Members of Whistler rock outfit Introduce Wolves have been playing music together in various projects for more than six years now.
And, in that time, they’ve picked up more than a few valuable lessons.
“We’ve done a lot of things the right way and the wrong way,” says bassist Liam McCook. “We’d like to be able to use that experience and knowledge to put on other events and gigs.”
In that vein, they officially launched Crabapple Hits Music last month.
Named after the biggest jump line in the Whistler Bike Park, the new music company will offer artist management and booking services, as well as serve as a production company.
“It was the right time, and the people we spoke to believed in us and what we were doing with our band,” says Rory Malkin, guitarist and vocalist with the band. “Rather than branding [shows] as ‘Introduce Wolves with some bands,’ we thought if we brand it with this other thing—Crabapple Hits Music—it gives us lots of options for the future.”
To start, they’ve organized their first concert, set for Friday, May 5, at Après Après. Introduce Wolves (who are in the middle of recording a new EP, due out later this year) will headline, along with Vancouver rockers Sleepcircle and Whistler punk band Last Reminisced Heroes.
“This is the first testing-of-the-water—the first thing Crabapple Hits Music is doing at all,” McCook says. “We’re doing everything in our power to make it a roaring success so we can do it again in the future. When we have that wheel in motion, we can move on to the production and management.”
One of the biggest barriers to organizing a show was finding a venue that was open to three bands playing 45 minutes to an hour of mostly original music.
“The venue thing was always the biggest challenge. In various bands, we’ve played the usual places, but we’ve never had artistic license,” Malkin says.
That said, they understand bars are businesses that need to make money and, in the resort, that usually means playing crowd-pleasing covers. But they also feel motivated to prove audiences might be open to more.
“We really feel this pressure to make [the May 5 show] such a success … to show venues and promoters there’s a market for it—and it’s a money-making venture,” McCook says. “These venues are businesses and they need to make money.”
To that end, they’ve had plenty of friends in the industry step up to offer help—ranging from lighting technicians to sound engineers.
“Those guys have taken time out to come to the venue with me and figure out what we need,” Malkin adds. “Based on how stoked the people are that offered help, I think everyone else will be into it.”
The goal, ultimately, is to put on future shows, with or without Introduce Wolves, featuring bands of all genres from across the Sea to Sky and Vancouver.
“Every single Vancouver band we’ve played with at least once has said to us, ‘When can we come up to play Whistler?’” McCook says. “A lot of them are familiar with Whistler, the town. It’s a fun place to be. They want to hang out and party.”
Beyond shows, they’ve also fielded some questions from local musicians looking to take their efforts to the next level.
Their advice ranges from practical—staying on top of to-do lists and getting organized—to conceptual.
“This is a huge one: only you are responsible for your success and failures,” Malkin says. “It’s really easy. It would’ve been easy for us in our position three or four years ago to just blame the music scene in Whistler or the fact that we can’t do what we want. I see it happen a lot. I get it, it’s hard. It’s not easy. But you are responsible for making something happen for yourself. No one is going to just give you something.”
Tickets for the May 5 show are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.
