www.junoawards.ca

Pavlo, Emmett and Lopez duke it out on Arden stage
Mar 03, 2010 06:00 am | By Anna Borowiecki | St. Albert Gazette

Pavlo, Rik Emmett and Oscar Lopez are quite the guitar players’ dream. Like great lovers they tease with lush guitar serenades, non-stop jokes, singing, dancing and blowing kisses.

The dashing, recently formed acoustic guitar trio, now on a 29-city tour across Canada to promote their debut CD Trifecta, dropped by the Arden Theatre Feb. 26 and 27. And make no mistake, the crowd loved them.

Like newfound lovers, they constantly surprise. Well into the first set, Pavlo turned to the to the other two and asked, “Can I tell them the news?”

“Sure,” came the reply.

“On Wednesday, they are going to announce the Juno Awards and we’ve been nominated. I want you to be the first to know,” he said before being drowned out by applause.

When the line-up was announced last summer, their melting pot of influences intrigued audiences. How would they blend? Greek-Canadian Pavlo developed an international reputation with his romantic Mediterranean sound. Chilean-born Lopez tears it up with fiery Latin sounds and Emmett has evolved into a cool jazz musician following his starring role as frontman/guitarist for hard rockers Triumph.

Brilliantly using this mosaic of influences, they blew everyone away with original melodies and dynamic musicianship that bore the mark of true artists reinventing the Canadian landscape. While at times the trio was a perfectly synchronized echo, at other moments Pavlo and Lopez would duke it out as Emmett supported with backups, fills and harmonies.

Although the threesome had a structured set list, they continuously shifted into improvisation. In a spontaneous move while singing Lay It On the Line, one of Triumph’s biggest hits, the trio dashed up to the lip of the stage and in western gunmen stance, they machine-gunned their guitars.

But their two-hour plus show was more than flashy guitar pickin’. The trio had gelled as friends and rocked with a warm onstage chemistry laden with the witty, pointed banter of soul brothers. Some of their jokes were groaners, but the interplay between the musicians was funny and they peppered the show with personal anecdotes and high fives.

Each musician displayed a different personality. The normally flamboyant Pavlo came across as the more restrained businessman. Emmett took on the role of group anchor and quick-thinking professor while Lopez clowned around as a loose cannon, most notably mocking a Latino Lothario image.

“With Oscar, we never know what’s going to happen. That’s the most exciting part of this show. Every night is different,” laughed Pavlo.

Immediately Lopez said, “Do you like my shoes?” while twisting his foot at an odd angle so the audience could better see the shiny shoes reflecting pinpoints of light from overhead spots.

“I know why he bought those shoes,” Emmett quipped dryly. “He likes to look at himself.” And so it went.

They appropriately opened with the electrically charged Latin scented Dance of the Three Jacks before moving on to Melting Pot, a tune full of unexpected, free-wheeling twists and turns that Pavlo captured with his sitar.

They dialled it down with Moonlight on La Costa Nera, a romantic bolero dedicated to all lovers and scaled it back up with Thousand Islands, a fast melody that prompted Lopez to scat before heading into a guitar duel with Emmett.

Family is a big deal for these musicians and they played two tender instrumental lullabies — Viola for Pavlo’s 14-month-old daughter and Niko’s Tiny Carousel for Lopez’s three-year-old son.

In a nod to the Beatles, they sang Norwegian Wood, the first pop song using a sitar and With a Little Help From My Friends. And Emmett doffed his cap to nostalgia and let it rip with some traditional hot rocker moves in B.B. King’s Let The Good Times Roll.

It was not a show of high kicks and nifty pirouettes, but Pavlo successfully attempted a Zorba style one-leg squat and Lopez mimicked a Vegas crooner’s funky dance grooves. The threesome spun a marvellous mix and judging by the autograph line-up, a return show won’t come soon enough.

Original Post: www.stalbertgazette.com
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CONGRATULATIONS JAMES POULIN!

James is the grand prize winner of this beautiful autographed Gibson Les Paul Studio in Blue Mist finish with hard guitar case, courtesy of the fine folks at Gibson USA.

James won this Limited Run guitar by renewing his Network memberhip. Congratulations James, and enjoy your beautiful autographed Gibson Les Paul!

The following Network Members are runners up in our Gibson Guitar Giveaway, and have each won an Autographed Photo personalized by Rik AND a $20 gift certificate redeemable in our online store!

Kimberly Post
Paul Wolverton
Ronny Awtry
Karmel Olafson
Mark Puglise

Congratulations to all our winners, and a big THANK YOU to all who entered. We will work hard to offer more contest giveaways throughout the year. Stay tuned, and stay connected to the Network!

