Thunderwood

Blaine Herda Member of Alberta Music Industry Association Industry and Canadian Independent Recording Artist's Association. I watched Chet Atkins on TV when I was very young and knew from that moment that I was going to be a guitar player. My grand mother bought me my first (acoustic) guitar when I was 10 years old and my parents soon after bought me a tear shaped Vox guitar and Fender amp which I played almost every day until my fingers hurt. Everyone in our family played and/or sa...

Blaine Herda Member of Alberta Music Industry Association Industry and Canadian Independent Recording Artist's Association. I watched Chet Atkins on TV when I was very young and knew from that moment that I was going to be a guitar player. My grand mother bought me my first (acoustic) guitar when I was 10 years old and my parents soon after bought me a tear shaped Vox guitar and Fender amp which I played almost every day until my fingers hurt. Everyone in our family played and/or sang. My mother played piano, my father the harp, brother guitar and sister sang. Before we were teens we were entertaining at parties, Legions, churches, etc. playing primarily country music. In junior high school I joined up with some friends and we played some community hall gigs and school dances. Cream, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin type cover tunes. I wore out many of my vinyl records teaching myself note for note lead solos of all my favorite guitar players (there was no tab music in those days). I then went through a long period of jamming with other musicians that helped me develop my own style of playing lead guitar. This was done at musician's houses where we would get together and play original complex arrangements sometimes all day long. I formed a group after this called Foxwell and performed at school dances, bars and clubs. Mostly cover tunes from bands such as Deep Purple, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Montrose, etc. and some original rock songs as well. Strong musical influences that remain with me to this day. When the music scene died in Calgary and surrounding areas (bars downsized and switched to disco, strip clubs, karaoke and VLT's for entertainment), Foxwell was not in a position to tour and so we disbanded. To satisfy my love for music, I did freelance work in recording studios, backed up headliner groups, TV, and filling in for guitarists when they couldn't make their shows. I also taught music while obtaining my Bachelor of Commerce and MBA degrees at the University of Calgary. I learned and performed many different styles of music during this period of time including: folk, blues, funk, rock, country, blue grass, rag time and easy listening. I formed Thunderwood because rock music has always been my preferred choice of music. As a writer it provides me an opportunity to mix together many different styles of music and create challenging arrangements within its framework. I also like the energy that radiates from it when its played. Dave MacRae At the age of 14, I got my hands on a harmony guitar and began to teach myself to play in my home town of Montreal, Quebec. My oldest brother was a concert promoter at the time and use to bring me to concerts and let me hang out back stage. I began to study the moves of the bands and got bit by the Rock & Roll lifestyle. By 16 I quickly found myself playing professionally in a band we called the Down Beats. I was the only kid in my high school with money and chicks! Boy was I tired... I still am. I've joined many bands since those days in cities like Halifax, Vancouver, Toronto and now Calgary. I've toured western Canada from Fort Mac to Winnipeg and all points in between, playing in colleges, pubs, nightclubs and cabarets. My musical interests have spanned from rock to blues to country and even punk... that's right I played punk. We were called Snow Cone Vomit so don't mess with me. All my musical experience has allowed me to be in a position of being an in demand freelance performer which I loved to hate. I play many instruments including harmonica, mandolin, accordion, electric guitar but my specialty is playing bass and vocals. Ray Deville Ray was born in St-Rose, Laval, Quebec. His father played guitar and his mother tapped danced. At ten, Ray began taking drum lessons and playing music from groups like The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Ventures. Then at a very young age, his uncle Sylvain gave him his first rock album, Kiss Alive 2 and it changed his life forever. Ray became a fan of pyrotechnics and hard rock music! Ray’s first show was with a Kiss tribute band followed by a studio session for a song contest at “The Spirit of rock for Montreal radio CHOM 97.9. After this he played in many cover and tribute bands followed by his own album project titled “L’Emprise” with his group PYRAMIDE. One of the songs from this album, “Histoire d’un Chat” made it to the radio stations and for resale at HMV music stores through Hardel Muzik Distribution. Ray’s journey eventually led him to Alberta where he joined a cover band called ROXON. Responding to a request to audition for Thunderwood he soon joined the group and now looks forward to playing and recording original rock music. http://thunderwood.net/