Regimental Band Tour 1991

​The Band of the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA is well known in military circles as an excellent brass and reed band, one of the finest ones that the Canadian Armed Forces owns. The tour in 1991 involved the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles lining the Band up with the Palm Springs Film Festival and other venues in order to showcase outstanding Canadian talent. Here's the list of musicians that attended:
Rear Row - MWO Dave Levien, 2, Bdr Rick Govier, Pte Paul Beauschene, Sgt Ken Fowler, Bdr Andrew Clark, Pte Bill Smitheringale, Pte Vern Griffiths, 9, MBdr David Ford.
Fourth Row - 11, Pte Darrell Penner, WO Maurice Macklin, Bdr Brian Stainer, Bdr Aron Doyle, Pte Craig Drew, Martin Berinbaum, Bdr Wayne Nikoli, Michael Needlay, Capt Rod Thomson, MBdr Jim Tempest.
Third Row - Stacey Van WildeRode, Pte Heidi Twellman, Bdr Allyson Phillips, Bdr Ken MacDonald, MBdr Charles Macdonald
Second Row - Sgt Ron Pajala, Bdr Rob Scheib, Bill Abbott, Bdr Dwayne Nelson, Bdr Jim Sanyshyn, Ari Wise, Lisa Holmes, Bdr Glen Killian, 35, Shawna Adams, Pte Colleen Maybin
First Row - Bdr Mike Meszaros, Gigi Marcos, Julie Palmer, Bdr Susan Elwood, Pte Andrew Voth
​Conducting - Capt Richard Van Slyke

Mind you, it's a lengthy trip to the South and the band members need to entertain themselves on the way. I'm not too sure what the game's called but it does seem to be an interesting way of stretching your legs during a rest stop.
​Of course not everyone is into playing the game. There are other distractions.
There's even time for rehearsals.
A quick check in to the Band 5-star accommodation.
Time to load equipment and head off to a gig.

The photos are marked Sonny Bono's and it would appear that the Band was invited to a reception at his house. I believe the event is the Palm Springs Film Festival 1991 as there is a placard on the food decoration. Still looking for stories and commentary to go with the photos! And names, names, names.....
Of course I know Captain Richard Van Slyke, the Director of Music but who are all the other guests that appear quite enchanted by the band? 

It's not all about hobnobbing with celebrities. There has to be some serious music played at the same time!  Of course the Band never disappoints when it comes to playing for a crowd.

The Piper from the Canadian Scottish is also a fantastic hit with the American crowd. This celebrity status culminated in a guest appearance on a local television show.

Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles - One of the gigs during the tour was at an open plaza close to the Canadian Consulate. So often we just see pictures of the Band playing and never get any shots of the work that's involved in the setup and the teardown. There's a lot of hard work before the conductor raises his baton for the first song.
The group photo with the consulate staff and the complete Band.

Some shots focused on the various band sections.  The trombones...
The trumpets....
The saxophones, tubas....
Percussion....
The Canadian Scottish piper.....
​The guest conductor.
Good music, great weather, time for dancing!
​The shadow conductor?

Disney Magic Music Days - There's no date on the film, nor is there a date on the sign at the front of the Bandstand. I'm guessing 1991 only because these slides were right behind the ones from Sonny Bono's house. I could use some names for the bandsmen that made the tour... So far I've got Captain Richard Van Slyke, Master Warrant Officer Dave Levien, Sergeant Ron Pajala, Master Bombardier Jim Tempest........
We can definitely state that the photos come from Disneyland with the Band set up in the Plaza Gardens. The event is the Disney Magic Music Days, and while the rehearsal area is somewhat sub-standard, the covered outdoor area is perfect for a brass and reed band.
Rumours that Donald Duck on the bus is actually MWO Levien has yet to be verified.... and there is no record of the Band donating a "Disney Gun" to the Regimental Museum.​

Captain Richard Van Slyke demonstrates his conducting style before he hands over to the mystery conductor in white..... Who was that guy?

A few closeups of the different band sections (remember, this is being written by a non-musician; be kind when you send me your corrections!)
The French Horn Quartet!
The Percussion Section!
The Trombones - Captain Ron Thompson from The Royal Westminster Regiment, Warrant Officer Ken Surges, Master Bombardier Jim Tempest....
The Tubas - Master Warrant Officer Dave Levien
The Trumpets - 
The Saxophones - Sergeant Ron Pajala
The Piper - from The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's Own)

Great music, great weather, let the dancing begin!
​The Band is presented with a plaque from the ​Disney Magic Music Days organizers.

FilmFest Venue - The Band performs their major event of the tour.The guest conductor for this gig is rather short in stature. (I wonder if this early musical experience led to a musical career late in life? - ed)  

Another guest conductor shows her ability to influence the Band in their musical renditions.
Of course, there's always time for dancing!
Recognize any celebrities? (other than our own Director of Music, Captain Richard Van Slyke)

Westside Party - The Regimental Band plays at a local auditorium and then it appears they went off to a party after the gig. I could really use a story to go with the photos. Maybe Captain Richard Van Slyke, Master Warrant Officer Dave Levien, Warrant Officer Ken Surges or Sergeant Ron Pajala could help me out with that!

Seaworld
Another great day in paradise! The venue is awesome with a wonderful garden close to the main entrance. Lots of traffic but mostly they were heading off to see the fish.
There's always a lot of set up for the Band. Chairs, instruments, music preparation all takes a lot of hard, dedicated work. 

Our Canadian Scottish Piper was along for the gig.
​The Trumpets were there as well.
And the percussion.
The Tubas.
and the Trombones.
And the guitar....Which seems to have brought in a visiting Puffin?
​Of course there's always hard work at the end of the gig as well. All the equipment needs to be packed away on preparation for the next gig. Who are theses guys? The handlers from the consulate?

USS Independence Tour - A little bit of down time for the Band (or is that an incorrect term to use when referring to a visit on board a naval vessel?)
Names, names, names - someone send me the names of all these fine musicians!
Sergeant Ron Pajala shows up in many of the photos and I see Captain Richard Van Slyke at the beginning of the tour. 

Tour Picnic - One must have a little down time during a Band tour! What better way to burn off some energy than a nice volleyball challenge.

We can't just have volleyball! There's a core of baseball players in the Band that need to work out on the diamond. A few hits into the outfield?

Elementary School Visit
A part of the Band's Outreach program included a visit to a local elementary school. It's not often that a thirty five piece brass and reed band shows up and the students appeared to be enjoying the show.
The Director of Music, Captain Richard Van Slyke, showed the audience the lighter side of conducting the Band with his dark glasses.
Different facets of the band were highlighted throughout the show.
It wasn't long before the Band had them dancing in the auditorium.
Captain Van Slyke shares the baton with some of the members of the audience. Who knows, that could be the spark that sets her on a musical career.
It's not only the children that are impressed by leading a Band. Some of the grownups enjoy the same sense of control.

The Band performance is only part of the show. Afterwards, there's an opportunity to meet some of the members in order to get a sense of the skills required. There's always a group that's interested in the percussion section and a chance to compare stick handling techniques.
There's also Canadian pins to be given out.
How often do you get to talk to a real Scottish Piper when you live in California?

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