My Band's Music Video

[Chris LeDrew]

Just thought I'd share this video with my forum buddies. It's a band I have with my brother, called Brothers in Stereo. We did this a few years back, but only now have I gotten around to posting it. Hope you like it. The song did well for us here in Eastern Canada in 2004-5. The video is shot mostly in 35mm, and the cinematographer worked on the Titanic movie. The added sky colours were a video fad in on the early 2000's.

My brother is singing lead. That's me in the jean jacket with the Lennon Ricky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR1gi18Pfr8

[Ken Pippus]

Great stuff. Next decade we can call it country. Some fun views of "The Town on The Rock."

Would have been better with a steel!!!!

KP

[Earl Foote]

Excellent! Very easy to listen to, well done.

[Chris LeDrew]

Thanks, men! It was a lot less pleasurable to shoot than it looks. Cold day, lack of sleep, etc. I used the short-scale Ricky because there was very little room on top of the double decker for a guitar. And it was killer to try and lip-synch to a ghetto blaster while the bus was careening down the road.

[Larry Miller]

that is just awesome Chris!

[Kevin Hatton]

Excellent production on the video and the song. Also, the song writing and arrangment are outatanding. Professional effort of the highest order. What ever happened to the band professionally?

[Chris LeDrew]

Thanks for the kind words and compliments, guys.

Kevin, the band was signed to a division of Universal Records back on '03 shortly after my brother and I joined forces (we were both recording solo albums at the time and decided to combine our efforts), and toured extensively from Newfoundland to Western Ontario from '04 to '06. We won a few regional and national awards, and opened for some major label acts along the way. By '06, we became road weary, and I concentrated on my new family while my brother recorded a solo album. I've since recorded a second solo album (my debut was in '97). We have done a few shows locally as Brothers in Stereo, but money factors and the unwillingness to live in squalor on the road has pretty much ground this band to a halt nationally. Many in the business say to us that another year or two of road slogging would have broke us onto the national scene, but we were too burnt at the time to care.

Thanks for asking, Kevin. We had a ball while it lasted, and who knows what the future holds. Meanwhile, the Brothers in Stereo CD is available from me or numerous online stores if anyone wants a copy. We had a website but the domain name recently expired, and both Andrew and I are too busy with other stuff to keep up on such things anymore.

This particular song was written by Andrew. I produced, played bass, electric guitars, and sang backup on it. The drummer is our first cousin, Barry LeDrew, and our bassist was Dominic Sutherland.

A few more Brothers songs, along with some of my latest efforts, are on my myspace page if anyone wants to check it out:

www.myspace.com/chrisledrew

One song here, "Your Voice", was also a successful single and was set to be our second video, but it never materialized. It is covered by several bands in the area now.

[Kevin Hatton]

Chris, many people do not realize the false glamour of roading. It destroys relationships and is like you say many times filled with poverty and squalor. Not always the case, but often. You have had a wonderful life experience. I smile at these locals wh want to be "stars". Been there, done that. If you can get a job with Celine Dion its a great gig (for a while).

[Chris LeDrew]

Kevin, you said it. There is certainly a lot of sacrifice with that life. I believe one can carve a niche with it, but sometimes at the expense of stability and a steady relationship. Of course, those things aren't for everyone either.

In our case, the "brother factor" also came into play, with us squabbling about petty things that probably could be traced back to when I beat him up on the front lawn in '82. Add road fatigue, dive bars, late nights, ratty motels, weird people, bad food, illness, winter, delays, near-misses, and breakdowns.....and you have a recipe for disaster. Ha! We had some fun along the way, but at the low rungs on the ladder things are rarely peachy. I was road manager, co-lead singer, lead guitarist, driver, and all-around scout leader. It nearly killed me.

So you played with Celine? How was that?

[Michael Winslow]

Hi Chris,

Loved the video and the song. Great harmonies. After you emailed me a while back I picked up a copy of the Brothers in Stereo cd. Loved that too and kept playing it for days. Highly recommended!

[Kevin Hatton]

Chris, I didn't play with her. I just used her as a comparison for against a lower rung effort. She's top tier. The good gigs are few and far between. Even then its difficult. In my experience I especially did not like the "weird people" and the "dive bars". You are very insightful about the music business.

[Chris LeDrew]

Okay, yes....at all levels it can be a drain for sure.

I'm always careful to make sure my insight doesn't appear too bitter, because i am happier than I've ever been musically. I have a great thing going on provincially, which involves regional travel but not too much. It's way better than the $200-a-night band slog trying to build a name.

I started early in music, doing road gigs at 16. I'm 38 now, and along the way have learned a few things about how the business works. It took me a long time to learn that I had to take the reins instead of being pulled everywhere. You have to stand your ground against the weasels and crooks, or else they'll take you. The bands I'm in now just have it their way or the highway. And to me that's the only way to go. Set your rules and have everyone else follow them. You will get respect that way, or at least no one will try to walk on you.

[Jeff Evans]

squalor on the road

There's a band (or album) name! Squalor on Wheels, Mobile Squalor, or A Thousand Miles (sorry, Kilometers) of Squalor might work, too.

[Scott Shipley]

Roads' Squalor

[Chris LeDrew]

Ha! We definite have a few Roads' Squalors around here.

[Kevin Hatton]

Scott, thats absolutely brilliant! Love it. I sure fit that bill.

[Jim Palenscar]

Way cool Chris! Nice job!

[Chris LeDrew]

Thanks, Jim!

[Barry Blackwood]

Loved it, Chris. Encore.

[Chris LeDrew]

Thanks, Barry! Hopefully we'll do another record at some point. We do have another in the can, but we'd need to be prepared to tour it, or at least commit to it in some form for a year or so. We're both busy with other things right now, so it will have to wait another little while.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to check it out.

[Marc Jenkins]

Nice, Chris! I can hear lots of my record collection in there...

[Bryan Knox]

Really nice Chris. Great sound.

By the way, I'm still using that awesome phase pedal I bought from you about a year ago!

[Marlin Smoot]

Great job - even though recorded a couple of years ago, I think it still stands up for todays country - or even pop music. Cool video too, very professional.

[Chris LeDrew]

Glad you like it! Funny about the genre issue.....i figured it was sort of a pop/rock sound, with practically no country flavour at all, but listening to today's Bon Country and Def Western, it might just fit!!

Marc, we probably have the same record collection.

Apparently, my brother stole the melody from a Ramones song and just slowed it down. I don't listen to the Ramones, so I'm not sure which song.

[Stu Schulman]

Chris,I wasn't expecting anything like that...It's incredibly great! Stu