Victoria Battle of the Bar Bands – March 5, 2008
by Eugene Raponi, John Waddell, QC and Clint Sadlemyer

The Third Annual Victoria Battle of the Bar Bands unfolded at “Element” nightclub in the basement of the Strathcona Hotel on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Initiated as a fund-raiser for the CBA (BC) Benevolent Society and its most useful work, this year’s event represented a great leap forward with a larger venue, an increasingly experienced organizing committee and a diverse group of five bands that sprung from Victoria, Nanaimo and the Lower Mainland.

God’s gift to a microphone, Bill Murphy-Dyson, once again played host to a jolly crowd of over 300 rock n’ rollers. Lawyers, spouses or partners of lawyers, legal support staff and an eclectic number of groupies, roadies and family friends hopped and bopped to the sounds of:

• Victoria veteran bands, the Reverbs, Blind Elmo and the Witness;
• Our Vancouver House Band, the Singletones;
• Nanaimo’s Shed, a group of eight first timers who drove south in a Bentley and displayed an astonishing range of facial hair.

The expert use of the trusty Applause O’ Metre by family law jousters Eugene Raponi and the aforementioned barrister Bill Murphy-Dyson led to a well-deserved victory by the Witness whose members are: Mike Frey (lead guitar and vocals), John Coupar (keyboards and back-up vocals), Mark Slay (drums) and Ted Evans (bass). It was a gutsy win, given that vocalist Mike Frey arrived suffering from laryngitis, and in tears. Other bands suspected Frey was faking the symptoms as a psychological ploy to lull his competitors into a false sense of security and to play on the sympathy of the crowd.

Other memorable moments included Rockin’ Robbie Sheffman trying on a Van Morrison tune dressed in a maroon leisure suit and unidentified members of defending champs, Blind Elmo taking wild swings at each other during their fourth number. You gotta love rock n’ roll.

Thanks to all who took part in the organization of the event and particularly Roxanne Helme, Eugene Raponi and John Waddell. This year’s event more than doubled the take of previous year’s battles with a total going to the Benevolent Society more than $12,000!

That success would not have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors:

• Stewart Title
• Hotel Grand Pacific
• Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority of B.C.
• Premiere Verbatim Reporting
• Interlock
• Our own Victoria Bar Association

Interest in this event grows every year. Look for the announcement of next year’s event and local and Island musicians are encouraged to join in the fun.

Vancouver Battle of the Bar Bands – June 13, 2008
by Roger Holland and Derek Brindle, QC co-chairs of the 2008 Battle of the Bar Bands

The Seventh Annual Battle of the Bar Bands took place at the Commodore Ballroom on Friday, June 13, 2008. This year’s battle proved to be the most successful to date both in terms of fundraising for the CBA (BC) Benevolent Society and in terms of entertainment value. Eight highly competitive bands: Blind Elmo, The Disclaimers, Molten Canadian, No Reply, The Noted Uppers, Still Living at Home, The Suits and Twisted Solicitor all competed for the coveted ZSA Cup for the best band.

From its inception, the event has been characterized by a good natured tongue-in-cheek, albeit competitive, rivalry between the bands all vying for rock n’ roll supremacy. This year was no exception as the performances from all bands were exceptional. The panel of judges consisting of Justices Jon Sigurdson, Lynn Smith and Mary Humphries, together with Ralston S. Alexander, QC had an incredibly difficult task in determining the winners.

This year’s winner was The Disclaimers comprised of Pat Haberl, Andre Beaulieu, Lindsay Goldberg, Mike Varabioff, Pat Madaisky, Gord Rogers, Mike Taylor, Bill Pazlawski and Dave Ronald. The Disclaimers are a perennial crowd favourite. The band has evolved considerably over the years, originally a gritty hard rocking three piece band it is now polished nine piece ensemble with horns. Led by vocalist/guitarist Pat Haberl, the band delivered a great high energy set that clearly put the band in the winner’s circle. The Disclaimers were also the band that made the biggest band contribution to the financial success of this year’s event through ticket sales and sponsorship for the benefit of the CBA (BC) Benevolent Society.

Second place this year went to Twisted Solicitor comprised of Sarah-Jane Bird, Scott Smythe, Cappone D'Angelo (all McCarthy Tetrault stalwarts), plus ringers Greg Fabbro, Ian Duke, Michael Bain (bassist/lead vocalist for last year’s winning “Mr. Fancy Education”) and Doran Chandler. They delivered a great dance-oriented set and in particular, vocalist Scott Smythe did a great job on Rio and vocalist Sarah-Jane Bird shone on the Rehab song - her ability to nail the song being the only thing she shares in common with Amy Winehouse. McCarthy Tetrault once again held on to its vied position as the law firm which makes the greatest financial contribution to the event. McCarthy Tetrault’s ongoing contribution to the event both financially and in terms of the calibre of the band it has always put forward is greatly appreciated by the Benevolent Society and indeed the continuing ongoing success of the Battle of the Bar Bands is in no small part due to the talent and generosity McCarthy Tetrault and Twisted Solicitor bring to the event.

