation of the band's music, making for a truly joint showcase of music and art, together.
Taking inspiration from bands such as Coldplay, Real Estate and Youth Lagoon, musician Chris Minielly makes experimental dream pop under the name Jaguar Sun.
When asked about the creative process of collaborating with artist Ahmri Vandeborne, Minielly reflected, “I’ve always imagined my aesthetic through the combination of light and colour. When Ahmri brought up the idea of using projection to form hazy layers of light, I knew it was the perfect fit.”
To get a clearer vision, Vandeborne pushed further by asking what colours Minielly was drawn to and incorporated those deep reds, blues, purples and warm yellows in what would become the final installation.
As an interdisciplinary artist, Vandeborne is always exploring new mediums, whether it’s illustration, installation, printmaking, painting or something completely new like projection in her latest project for Live @ 44.
"With a background in more traditional art forms, I used to shy away from bringing technology into my work," said Vandeborne. "This project has opened up a door to express my art in a new way."
In layering environmental factors such as light, colour, brightness or darkness, and mapping these factors to the sounds of the show, the art and music interacted in such a way that triggered varying emotions and feelings within audience members. Both Minielly’s music and Vandeborne’s artwork were layered, reflective and warm.
One audience member commented on the live stream “Such beautiful visuals, a perfect combination.”
“The exciting thing about this kind of work is that much like live music, it’s temporary,” said Vandeborne, who is used to this type of work as an installation artist. “You can plan as much as you can ahead of time, but once you get there, everything goes out the window. The work informs itself in the space, takes over for a moment in time and then it’s over – if you miss it, you miss it.”
For the live show, Minielly played alongside Jesse Maranger, a local alternative folk artist and fast friend after the pair happened to cross paths during a lunch break at their previous day jobs.
Although the two have different music tastes, the collaboration between friends came naturally. With Maranger’s accompaniment during the live show, audience members were treated to new elements in the arrangements that aren’t featured in the recorded versions. “Jaguar Sun has a bigger sound with Jesse,” said Minielly. “His guitar embellishments interact with mine in a new way, and he features new vocal harmonies on songs like ‘The Heart’.”
Prior to this collaboration, both musicians primarily worked alone. “We are both so familiar with the process of producing and recording music from home, and I think that’s why we clicked so well,” said Maranger.
Lucky for us, Live @ 44 is just the beginning for this collaboration. Audience members got to hear a special preview of what’s to come as the pair played an unreleased song that will be featured on their upcoming collaborative EP later this year. With Maranger’s personal, emotionally driven song writing and Minielly’s dreamy production, the release of their first single on Friday March 5, 2021 is eagerly awaited.
The first single off the new collaboration between Jaguar Sun and Jesse Maranger will be available Friday, March 5, 2021. You can pre-save “Sunset” now! Follow Jaguar Sun and Jesse Maranger on Instagram for more new music coming soon.
To see what artist Ahmri Vandeborne is up to next, follow Ahmri on Instagram and check out her studio, Otherwise Studios.
For more information on how Good Company Productions is working in the community to collaborate and support musicians and artists, check out our website to learn more, and join our mailing list to hear about upcoming shows and promotions first.
Photos by Bo Urbina and Isaac Bender.
]]>Hosted by Good Company Productions, the performance was lived-streamed to YouTube. Ticket holders experienced an energetic show from home as the group played the album front to back, featuring heavy hitting lyrics, angsty violin solos, tight harmonies and an escape from reality for a little while.
Inspired by the emo/screamo music of the early 2000s, KAAJE!! proves that this in fact, “is not a phase, mom.”
The independent rock group were good friends before officially forming KAAJE!! in 2019. Jeffrey Fleming plays the violin, guitar and vocals. Matthew Parker plays the drums and vocals. Tyler Cooke plays the bass, keyboards and vocals.
“It was always the intention to release an album together,” said Matthew Parker.
Starting out by playing covers together, the group quickly began writing and creating rough demos of what would eventually become their debut album, released on February 5, 2021.
Before the pandemic, KAAJE!! began building their fan base by frequenting venues in Sarnia, Parker’s hometown and Kitchener-Waterloo venues such as Harmony Lunch and Four Fathers Brewing Co.
“When the pandemic hit, we continued the recording process remotely,” said Parker. “By the time the demos were done, we were able to safely get to the studio to record the drums during the summer, recording and producing everything else from home.”
While most of the songs on the album were written before the pandemic, viewers of the release show heard familiar themes ring out true from the past year, highlighting issues of racial disparity, political unrest, failing to create a sustainable future or, to sum it up – things we least desire.