Winners will be contacted for information required to collect your prize(s).

Take a closer look at the Gibson Les Paul Studio!

Posted by: SUSAN DOOLAN

Each an award-winning guitarist with music that is as unique to them as their signature — join forces.

The result?

PRO — Pavlo, Rik Emmett, and Oscar Lopez. A 50-city concert tour and a brand new album called Trifecta, a blending of musical styles for a innovative new sound. PRO plays Barrie next weekend.

It was Pavlo’s idea. Growing up listening to guitar trio John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola and Paco DeLucia, he quickly became a fan when he saw them in concert.

“From that concert — I’ve always loved that — and at the back of my head, I wanted to revisit that and almost make it, if you will, a Canadian version,” Pavlo said. “Obviously, there are a lot of great musicians (out there), but you also have to find the right chemistry. And also the playing has to gel and everything else.”

What’s a guitar player to do when he’s looking for another musician, one he is a fan of, but has never met in real life because of their mutually-busy schedules? Visit myspace.com and write him a letter about the project.

As it happens, Lopez didn’t think he was crazy at all. In fact, the two-time Juno-award winner was a fan of Pavlo and considers him to be “one of the most amazing guitar players in the world.”

He also liked the trio idea. So when Lopez, a Calgary resident, was in Toronto to do a concert, they met and became friends over lots of ouzo.

Still, that doesn’t mean things will mesh in the playing, performing or songwriting arena. That’s a team sport with no room for egos, something all three determined to keep in check, out of respect for each other’s talent and for the good of the project.

“At the heart of it, it sounds corny, but it’s pretty straightforward and true, that we all share this passion and love for the guitar, and that’s what this is all about. It’s the common ground,” said Emmett, who threw his lot in with the other two to take his guitar playing in a different direction.

He’s no slouch with the guitar either, and has won numerous awards for it, from his earlier work with rock trio Triumph and for his later solo work. In 2005, he was named guitarist of the year at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. He’s also a singer, as is Lopez, and the PRO trio plan to include vocals in a medley of Beatles songs — arranged their way — during the concert.

“Mostly, it’s an instrumental concert with the usual antics PRO are known for individually. They’re also having a good time, so expect lots of humour and fun, too.”

“It’s going to be wild because, obviously, we have our tunes, but we’re all from different backgrounds,” said Pavlo, who performed solo in Barrie a couple of years ago. “I love to dance, so nothing’s going to stop me from going out and dancing in the audience. We’re sort of leaving things open-ended. Every night will be unique — trust me.”

The three men also share a love of melody. When they came together a year and a half ago to record an album, within a week, they had 80% of the songs written. The new album, named Trifecta for “a successful phenomenon that comes in threes,” is blend of all their music — Pavlo’s Mediterranean influence, Emmett, who spans folk, rock and jazz with ease, and Lopez, who incorporates everything from jazz to blues and pop. “Hopefully, the people will take the chance and come and see three crazy guys playing great music,” Lopez laughed.

Gryphon Theatre presents Pavlo, Rik Emmett, and Oscar Lopez, Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Georgian College Theatre, Barrie, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $42.50 and are available at the box office or by calling 728-4613.

Originally Posted: http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2270096
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Premier Guitar (January 2010)

Rik has been prominently featured in a wonderful article in Premier Guitar (January 2010) titled

“Those Daring Young Men and Their Doubleneck Guitars: A Brief History of Multi-Neck Players“.

Also available in print, you can read the online version of the article here.

P.S. Rik’s featured on page 2!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009
THE GREAT CANADIAN GUITAR TRIO!
By Jeff Jodrey

Pavlo, Rik Emmett & Oscar Lopez have developed an incredible musical chemistry, united by friendship and mutual respect. This unique collaboration has resulted in their debut release TRIFECTA, which represents an intense cultural melting pot of their unique styles. Jeff Jodrey recently spoke with Rik Emmett to find out how this amazing guitar trio came to be.

Trifecta is a very involved album that continuously reveals itself with every listen. That’s a real “value add” approach to making a record in this day and age.

There’s more to hear cause there was a lot of time and effort that went into to it, and of course, you’re going three guitars deep. So even though there isn’t necessarily a lot of singing on a lot of tracks or the amount of overdubbing that would exist maybe on a pop record, it’s still a pretty dense record. There’s a lot of interesting percussion and string lines. We spared no expense. The orchestrations and the arrangements and things have got a lot to offer, and so it is a record that gives upon repeated listening. It’s not just a kind of a pop-candy, first-time-you-hear-it-you’ve-heard-it-all kind of thing.

