Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Joining the club

Pemberton music lovers launch club to support local musicians
58966_l

Making a go of music in this corridor isn't exactly easy. And if you ask just about any musician, they'll probably cite the lack of rehearsal and performance spaces as one of the biggest challenges they face.

But one Pemberton businesswoman is trying to find a solution to this problem, launching a club designed for musicians and music lovers, and opening her barn up to the members.

Hollie Davis is now the owner and operator of Holly Park Hostel, located in Pemberton. She moved to the area almost 20 years ago to be near Whistler for skiing, and Pemberton to raise her horses. Now, the horses are gone and her barn mostly sits empty. But not for much longer.

"It's called the Jam Barn now," she said with a laugh. "There's no horses in it!"

While Davis isn't directly involved in the music industry, she's friends with lots of musicians and ever since the infamous Boot closed, has heard them complain about the lack of rehearsal and performance space. And that lack of rehearsal space may be hampering bands' growth.

"The other thing I've heard about the bands (is) they're not getting as many gigs as they could," Davis said. "There's a lot of DJs out there - and I'm not knocking DJs, my son-in-law is a DJ - but they seem to tend to get a lot more work nowadays than the bands. Bands are dying for places to play."

The idea was actually inspired by a Hawaiian musician, also a friend of Davis, who hosts similar jam sessions in his garage.

"I was invited to one of those jams," she recalled. "...And his garage is smaller than my barn, but it's all set up, and they had people there who just dance and people who weren't even musicians... it was really, really cool."

After some careful consideration, Davis decided to test her friend's model out in her own barn, launching the Pemberton Live Music Supporters Club, a group designed to appeal not only to those who make music themselves, but people who love to listen to live music.

"Who knows, maybe a great musician will come out of my barn!" Davis said with a laugh.

The membership costs are tiered, depending on whether or not you want to have access to the Jam Barn for rehearsal space, or you simply want to be able to attend the party. A gold membership costs $84. A silver membership, which gives access to the annual party plus overnight privileges, costs $60. And a bronze membership gets you entry into the party for just $30.

By starting a club and renting out the Jam Barn to members, Davis can use the dues and rental fees to cover costs associated with throwing her Pemberton parties, and simultaneously offer up a much-needed forum and rehearsal space for musicians. And since the summer months at the hostel are a bit slower than the winter months, Davis can easily accommodate her musical friends. She plans to start off by hosting jam nights once a month, assess the level of interest, and move forward from there, possibly hosting additional regular sessions.

They've already cleaned out the barn and installed a floor and permanent stage. They are preparing to upgrade the wiring and insulate and soundproof so the neighbours aren't disturbed.

"It needs a bit of work, that's why the first jam is Sept. 29," Davis explained.

But that doesn't mean they aren't going to host their first annual serious summer party to officially launch the club.

"The party for the club this coming weekend is going to be pretty rustic," Davis chuckled.

So far, nine bands from within the Sea to Sky region and Vancouver have signed up to take part in the club's first annual party, which kicks off on Friday, Aug. 14 and runs until the evening of Sunday, Aug. 16. They include The Hot Moonbeams, Ready Steady Go, Pernell Reichert, SenticSphere, Joljumjimjam, Mile High, Kokos and Friends, Whole Lotta Led and Courageous Mountain Rangers.

"We tried to mix the bands up so there was a variety for all different ages," she said.

But the response from local music lovers hasn't been as strong as from the musicians themselves. While Davis has had lots of phone calls and inquiries about the new club, she actually hasn't sold any memberships to anyone other than the musicians who have committed to perform at the upcoming party.

Greg Manuck is one of the local musicians who has thrown his support behind the new club. This Whistler-based musician is better known to the après and patio crowd as simply G Willy - the upbeat acoustic strummer with a perma-smile and tie-dyed T-shirts galore.

But at the upcoming party in Pemberton, Manuck is making his debut performance with his new band, Mile High. Worlds away from his own solo musical endeavours, Mile High will offer up serious mountain rock, with Manuck and two members of Whole Lotta Led at the helm: Tom Rimmer and Mike Wilson. They play fun, high-energy music - classic, psychedelic rock, and grungy, heavy, fun classics. They're sticking to covers at first, with original tunes working their way into the repertoire eventually.

"We want to be Whistler's new hometown party band, the local band that people come to see," Manuck said. "These guys (Rimmer and Wilson) are in Whole Lotta Led, so they know how much Whistler can party, but I think there's a spot there for a band that people can go to see regularly."

Manuck has been a year-round fixture on the local music scene for about five years, but in that time has definitely noticed some changes. He has his own studio space for recording and writing in Function Junction, so rehearsal space has never been a huge issue for him. But he knows all too well that the lack of performance space can be a barrier for musicians, especially ones who are new to town.

"I'm definitely supporting (Davis's) whole cause," he said. "... I think there's definitely a need for more places for everyone to play."

For more information on the club or to purchase a membership, visit www.pembertonlivemusicsupportersclub.com or contact Davis directly at 604-935-2426.