“The album is essentially a checklist of things we’d rather not want to worry about, but things we are motivated to bring awareness to in order to motivate change,” said Parker.
Stand out songs include “Building Coffins For My Kids” about building a sustainable future and “I Can See You’re Sorry Now” which touches on the Canadian “sorry” culture, stressing that you can’t just apologize for something as damaging as our role in longstanding human rights challenges and indigenous issues.
The second song on the album, “Americult” highlights the impact of American culture on society and has received some radio play as well as a feature on the Discover and Uncover playlist on Spotify.
“We care a great deal about the content of this album and as it was independently made, we’re always looking for the most cost effective and creative ways to make the most genuine music possible,” said Parker. “When it came to considering a release show, we reached out to Good Co. as we had seen them do work with some of our friends before and they were more than willing to help us achieve what we wanted.”
“It’s really nice to be able to play a gig, we really appreciate everyone tuning in,” said Parker during the show. Parker earlier expressed the experience working with Good Co. leading up to the release show.
“When you’re just starting out, you usually just show up and you get what you get and don’t ask questions,” said Parker. “Working with Good Co., we kept finding ourselves saying like, wait – we can do that? We can pick the colour of lights? We can project our band images on the stage?”
Even in a pandemic, it’s worth putting on the show to celebrate an accomplishment in a very hard year. For one night, you get to play live, your fans get to sit back, enjoy a beer and forget about everything for a little while.
Want more KAAJE!!? Follow them @kaajeband on Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp, YouTube, Spotify and more to stay up to date on future releases, merch and more.
Interested in hosting your own release show? Good Company Productions is supporting emerging independent artists with their releases through the pandemic by producing virtual release shows for no upfront cost to the artist. Reach out to artists@goodcoprod.ca for more information.
Photo by Bo Urbina.
Good Company Productions’ mission has always been about supporting artists and connecting people through music. Even under these challenging circumstances, our top priorities haven’t changed — we’re just having to experiment with different ways of going about them and we know everyone else is doing the same. That’s why, when it comes to pursuing a music career during a global pandemic, we want to make it easier for us all to lean on one another and navigate this ‘new normal’ together.
]]>Last month, we called together a virtual congregation of local musicians, movers, and shakers, to have a candid conversation. With roughly 50 artists sharing their ideas and inspiration, while connecting over the power of music in these difficult times, it was probably the most meaningful Zoom call we’ve experienced yet.
“What we’re doing here is creating a community, and that’s what music does. That’s what music is for,” said Bob Egan, Film & Music Officer at the City of Kitchener.
So, in order to do just that, we want to share with you some of the highlights that came out of this discussion. Let’s dive right in:
A number of musicians in our community have experience mixing and mastering, including some of our own team members! If you want to learn and could use some help getting started, reach out to our team and we can connect you with the right person.
When it comes to video and live-streaming, our Audio Team has put together a comprehensive overview of how to get the most out of platforms like YouTube, Instagram Live, Facebook Live, Twitch, JamKazam, and OBS.
The folks at a local creative agency Trimmed Creative are a great resource to help you navigate content marketing and improve your skills now that it’s top of mind for everyone.
Finally, as the Good Company Productions office is currently sitting pretty with a stock full of microphones, cables, stands, and the like — we’re happy to drop off some gear to you to use during quarantine on a case-by-case basis if needed.
Local arts and culture champion Bob Egan, mentioned above, is putting together a list of resources to help musicians financially. In the meantime, check out the Local 1000 Artist Fund for up-to-date information on this front.
One common question that came up during our discussion around finances was around the CERB benefit and whether accepting payment for virtual gigs affects your eligibility. In case you’ve been wondering, you can still collect CERB while earning up to $1,000 in supplemental income.
We’re deeply missing casual jam sessions with other musicians, and we know we’re not alone in that. But, musical collaboration can still happen even in quarantine, you just have to get creative about it! For example, local bands like I, the Mountain, 12 Mile Island and John Muirhead have been experimenting with hosting a “virtual tour” over Zoom, where bands take turns performing for guests who want to listen.
We’ve also put together what we call the Local Sounds Challenge - a community-crafted track made from snippets submitted by different musicians. Learn more and submit your track here. Interested in helping us produce the next track? Shoot Good Co.’s founder Amit Mehta an email.
Some other things we’re doing to centralize musical collaboration in our community is keeping an ongoing list of virtual gigs, as well as a musician database. We’d love to see you add to both so we can keep up-to-date on what you’re working on and how we can support you. It will also hopefully make it easier for you to connect with other artists as you see fit!