This guitar trio was the brainchild of Pavlo, who then formed a relationship with Oscar, and you came in to complete the brotherhood. As the man who normally spearheads his projects, how did you feel not wearing that hat this time around?

I’ve been around long enough now, and been asked to be involved in enough collaborations that I go into every single opportunity with a certain amount of excitement and energy thinking “wow this could be great”, and then there’s a certain amount of scepticism where you go “well, we’ll just have to wait and see.” You don’t want to necessarily saddle any project with too much expectation, but in the case of this one it had a certain amount of promise, and then when we got together there was a nice chemistry. Everybody was willing to sublimate their egos, and sublimate the whole thing with guitar chops, which is the thing that could probably bend it out of shape or push it outside the envelope of making good music. Right from the inception you could tell that everybody was willing to try to make it be good music, and not make it just an exercise in technical chops. That was very reassuring, and I felt from the very first time we sat down and played that we could make some good music, and write some good tunes. I think there’s a whole lot of upside to this and I can’t wait to get out and start playing some shows. I want to sink my teeth into it more.

What was the composition and recording process like? Who recorded what and what was the atmosphere like?

Last year we booked Mike Shotton’s house. He’s got a studio in his basement that Oscar lived in for about a week. We immersed ourselves for 12 to 14 hours a day just writing and recording demos to just sketch things out and get a good sense of the material. It was great because we literally had probably 8 or 9 of songs very fully developed by the end of that time period, and had little sketches of 3 or 4 others. After the fact, I completed “Thousand Islands” on my own and Mike and I edited together some jam session stuff to polish up the compositional form for “Jumpin’ Django”. Then sometime around June or July of 2009 we went back into the studio and just started. The stuff was ready to go, we knew what we were chasing, and there didn’t have to be any more writing. We just had to capture the recording the right way. Mike was great as a co-producer and engineer. He’s also got a lot of chops as a drumming, percussion and programming type of guy.

How did this compare to the “Beyond Borders” piece you did with Ed Bickert, Liona Boyd and Alex Lifeson for Guitar Player magazine a number of years ago?

That was really just one piece that I composed beforehand, and then sent out to the different players. They really just did their own arrangements of sections that I had openly composed, leaving lots of room for them to do their thing. I basically had the whole thing mapped out beforehand, and so we had one rehearsal get-together, and then one day in the studio.

You are a very busy man working on multiple projects, recording and touring. With so much going on, was P.R.O. (i.e. a guitar trio) a personal goal, or something you had a conscious desire to be a part of?

Well I think Pavlo’s initial idea was something like the John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia The Guitar Trio that caught fire a couple of decades ago. At certain points of time in your career when you’re heavily immersed doing one thing, like all those years of being in a rock band like Triumph, you think wouldn’t it be nice someday if I could just make a record of classical guitar, or do an album that was just ‘arch-top jazz’ kind of stuff. I’ve been out of Triumph longer then I was in it and I’ve made so many more records on my own that I’ve kind of exhausted all of that. It’s not like I never dreamed of being in a guitar trio, but it wasn’t like a desperate end goal of mine that I had to be in a guitar trio. I’m always looking for different challenges, and the thing that’s sweet about this is the Latin rhythms that Pavlo and Oscar are so strong at. It’s stuff I’ve never delved too deeply into in my life, but musically it’s great to get into that bag and be chasing it because it’s fresh, new, and quite exciting. I’m outnumbered 2 to 1 (laughs), so it is going to end up having a lot of leanings towards what those guys are good at, and I’m very comfortable with that. I like taking on this role.

You’ve been playing many styles of guitar for your entire career. As a guitarist, how do you embrace and get fluent playing a new style of music?

I think at the bottom of everything it’s always rhythm. There’s three fundamental elements to music; rhythm, melody and harmony, and because I’m a singer I have a fairly strong melodic sense but I’ve always had to work hard to be a good rhythmic player, to have good feel and time, and I think that’s the core fundamental of the group, everything together. That’s where this starts, and that’s where it ends (laughs). The alpha and the omega of playing with these guys is rhythm.

The official P.R.O. tour kicks off in January. How will this tour differ from your normal touring routine?

