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Hairfarmers reach new highs

Local favourites wrap up ninth winter in Whistler, reflect on hectic season
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Bumper Crop "Grateful Greg" Reamsbottom and Guitar Doug Craig are the fearsome duo behind long-time local fave act, The Hairfarmers. Photo by Andy Dittrich, wpnn.org.

Doug Craig and Greg Reamsbottom — better known around town as Guitar Doug and Grateful Greg — always seem to have a lot on their plates, and this year, things have only gotten busier for the well-loved local duo.

Pique managed to catch up with one half of the musical powerhouse on Monday morning, as he was winding down from an incredible performance high, wrapping up a weekend chock-full of performances throughout town.

“It’s been insane, the busiest year ever, but it was definitely a good time,” said Reamsbottom.

That seems to be what it’s all about for this laid-back musical dream team — having fun.

With Craig on guitar, coupled with Reamsbottom’s powerful lyrics, the two-man band pulls out all the stops for each and every performance, drawing on a repertoire of over 2,000 songs, featuring everything from country to reggae to Grateful Dead covers.

That’s part of the beauty of an après session with The Hairfarmers — no two performances are ever the same, and nothing is ever decided before a show.

“We never, ever, ever plan it ahead,” said Reamsbottom. “We never have a set list. We just show up, feel the vibe of the room, check out who’s there, start casting out little musical tidbits and see what people start responding to.”

Now, they play 200 to 250 shows each year, and not just in Whistler. Last year, they performed in New York, Hawaii, Napa Valley, and across Canada for private parties and corporate shows.

But Whistler is the perfect home base for the duo, offering diehard local fans, a fresh crop of new faces at the beginning of each season, and a huge tourist crowd that is constantly rotating in and out of town.

Reamsbottom pointed out that there are also some solid musical roots to the local music scene, with long-time performers like Kostaman, G Willy, and Animal Nation forming a diverse foundation within the industry without stepping on each other’s toes.

“I have never seen anywhere else that could support that volume of music,” said Reamsbottom

The duo first met up with the help of some musical matchmakers; a mutual friend hired both of them, independently, to play at their wedding at Birkenhead Lake.

“Their plan was that they knew that we loved the same kind of music and that we’d actually end up just jamming together, which is exactly what happened. We played until the sun came up, and agreed that we had a really good time and made some really good music and stayed in touch,” Reamsbottom explained.

“…At the wedding, we kind of blew each other’s minds. He heard the vocals that he always wanted to hear with someone to play with, and I heard a guitar player who could carry off a huge sound with one guitar.”

Then, when Reamsbottom finally relocated to Whistler, the two teamed up to form The Hairfarmers.

Now, these self-described “ski freaks” really are living their dream here in Whistler — spending their days on the mountain during the winter, tearing around town on their Harleys in the summer, then rocking out for après sessions and evening performances around town. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

One of the secrets to their success, according to Reamsbottom, is that their music is all about having fun.

“We’re still having a damn good time doing what we do, and people can tell.”

Each year, they partner with Kokanee on the Freeride après parties, which run from December until the end of the season. During the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, they are able to play on some patios they typically don’t perform on, like Citta’s in the heart of the village.

“It’s just crazy; you can suck the whole village into the party,” said Reamsbottom. “They can’t all fit on the patio, but they can all stand around the edge, and you get the whole square to the liquor store just boogeying!”

Over the years, they’ve played their fair share of patios in Whistler and beyond, but Reamsbottom won’t name his favourite — he said it all depends on the people, the vibe and the weather.

“You can’t have a bad time on a patio. When there’s live music and cold beer and the sun’s shining, it’s a no-lose proposition,” he explained with a laugh.

Aside from their performances as The Hairfarmers, both of these boys have musical projects on the side. Craig does solo shows and Reamsbottom is one of the four members that make up Whole Lotta Led, the popular Led Zeppelin cover band. With Phil Richard on guitar, Mike Wilson on bass, drummer Tom Rimmer and Reamsbottom on vocals, Whole Lotta Led has been a fixture in Whistler for almost as long as The Hairfarmers. And though Whole Lotta Led caters to more of a niche market, it still sells out clubs on a regular basis.

“I’m really lucky, I get to play, as far as I’m concerned, in the two wickedest bands in Whistler,” said Reamsbottom.

But with the end of the ski season, things are starting to wind down a bit on all musical fronts.

The last Whole Lotta Led show was last Saturday at Dusty’s, and the next day, The Hairfarmers played an endless après session at Merlin’s.

While they won’t stop performing altogether during the slower spring months, their regular Whistler-Blackcomb series of après ski sessions are done for the winter season.

“It’s a mixed blessing. It’s great, it’s nice to have some breathing space, because it’s been the busiest year by a landslide, but it’s bittersweet, right?” said Reamsbottom. “You love playing and its always fun when people are standing there cheering and you’re playing your heart out and everyone’s having a good time. You kind of get addicted to that, it’s better than drugs.”