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THE FALCONS
Canada's Falcons play original instrumental
rock and roll inspired by The Shadows and The Ventures. Formed in 1992
by Vancouver guitarist Mike Beddoes, The Falcons have recorded five
albums, toured in Europe and Canada’s Yukon, showcased in Japan, and
helped revive the instro rock genre worldwide.
History
Who's Who in The Falcons
Guitar
Bass
Drums
Discography
The Falcons on
YouTube
Falcons Archives
HISTORY
After
auditioning 24 rhythm guitarists and
recording an original instro demo in 1991, guitarist Mike
Beddoes finally got
The
Falcons together in 1992 and released The
Falcons EP cassette featuring Shadow
Land.
Shadow
Land charted coast to
coast in the top ten on Canadian
campus radio, appeared on Rounder's Beyond
the Beach instrumental rock compilation, and in
several Canadian film and television productions.
The Falcons played live in the
Vancouver area through the 90s, toured in Europe in 1995, and
Canada's Yukon in 1999 - the first (and only) all-instrumental
rock band to play 4 sets nightly at the Capital Hotel in Whitehorse.
The Falcons have appeared twice at
Pipeline Instrumental Rock Convention in London England, in 1995
and 2000.
In 1999, Falcons' guitarist Mike
Beddoes spent time in Japan with instro historian Yuzo Sasaki,
and showcased at El Camino,
Tokyo's all-instro nightclub, with Barry Gibson of Burns Guitars.
Debut album Queen of Diamonds,
with guest Ventures guitarist Nokie Edwards, was named Album of
the Year (1998) by UK instro magazine Pipeline. Mike first met Nokie
in 1994
when he interviewed him for an Instro fanzine. In 1995, The Falcons
played with Nokie at his 60th birthday party and met more Ventures.
Bill Bonney, The Falcons' guest on Rebel
Jukebox, played bass in
60s UK instro
group, The Fentones. Bill first met Mike in 1995 at the Pipeline
Convention in London, UK, when Mike joined
The Fentones on rhythm guitar for the band's first reunion in 32
years.
Steel guitar virtuoso, the
late Pat Gerow, is The Falcons' guest on Canadian
Christmas. A Western Swing Hall of Fame member, Pat played with
the Rhythm Pals and
Hank Snow, and was the first non-Hawaiian to become a member of the
Royal Hawaiian Orchestra.
Since 2004, The Falcons
have been mainly a recording band, but perform live occasionally, most
recently at the Summer of Love festival in Vancouver, 2008.
The Falcons are celebrating
their 20th anniversary with three new albums: Atomic Guitar, the EP Collection, and Rebel Jukebox 10th anniversary edition.
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WHO'S WHO IN THE
FALCONS
The Falcons current line-up is:
Lead Guitar - Mike Beddoes
Rhythm Guitar - Scott McLeod
Bass - Gord Kearney
Drums - Andre DesLauriers
Guitar -
MIKE
BEDDOES, The Falcons’ lead guitarist and main songwriter, has an
original melodic guitar style he has developed by applying classical,
flamenco, and fingerstyle techniques to electric guitar. He was born in
London, England and grew up in Vancouver, Canada.
Mike got his first guitar when he was 8 years old, and played with a
pick for the first 10 years before switching to fingerstyle. He wrote
his first instro, “Queen of Diamonds”, in 1963 and, in 1964, joined his
first instro band, The Rogues. He started as lead player but, when the
band discovered he could play barre chords, was promoted to rhythm
guitar.
In the summer of ’66, he played surf and garage with The Gremmies in
Sunapee, New Hampshire and, back in Vancouver in the late 60s, formed
the Mike Beddoes Blues Band to play west coast psychedelic blues: at
the Aldergrove Beach Rock Festival,
clubs, coffee houses, and a live music production of Michael McLure’s
play, The Beard. The band
ended suddenly when The Beard
was shut down by police.
In the 70s Mike played rock & roll in strip clubs, and country
& western at Legion halls and army bases. He toured BC with
psychedelic rock band Ridgerunner and, later, played trad jazz in
London and Irish & western in San Francisco. Turning solo in the
80s, he accompanied silent films in Toronto, played electric concert
guitar in BC and Ontario, and, in the late 80s, formed the folk rock
group, The Sharks.
In 1992, Mike came full circle and formed his second instro band, The
Falcons.
SCOTT MCLEOD,
founding member of the West Coast surf/instro group The Swagmen in
1978, played in Punk-fueled original groups throughout the 80s. He
first met Mike in the mid-80s and toured briefly with The Sharks,
before joining Linda McCrae Band and touring North America. Scott plays
rhythm guitar on Atomic Guitar.