This is going to be a more intense tour than I’ve done in quite a long time. Even in the Triumph ‘hey-day’ I wasn’t spending three weekends away from home because we always flew back every chance we got even for a couple of days at least before we went back out again. There’s a run out west on this tour where I’m gone three weeks, and they keep plugging in dates (laughs). One good thing of course, is that it’s not anywhere near as intense vocally. I only have to sing a maybe a couple of times a night, so it’s mostly just guitar playing, and we play sitting down, which is kind of new for me too. So, it will be a little bit different, and I don’t think it will be quite as stressful on the ears as playing in rock bands. I’m 56 years old, so there are certain challenges. It’s not like I’m 22 and I’m willing to sleep on the back seat of somebody’s van in order to catch my shut eye. I do ask “Is that going to be a four star hotel at least? (Laughs)”

Can the audience at a P.R.O. concert expect any surprises in the set list that might include some re-envisioning of pieces from your individual repertoires?

I don’t know if we’re going to go there. We’ve talked about that because we’re obviously going to cover the entire album because it’s all we’ve got. Since we may need to supplement some material there may be some moments where guys will pull something out of their own trick bags. Lately we’ve been talking about having some arrangements of some Beatles tunes, because there’s some stuff from the Rubber Sole album like “Norwegian Wood,” and the White Album’s “Blackbird” that lend themselves quite beautifully to guitar. Oscar was sitting in my living room the other day and he was strumming and singing a version of “Little Help From My Friends,” and it was quite charming to hear him singing. So I thought maybe we should have a little bit of that in the show, because if it’s going to be soft seated theatres, that’s the kind of thing people will be very interested in, and it would be fun for us since it’s something we’ve never done before.

With your new friendship and musical rapport with Pavlo and Oscar, will there be more P.R.O. to look forward to, or do you think you’ve said all you need to say with Trifecta?

We’ll just have to play that one by ear, but I think there’s a future in any musical project once it starts, but you just never know what’s in the cards, or if it’s going to catch on. I have every reason to believe that this is going to do very well. Initial indications seem to be that people really love the record, and the media seems to be quite interested, so given all of those things you kind of think “Yeah, this might be something that may become more and more of my life then maybe some of the things I’ve done in the past.” I don’t like to necessarily spend too much time trying to prognosticate or guess what the future holds. I think life is a lot like a game of golf, you know, you hit it, then you’ve got to go find it, and then when you find it you’ve got to figure out where it’s lying, and then you have to play it where it lies. So that’s kind of what we’re doing, we’re just standing at the top of the first tee (chuckles). Who knows what’s waiting on hole number seven.

Do you have any other projects or collaborations on the horizon?

I don’t think so, given the relationship that I have with Dave Dunlop and the Troubadours, which is a logical, ongoing, who-knows-what–will-happen-next kind of relationship. Then there’s the possible Triumph reunion, so who knows if something might start bubbling up from under there. I have been thinking about writing a book, I don’t know what it will be about yet but there’s enough stuff that comes out of my teaching and the stuff at Humber where I think that I could write a book about something in the music business and my life in the music business, but that is still probably 3 to 5 years away.

Jeff Jodrey lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his wife and family. When he isn’t writing, performing, recording or teaching guitar, he can be found flying helicopters or interviewing great Canadian artists for the Tuesday Guide.

Poor David’s Pub
Dallas, Texas
Nov. 20, 2009
Reviewed by: PJK

Andy Schmidt from Stir played for about 45 minutes and I was duly impressed. I would describe his style of music as Grey’s Anatomy or Ghost Whisperer type music. You know the type where some slow, pensive and melodic music ends the show. His music was somewhat simplistic and predictable but he was passionate and has a pretty darn good voice. Great job by Don to use him as an opener.

Then the Troubs hit the stage not more than 15 minutes after Andy and you could immediately tell a dynamic shift in momentum. They started with Middle Ground and continued on for 2 sets! They actually got finished around 11:15 I believe. Rik was very entertaining in his story telling and the crowd was VERY supportive! The Troubs played their typical set list which included new stuff off the Push Pull album and of course there was the obligatory Triumph material which included, Magic Power (which he dedicated to the troops fighting in Afghanistan) Ordinary Man, Lay It on the Line, Suitcase Blues and Hold On.

“All I have to say is what an AWESOME show (but does that really surprise you?)!”
~ PJK ~

I have to admit, I am thoroughly impressed with Dave Dunlop! He’s a terrific guitarist and compliments Rik both musically and on stage, very nicely! He also seems like a down to earth type of individual. He signed his autograph to my wife as “the other guy”. This guy can shred, and on a classical guitar no less! It’s easy to understand why he was part of the Triumph reunion, he and Rik must be soul mates.