Third place went to the The Noted Uppers. Fronted by the always entertaining David Hay, this band consists of fourteen musicians (Dan Burnett, Jonathan Monk, David St. Pierre, Meldon Ellis, Terry Laliberte, Mark Killas, Chiko Misomali, David Popoff, Michael Hirst, Jaysee Henderson, Elizabeth Reid, Allison Berry, Rachel Fisher and David Hay) including a horn section and four black-clad female back-up vocalists. This band gets more slick and polished with each passing year. They also bring perhaps the most eclectic choice of songs and David Hay’s showmanship is something to behold. The Noted Uppers are always a treat to watch and always one of the highlights of the Battle of the Bar Bands.

This year’s event raised in excess of $80,000 for the CBA (BC) Benevolent Society. The Society is deeply grateful for the efforts of all the bands, both in terms of their musical talents and also in terms of the great efforts they make to sell tickets and to secure sponsorships. Tickets sold out three weeks prior to the date of the event. We would also like to thank Stephanie Hacksel, Sarah Anderson, Dragana Milisic and all the other good people at ZSA Legal Recruiting whose efforts and energy in sponsoring and in organizing this event are so crucial to its success.

Thanks also to Beverley Yhap and Jennifer Weber of the Canadian Bar Association who played a significant role helping us organize the event and sell tickets. We would also like to thank all of our event sponsors including the corporate donors (in particular lead corporate donor, Business in Vancouver) the dozens of law firm donors and, of course thanks to the thousand plus people who packed the Commodore on the night of June 13th and made the evening a memorable evening for all the lawyer musicians who had the opportunity to feel like “rock stars” for their allotted minutes on stage. Plans are afoot for next year’s 8th Annual Battle of the Bar Bands which will no doubt be taking place on a hot and humid evening in June 2009.

CBA (BC) Benevolent Society
by Basil R. Hobbs, Chair, CBA (BC) Benevolent Society

“I underwent four intense rounds of chemotherapy as an in patient and my treatments concluded with an intense three day bout of total body irradiation, followed by a stem cell transplant…These days, I am feeling pretty well, all things considered, and the cancer shows no signs of coming back…I am not sure how we can ever sufficiently thank all of you for your generosity…your gift helped us immensely.”

“…the member has made a fabulous recovery, personally and professionally. He has requested that we pass along his utmost appreciation and gratitude to the Lawyer’s Benevolent Fund for providing him with funds when he was in desperate need of same. This is truly a success story for our legal profession.”

Formed in 1997, the CBA (BC) Benevolent Society provides financial assistance to lawyers and their families who have suffered a disabling illness or injury. The circumstances are always tragic, and are among the most dire one might ever encounter.

The Directors of the Society are Derek Brindle QC, Carol Brown, David Hay, Jim Herperger, Basil Hobbs, Roger Holland, Terry LaLiberte QC, H.A.D.Oliver QC, Margaret Sages, John Waddell QC, Judge Anne Wallace, Ken Walton, and Judge Thomas Woods.

The Society’s capital fund of $882,905 was initially provided by the members of the B.C. Bar whom in 1997 and 1998, contributed $100 per member in each of the two years. The interest from the capital fund is used to provide grants and loans to recipients. However this is not sufficient to fund the growing requests for assistance and the Society seeks to raise additional funds to meet these needs.

In 1999, the Society entered into an affiliate agreement with MBNA MasterCard wherein we receive a small rebate from them for our members’ use of their credit card. Please consider obtaining and using this service. As well we would ask that you consider making a donation or leaving a bequest in your Will to the Society and by these ways contribute to assist the Society in helping our colleagues in times of extraordinary need.

There have been many different fund raising events over the years, but by far the most successful have been through the Annual Battle of the Bar Bands held in Vancouver for the past seven years and held in Victoria for the past three years. This year, as a result of outstanding performances in Vancouver and Victoria, there will be a Battle of the Bar Bands in Nanaimo on October 5, 2008. We owe a huge vote of thanks to all of the organizers, the bands, and the participants, for making these events such a success!

It is significant that during its history, there have been no paid staff running the Society. The Directors devote their time on a voluntary basis and to date we have provided thousands of dollars of benevolence to our colleagues and their families.

Thank you for your continued support of the Society, please contact us directly or through the CBA if you or any of your colleagues require assistance from the Benevolent Society.

This article was published in the August 2008 issue of BarTalk. © 2008 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.