Counterpoint, an online video series that showcases Vancouver musicians, launched this week with much hoopla and a little hullaballoo.
Counterpoint provides an new perspective on Vancouver musicians by featuring them outside of the group or band with which they are generally associated. Counterpoint invites all musicians to participate their series, regardless of age, genre, or the popularity of their instrument or genre.
The man behind Counterpoint’s concept, its mic, and the bass guitar, Collin Ankerson, joins Sad Mag’s Vancouver Notables lineup in order to answer a few questions about his experiences as a musician and as a part of Vancouver’s music scene.
Sad Mag: Who are you?
Collin Ankerson: I’m a musician interested in deepening my understanding of musical language by playing with and talking to as many local musicians as possible.
SM: How did you get involved in the music scene in Vancouver?
CA: I came to Vancouver equipped with my bass, which, combined with living on campus at UBC, led to a lot of opportunities to ‘jam.’ Making friends that way led to performing regularly with a few groups. I picked up a gig on craigslist once that actually turned into a really great jazz group and even led to us playing the Vancouver JazzFest.
SM: What was the first musical performance that you felt proud of?
CA: Probably the open mic at a Borders books in Oviedo, Florida. I went down there by myself when I was a senior in high school and played solo bass. It was the first time I had ever attempted a solo performance, and the beginning of a lot of the ideas and techniques that are a major part of my playing today.
SM: What do you think the music scene in Vancouver is lacking?
CA: The Vancouver music scene is lacking a good relationship between promoters/venues and performers. A lot of venues are unwilling to give smaller, local bands any guaranteed pay, so they essentially free themselves of any responsibility for providing quality entertainment. The venue wants music, but they don’t want to pay for it, nor do they want to curate it by actually listening to demos. That’s something I can’t understand. Why wouldn’t one of these venues want to put in the work to become the spot for quality local music?
SM: Favourite Vancouver musician(s)?
CA: I want to say Dominic Chan who is a jazz guitarist with a really original sound, but I have lost touch with him and I think he may have left the city. So, I’ll say Jesse Cahill, a local drummer that performs regularly at the Cellar with Cory Weeds. He has a cool jazz/funk fusion style, and a quality that’s hard to accurately describe, but what I might call vitality.
SM: Favourite musical genre?
CA: This is nearly impossible to answer, but I will say that I feel most informed by Classical and Funk/Blues. Being an electric bass player, it’s hard not to love funk, and I grew up listening to funk and blues by virtue of my dad’s record collection. When I began studying music theory, I fell in love with classical, and find that it heavily influences my performing and composing.
SM: Best Vancouver venue/night for seeing said genre?
CA: Unfortunately, there isn’t a huge funk scene in Vancouver right now, but the Biltmore has brought in some great bands recently, including Charles Bradley and Antibalas.
SM: Where are you as you answer these questions?
CA: In my house, frantically drafting emails to send to anyone in the city that I think may be interested in Counterpoint.
SM: Last album you listened to?
CA: Taj Mahal – Recycling the blues & Other related stuff
SM: What are you most excited about right now?
CA: I’m excited to get the Counterpoint website up and running. I hope that the people of Vancouver will be interested, and that I can continue talking with all of the talented musicians this city has to offer.