Don Wishon was our promoter for this event and he deserves 2 thumbs up along with a keg of beer, a few shots and any other party material you can think of along with hugs, a massage, affirmation and a good old fashioned pat on the back! He did a GREAT job in organizing this event! We arrived about 15 minutes late for Andy Schmidt but true to his word, our table was waiting, dead center, second row back, can’t beat that! He worked his butt off and I cannot help but think that Rik, Dave and Spud would not want to work with Don in the future. Don is exactly what Rik (et al) wants in a promoter! My hats off to you Don!

Feel good moment for Triumph fans:

Rik dedicated Suitcase Blues to one individual but also to Gil and Mike. He mentioned a little bit about the bad blood that existed for years (although he didn’t go into details) but he also mentioned that he is excited about the reconciliation along with the fact that that they have become friends again.

The story goes that when he presented Gil and Mike with Suitcase Blues for the JAG album that they didn’t understand how this Jazz song could be on a rock album. Gil and Mike also understood ‘how that song COULD NOT be on the album so the said ‘go for it’. Because of that decision Rik credited Mike and Gil for the solo career that he has today because that allowed Rik to show off his diversity! (Put a smile to my face!)

All in all a great show by the Troubs!

Rik keeps ‘the fire burning’ for all Triumph fans so if you have the chance, go see him! He will not only impress, but he he will satisfy that proverbial Triumph itch… at least for a little while…

Original Post: http://www.triumphmusic.com/forums/thread/20454.aspx
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“Music holds the secret, to know it can make you whole”
~ Rik Emmett, Hold on ~

Those words are manna from heaven for Triumph fans. Summoned to Dallas for a rare Rik Emmett appearance, a small-but-dedicated crowd sang along as the Triumph legend brought smiles and laughter to the faces of everyone.

The occasion was the latest stop by the Strung-Out Troubadours, Emmett’s partnership with fellow guitarist Dave Dunlop that mixes acoustic guitar acumen with between-song banter that could hold its own even without music.

Like a rocked-up Smothers Brothers, Emmett and Dunlop tore through fiery flamenco, caressed smooth jazz licks and revisited some vintage Triumph tunes.

“Hold On,” “Ordinary Man” and “Lay It On The Line” whisked fans back to the enorno-domes of yesteryear as they sang along to every line. The only missing ingredient were Bic lighters — oh, and a certain herb.

“Fritos, Doritos,” laughed Emmett, remembering band mates Gil Moore and Mike Levine leaving the stage and the guitarist shrouded in a “laser cone” and a cloud of marijuana smoke.

“I’d get the munchies,” Emmett laughed, recalling his acoustic solo spot on Triumph tours.

The Dallas crowd enjoyed a reinvention of that sound with “Midsummer’s Daydream,” rearranged for Dunlop and Emmett to perform. Joking that anyone can play the intro — and has on numerous YouTube clips — Emmett separated the men from the boys by capturing the nuances, tones and sheer musicianship that make the composition such a delight.

Judging from several conversations throughout the room, many in attendance were unaware of Emmett’s post-Triumph activity. And that’s a shame, for Absolutely, Spiral Notebook and other solo discs offer quality music. So does his flamenco activity with Pavlo and Oscar Lopez. And lest we forget Airtime, the hard rockin’ project that scored a hit with Triumph fans in 2007.

And the streak continues this year as Emmett and Dunlop bring seasoned showmanship and sidesplitting hilarity to nightclub stages. For all his consummate musicianship, Emmett could coast on the comedy alone.

Bemoaning middle-age body aches, poking fun at “silly hairdos” of the ‘80s and fearing optic damage from a guitar pedal board brought laughs from the audience.

Perhaps no moment confirmed their dedication more than “Ordinary Man.” On the Allied Forces album, the lyric “That’s the only answer” ends with “answer” echoing into the next verse. Not on this night. At Poor David’s Pub, the audience provided its own echo!

Emmett smiled as his fans shouted the word “answer,” confirming Triumph’s place in their rock ‘n’ roll hearts.

Emmett and Dunlop rewarded that faith by hanging out after the show, signing autographs and posing for photos. When I mentioned that Reunion Arena had been demolished only days before the gig, Emmett instantly recalled the venue where Dallas enjoyed Triumph’s Allied Forces, Never Surrender, Thunder Seven and Sport of Kings tours.

Poor David’s Pub itself moved since Emmett’s last gig at the venue, but one thing cannot be razed or relocated: the music pulsing within the hearts of Rik Emmett fans. They should (warning: Triumph pun ahead) follow their hearts and not miss the Strung-Out Troubadours.

And don’t miss Andy Schmidt, the former Stir front man whose songwriting chops and powerhouse vocals opens the show.

Originally posted by the fine folks at:
http://www.classicrockrevisited.com
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