KIM CLARKE was born in
Penang, Malaysia, and most recently taught photography in London,
Ontario. Kim played folk clubs in late 60s London UK, and formed the
pop power trio Bonus Boys in Vancouver in 1979. Kim can be heard
playing rhythm guitar, and lead on his own tunes, on Fly by Night, Live in London, Queen of Diamonds, the Canadian Christmas EP, and the EP Collection. Kim
passed away from cancer in December 2010.
GARY CRAMER, BC poet and
songwriter, played with Mike in Ridgerunner in the mid-70s, and in The
Sharks in the late 80s. Gary plays rhythm guitar on the Canadian Christmas album. Gary died
in March 2006, following complications from a 2004 car crash.
MICHAEL O'BRIEN was born
in Petrolia, Canada and teaches classical guitar. He plays rhythm
guitar on Fly by Night and on
the EP Collection.
GARY SCHNEPPER is a
guitarist and computer programmer. Gary toured Canada's Yukon and
appeared at Pipeline 2000 with The Falcons. He plays rhythm guitar, and
lead on Jokers Wild, on Rebel Jukebox.
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Bass -
GORD KEARNEY,
from
Toronto, has played mainly in R&B and show bands including The
Questionnaires. He and Mike played on the same cruise ship, the Xanadu,
in the mid 70s. Gord has been playing fretless bass with The Falcons
since 1992 and can be heard on bass on all The Falcons' albums, and on
lead guitar on his own tune 1979
on Atomic
Guitar.
DAVE ENGLEMAN plays bass
and is a sound technician. He first played with Mike in Ridgerunner in
the mid 70s. He can be heard on Kim's instro Sombrero del Diablo on Fly by Night.
BRIAN HARTON plays bass
and is an airline pilot. He and Ted Harrison were the rhythm section
for the 60s Vancouver band, Yellow Brique Road. They both played on the
earliest Falcons demo recording in 1991, released on the EP Collection. Brian also plays
upright bass on Colleen and Wake Up on Fly by Night.
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Drums -
ANDRE
DESLAURIERS played
with Kid Chrysler & The New Yorkers in the rockabilly revival of
the late 70s. He has been playing drums with The Falcons since 1998.
Andre can be heard on Rebel Jukebox,
Canadian Christmas, and Atomic Guitar.
DENNIS BURKE, from
Edmonton, is a jazz drummer, composer, and video instructor. Dennis can
be heard on Queen of Diamonds
and the Canadian Christmas EP.
TED HARRISON plays drums
and is an actor. He and Brian Harton were the rhythm section for the
60s Vancouver band, Yellow Brique Road. They both played on the
earliest
Falcons demo recording in 1991, released on the EP Collection.
MITCH LAZER, from
Montreal, plays jazz-fusion drums. In the late 80s, he played with The
Sharks. Mitch appeared with The Falcons at Pipeline 1995 and can be
seen on The Falcons in Shadow Land
video.
LARRY "LUNCHPAIL" MCGILLVRAY
plays drums and is on the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Community
Metis Association. He's played with Mike on and off
since the early 70s, including in Ridgerunner. He can be heard on the EP Collection and on Fly by Night.
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DISCOGRAPHY
EP Collection (FBM-111)
Atomic Guitar (FBM-101)
Canadian Christmas album (FBM-041)
Rebel Jukebox (FBM-011) 14 song CD
Canadian Christmas (FBM-983) 3 song CD single
Queen of Diamonds (FBM-981) 14 song CD
- 1998 PIPELINE Album of the Year
The Falcons in Shadow Land (FBM-962)
- 30 min. video with live concert footage
Live in London (FBM-961) cassette
Fly by Night (FBM-941) 6 song CD EP
The Falcons (FBM-921) 3 song cassette
COMPILATIONS
Beyond the Beach (Rounder, USA)
Sounds from the Inside Vol I (California Music, Australia)
Spaghetti I: Duck You Suckers (One Million Dollar Records, Germany)
An Evening in Nivram: The Music of The Shadows (Musick, USA)
Spaghetti II: The Revenge (One Million Dollar Records, Germany)
Instrobeat (Fireball Records, Canada)
PERFORMANCE VIDEO
Pipeline 1995 London Convention
Nokie Edwards' 60th Birthday
Pipeline 2000 London Convention
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The Falcons (Andre, Mike, Gord, Scott)
Falcons' guitarist Mike Beddoes
The Falcons (Mike, Andre, Gord, Scott) at
the Summer of Love
Festival Vancouver, 2008
Mike Beddoes and Nokie Edwards (The
Ventures). Photo: Judy Edwards
The Falcons (Andre, Mike, Gord, Kim)
Mike Beddoes and Barry Gibson at the Burns
Guitars Showcase, El Camino,
Tokyo, 1999. Photo:Jun Endo
The Falcons recording Rebel Jukebox: Gary Schnepper, Gord,
Mike, Andre
Photo: Annette Wadsworth
The Falcons in 1993: Gord, Mike, Larry, Kim
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