I finally managed to see the legendary Cal Batchelor and band when they played at Victoria's Blues House in December. What a treat! ... and what a lucky night to see this remarkable team of veteran performers, for joining them onstage was singer B.J. Cook (formerly with Skylark).
Cal's band included Robbie King on keys, Trevor Newman on bass, and Jimmy Fergusson on drums. Sax-demon Gene Hardie was working with the band during this road trip. Together, they played a sizzlin', deliciously-mixed bag of blues, R&B, rock and ballads.
I'd first heard about Cal Batchelor from fellow musicians in the Victoria scene back in 1970, but I don't believe I ever ran into him back then. In the past five years of publishing this mag, I've frequently typed his name in the "Events" section and wondered if this was the same dude who started out in Victoria.
He is... and here are some excepts from his bio sheet:
"Cal's first band, Take Four, grew their hair long and were often mobbed by girls in the street during the mid-sixties. Take Four played many of the Victoria clubs including the Empress Ball Room, Club Tango, The Scope, Uncle Jake's, The AGo-Go, many high schools and the Memorial Arena. They shared the stage with Seattle bands, The Wailers and Don & The Good Times & also opened for Gary Lewis & The Playboys at the Memorial Arena. They played most towns on the Island; and gigged as far north as Powell River and as far south as Seattle."
"After Take Four, Cal attended UVIC, at night substituting for Valdy at the Club Tango and Purple Onion when Valdy was on the road. He played the Oar Room at the Strathcona Hotel for 3 months and then a club called AJ's (now The Keg on Wharf St). He then joined the Forge Band for 9 months before moving to London, England in 1969."
During one of the breaks, I had a chance to yak with Cal, who knew some of the musicians whom I'd worked with back in '71, including Ed Simpson-Baikie (of the band: As Sheriff). During the mid-70's, Cal had run into Ed playing in a funk band in Amsterdam.
Cal continued with his own remarkable background in the British rock scene. His career is a wealth of history which I felt Debris readers would appreciate.
After arriving in England, Cal was a founding member (and main songwriter) with Quiver. This band gigged "almost every square inch" of Britain (including Northern Ireland), and toured Germany, France, Holland, Belgium and Scandinavia. They recorded two albums and toured with The Who, Pink Floyd and Marc Bolen.
They opened for Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Deep Purple, Flying Burrito Brothers, Rory Gallagher, Tony William's Lifeline, Fairport Convention...
Bands which opened for Quiver included Nazareth, Thin Lizzy, America and Slade !
Cal played guitar, sang backups and toured Britain with Kevin Ayres, a founding member of Soft Machine. He also played on an album of Kevin's.
With Long John Baldry, Cal did many a London gig, and toured Britain with Rod Stewart & The Small Faces. Later, he gigged extensively in London and toured Europe with Ronnie Lane (a founder of The Small Faces). On Ronnie's album See Me, Cal was one of the guitarists, along with Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and Henry McCulloch.
Other U.K. recording sessions included Al Stewart, Ian Matthews' Southern Comfort, Carol Grimes, Gary Farr, Curtis & Muldoon, and Cochise.
Now based in Vancouver, Cal is a regular performer at The Yale and many venues throughout BC.
Keyboardist extraordinaire, Robbie King, is another world class veteran artist, noted for his expertise on the Hammond B3. Dig this... Robbie has recorded with Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper and The Cult. He has worked with Powder Blues, Chilliwack, Jim Brynes, Hans Stamer, Anne Mortifee... just to name a few.
Bassist Trevor Newman has toured extensively across Canada. He's worked with The Muddy Fraser Band, Aladdin, The Fuse and Lenore Clare.
Drummer Jimmy Fergusson is yet another well-known veteran of the Vancouver scene.
Saxophonist Gene Hardie, a regular player with Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, recorded on Big Sugar's first two LP's and worked with Downchild and Bare Naked Ladies. He's also promoted artists such as Carlos Del Junco. Besides being one of the finest sax players I've ever heard, he's also quite adept on the saw (or so he sez...).
If you dig dynamite guitar playing, superb musicianship & trippy arrangements, you'll want to catch their show.
CD Review:CAL BATCHELOR: "Now Playing" - CB001
review by barry newman
Manic & meaty, slick & slippery, uptown & upbeat, this is precision-roasted R&B for 10:45:pm on a Friday payday. You'll dig this high-energy, rock-solid belt of blues by veteran soul-surgeons Cal Batchelor and band.
In fact, electric blues doesn't get much better than this... especially if you are in high-gear, party mode.
Two songs on 'Now Playin' hit me good n' hard in the solar plexus: "Days Like This" and "Black Crow". Cal's scorchin' guitar really lets loose on these tracks.
Onboard crew include keyboardist Robbie King, drum-meister Jimmy Fergusson, and bassist Trevor Newman. Tasty guest spots by Joani Bye, Sherman Doucette, Graham Howell and Tom Shorthouse. Robbie wrote the horn arrangements.
Larry Anschell at Turtle Records mixed, mastered and co-produced this wickedly-tasty CD treat.
For CD's or booking info, contact Cal Batchelor at: (604) 687-2374