Off the bat, we want to remind you about the “Thank You Kitchener” live-streamed concert series taking place. Contact Kitchener-based Community Engagement master Mistie Brown for more information. There may not be many spots left at this point, but nonetheless it’s a great initiative to keep tabs on and support other artists through.
The folks at Midtown Radio are accepting recordings from your home in MP3 format in any quality that they will play on their station. Don’t worry about making it perfect —take advantage of this great way to gain some exposure as a musician.
Of course, if you haven’t yet, consider signing up for the Good Company Productions’ Virtual Open Mic, running every Tuesday via Instagram Live (@goodcoprod) at 7 p.m. until, well, until we can hear you play in-person again! Spread the word and sign up here — we can’t wait to hear you.
You can also check out our latest project, Concert in a Box, which is happening on May 24 and will follow the format of our classic pop-up concerts, virtually. Pay-what-you-can for to livestream the concert and place your order for a box full of local treats which will enhance your concert experience, giving you that Good Company feeling you’ve come to know! We hope to continue offering similar experiences if the response to this pilot is positive.
Have you heard about our Band Shop? Sell your merch online for free with a little help from our team. You can sell physical merchandise and digital downloads — and you keep 100 per cent of the profits. Bands only need to cover their transaction fees. We’ve also partnered with Civilian Screen Printing to help artists print merchandise at a reduced minimum order quantity of 12 shirts upfront. If you list your shirts online on our Band Shop, then Good Company Productions will cover all printing costs for t-shirts after you sell your minimum order quantity, so you will have no upfront costs. If you do not have designs, we can connect you with a local designer. Email our Artist Liaison David for more information on this opportunity and how to get listed.
Other channels you can leverage to share your content include a Quarantine Music Video Club, the Home Sweet Home Music Festival (live-streamed concerts every Friday at 8 p.m), and checking back for more content and artist resources to come on our Good Company Productions Blog. Keep us in the loop about what you’re working on and we will try our best to feature you on it, and through our newsletter — especially when it involves helping you advertise a virtual event.
As Good Co’s founder Amit Mehta so eloquently said in the Artist Roundtable session: “This is a time to build up habits and break down barriers.” For the past two months, we’ve watched you make the best out of a bad situation, re-organizing your projects with an impressive turnaround time and energy level. We want you to remember you have people in your corner and we’re always here to help.
“I think there is a need for what we do, and at a time like this where the world is in a different place, your creative outlet might just end up giving people five minutes of relief, who knows,” said local treasure John Maksym.
“Try not to measure the value of what you’re doing with comments and likes. If you’re getting engagement and people are watching, you’re making them happy and that’s what matters,” added Duncan Ivory of The Northcoast Band.
We know that our current climate is not presenting to be favourable to musicians and creatives, but if we put our minds together, we can come out of this stronger and more unified than before.
]]>After our February pop-up at Death Valley's Little Brother, Good Co's Jenna Aquino sat down with KW's Richard Garvey to discuss what it's like to be a full-time musician in Waterloo Region.
]]>After our February pop-up at Death Valley's Little Brother, Good Co's Jenna Aquino sat down with KW's Richard Garvey to discuss what it's like to be a full-time musician in Waterloo Region.
RG: I’m a folk-musician to put it simply. I really just write songs about whatever is important to me at the time. I have songs about everything — from my political ideas to my spiritual wonderings, my love life and even about grapefruit being the best fruit, stuff like that.
I started playing guitar and writing songs when I was about 14. I’d play a lot of open mics and coffee houses. Eventually I joined a group called the Radical Choir which was like a "hippie love protest choir." That was kind of my community and my launchpad for creating, performing, and recording my own music.
Eventually I started a band called Far From Rich and we had a lot of fun. Now it’s ten years down the road and I’m still doing everything [as a musician] myself – it’s all very DIY.
I put out my first album in 2009 and it’s been great to see how much the quality of my stuff has gone up since then. Now I have three full-length albums available on Spotify and two EP’s, with more on the way. I get a lot of support on Patreon as well – a crowd-sourced artist subscription service.
RG: I really just want people to feel together, together. I think sharing the experience of live music with others is really special because there is so much emotion and intention that goes into music and song writing. When people feel that together, it’s like everyone is vibrating and resonating with one another all at once. It’s a big, powerful blend of energy — and every show feels a little different.
Beyond making people feel joyful and united, I think, as an artist, the goal is to tell your truth. To point out injustice and hatred as much as you do love and beauty. I try to write music that will make people think and ask themselves hard questions about what they stand for. You can’t always focus only on the light, you know? The dark is still there, and you have to be able to look at it too.
