'Revolution Love' - The Song
In 2005 we were involved in the 'Peace Starts at Home Festival' created
by Chris Thiessen and friends. I had an acoustic song called 'One
Sky' recorded in 1987 for an Amnesty International songwriting event
but I wanted something a bit more high energy and feeling ready to
create something fresh and electric. So I plugged into an amp, started
riffing up the fretboard on my Epiphone electric guitar, added a bit of
distortion, and presto, the song 'Love is a Revolution' was born. A few
months later we recorded it in Angie's basement and her on standup
bass, Isaac on drums and myself on guitar and vocals.
We added Christina's harmony a few weeks later and put it on
our folk group, The Stray Crows, first album, "One Sky" in 2006. About
the same time I had started up another, more electric band
called The Revolution Sonics; so we added Ernst on electric bass, upped
the distortion, tweaked it here and there and boom
the remix 'Revolution Love' was born. We put it on The Revolution
Sonic's first album, "Celebrate" in 2008. I figured it was a versatile
enough song for two different bands to play and a message that for
some reason felt like it needed to be explored and expressed.
Mitchell Robert Cedar
'Revolution Love Live' - The Concert
In 2008 we started up a monthly coffee house in Rycroft called the 'Junction Coffee
House' that ran for 3 seasons, slowly morphing into an arts and music tour of the
peace river country called MusesNorth Art & Music which played for a couple seasons
at restaurants in Grande Prairie, Fairview and Peace River. Live music and artists at
work creating music, painting, sculpture and poetry. Along the way we connected with
other like minded artists and patrons who enjoyed the arts and good
old fashion socializing. Since we really love bringing these things together and give
other artists and musicians an apportunity to share their talents, we started expanding
and this current series of live concert events began. We particularly like to bring
this event outdoors, to the heart of a community, hence it is typically located in a city central
area like a park or plaza, and its also free to attend - accessible to
all. So every spring and summer you can join us in places like Muskoseepi
Park Amphitheatre Grande Prairie, Heritage Amphitheatre, Hawrelak Park and Churchill
Square Edmonton, and Olympic Plaza, Calgary. Aaaaaaaand we have ventured out
interprovincially in 2019 which included Stanley Park Vancouver.
The MusesNorth Team
'The Revolution Sonics' - The Band
In and around 2006, we decided to create a new musical group with full drum
kit, electric guitars, keyboards as well as the acoustic instruments from The Stray
Crows, accordian, congas, shakers, foot stomping etc. The new group would
essentially be folk/art/rock with a worldwide and humanstic perspective encouraging
soulsearching, community spirit and celebrating through dance etc. O yea, and
louder! We needed a name and with much discussion and name changes we arrived
at "The Revolution Sonics." Our name comes from a metaphorical take on the
word revolution - a sudden change or a transition; but not related to blood
and violence; but about the spiritual struggle from within ourselves that seems to be
present in human nature; also the rotating, circulating and revolving meaning that also
relates to us on a personal level - sometimes we feel like we are just going round
and round; the earth is spinning round; and oh yea, we love hoola hooping and other
creative movement activities that require little equipment and is readily available. The
connotations to a peaceful revolution like informative demonstrations
for world peace resonates with us so we just added sonics on the end as, afterall, we
are into sound bites. One definition that someone also gave us was:
" indie folk rock hipsters of the soul searching, peace, love and understanding genre."
We really like that one too. Our sonic revolutionary family, consists of Angie
on keyboards, accordian and vocals; Christina on percussion, drums, vocals; Emma on
percussion and vocals; Ernst on bass and flute; Isaac on guitar, drums, percussion
and vocals; Mitch on guitar, horn, flute, ukelele, percussion and dancing; and Ocean
on percussion, drum kit, cajon and mandolin. Zoe Scott, drummer was
an original member and having returned to her hometown of Toronto remains a member at
large. She played supberb drums on two tracks off the inaugural 2008 CD release 'Celebrate.'
Additionally, most of us in the band are family related and therefore we are often
called a family band - we also like this connotation as truly we are all related in the
world anyway and our music strives for universal themes as represented in all of our
music. For most of the 'Revolution Love Live/World Of Motion' concerts, The Revolution
Sonics act as host band; ChrisThiessen, MC Peacemaker, with his larger than life
personna keeps our concerts cohesively inspiring. As of the 2017 events, Samantha
MacKinnon, a young up- in-coming arts professional will manage backstage activities and
keep the concert on time and organized; Tasia Beithestrom'Cedar frequently joins us on
stage adding beautiful performances of Temple Fusion Belly Dancing; and
last but not least, Cookie Dinosaur and Peppy Penguin, our mascot beasts, are played
by Beth Reyes and Katie Schulz respectively. There is a rotating roster of guest artists
and musicians at each event providing them with an opportunity to present their
unique art forms in a public format. This has included hoola hooping, juggling, dance
and chalk/sidewalk artists.
The Revolution Sonics
Our intent is to:
present:
Multidimensional Art Forms
that has Integrity, Honesty,
and is
Thought-Provoking
and Relevant in Honouring Our Beautiful, Fickle World
and Its People Past, Present and Future.
Peace to All
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