RG: I actually play a lot of house shows – especially in Kitchener. Unfortunately, a lot of good music venues in town have been closing the last little while. It’s too bad because Kitchener has a lot of artists and creativity, but there isn’t a lot of structure support for the arts locally. That’s sort of why underground shows and DIY studios are so popular. The larger music venues we do have in town don’t often book local acts, much less independent acts. That said, I think Good Company Productions is really starting to help this area develop a more professional music scene and balance out some of the gentrification we’re experiencing with more arts and culture.
Beyond Kitchener-Waterloo I also tour all across Canada two-to-three times a year. I have a really great network of people out west and the music scene there is really open and welcoming – a bit less conservative than Ontario. I’ve found a lot of support for my music out there.
RG: A long time ago I was working this really shitty job for a temp agency and I was having a hard time with it. One day on a lunch break or whatever, I was writing a song in my journal and just decided I was going to go home and finish it instead of going back to work because it was more important to me. I never really looked back after that.
People say you’ll never make enough money as a musician and I was told that a lot when I first started but it’s just not true. I mean, it takes a lot of work and dedication and it’s a learning curve for sure – you have to be able to diversify what you do. But, if you’re good and you keep getting better, you can really grow as an artist and build a business around that. It’s crazy, as an independent touring artist, I’m always planning at least eight-to-ten months in advance. You can’t just sit around waiting for stuff to happen to you, especially as an artist. You have to make things happen for yourself.
I make a living playing music and it’s challenging but I love what I do, you know? I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
You can check out Richard Garvey on all major streaming platforms.
Our first performer of the night was Sara Rose, an acoustic artist from Kitchener-Waterloo. Sara filled the room with warm fuzzies as she performed a really raw and honest set straight from the heart. Up next was Richard Garvey with an acoustic performance. Richard's set was a rollercoaster of emotions, with social commentary about climate change, followed by a saucy, sexy sing-a-long.
Perfect for a snowy February evening, our pop up show at DVLB had everyone keeping warm shoulder-to-shoulder, holding a matte mug full of boozy coffee and singing along to some feel good tunes.
Keep an eye out for our office launch event on March 15 in collaboration with Someone's Studio. This event will be like our classic pop up show, but elevated, with a few more unique surprises!
]]>Leadership
Operations Team
Jill, Operations Coordinator — Jill specializes in crafting the Good Co. concert experience: from securing venues for shows to staging spaces, she ensures every concert has a venue.
Sammi, Operations Coordinator — a lot goes on behind the scenes to ensure our concerts are possible, and Sammi is often the one pulling the strings, securing SOPs, permits, and coordinating the flow of every Good Co. event.
Leon, Jack of All Trades — Leon truly is a jack of all trades, doing everything from scouting and coordinating with our designers and vendors at each show to helping with setup, staging, and event logistics.
Artist Team
Ashwyn, Artist Scout & Liaison — having been with the team since the very beginning, Ashwyn is often the driving force that is scouting and booking the incredible musicians we showcase at our concerts.
David, Artist Scout & Liaison — organized and analytical, David manages the finer details of booking talent, ensuring our artists have the best possible experience at shows, and ensuring our internal process always make sense.
Marketing Team
Jenna, Marketing Coordinator & Writer — the author behind Good Co.'s blogs, artist interviews, social posts, and more, Jenna works to capture the stories of everyone and everything involved in what we do and showcase them to the world!
Dylan, Photographer — Good Co.'s star photographer, Dylan is the one behind the lens at most of our shows capturing the moments we all share together. He also works with local musicians to capture their live performances.
Audio Team
Rod, Audio Technician — an experienced audio technician, Rod brings a wealth of knowledge to the team, and is equipped to handle any space we throw at him. Rod also hosts audio workshops in the community.
Logan, Audio Technician — our most easy-going technician, Logan works well in all situations and adapts to every challenge sent his way. Never short of a joke to tell, he works many of our client contracts alongside Rod and Adrian.
Owen, Audio Technician — Owen is a graduate of the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology, and is now pursuing a degree in Engineering at the University of Guelph. He's trained for anything!
Christian, Audio Technician — having been with the team for some time now, Christian is a capable and organized audio technician who loves both being behind the mixer and dancing to music on stage.
Brian, Audio Technician — always willing to lend a helping hand, Brian has gained firsthand experience from running audio in very unconventional spaces at our shows, and that experience shines through in his work.
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