April Fools Day, 2011 – Edelweiss Club
The lederhosen and dancing shoes have been put away and the beer and schnitzel digested. The sixth annual Victoria Battle of the Bar Bands is now just a warm memory for the 250 or so who attended the event on April 1, 2011.

The event is organized each year by the Victoria Bar Association and the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association as a fundraiser for the CBA (BC) Benevolent Society. The Society was set up many years ago to provide financial assistance to lawyers and their families in times of need. The event was once again a critical and financial success, raising about $10,000.

In the seemingly never-ending search for the right venue, it looks like the Battle of the Bar Bands has finally found a home. The Edelweiss Club was large and accommodating, had good, well-priced food and libations, a terrific stage and a great dance floor that was filled to capacity for much of the evening.

Also, to change things up a bit, the battle adopted a new format. In addition to the crowd-pleasing applause-o-meter, this year it featured a panel of judges who were charged with awarding two prizes: (1) the prize for the best Beatles cover (every band was asked to perform a number by the Beatles) and (2) the prize for the best band, overall.

The three judges were:

• The Honourable Madame Justice Dorgan (representing the bench),
• Michael J. O'Connor, QC (representing the bar), and
• David Lennam (representing the media).

Not only did they take their job seriously, some of them (not mentioning any names, but their initials are Madame Justice Dorgan and Michael J. O'Connor) took a few turns on the dance floor.

They had a very difficult job awarding prizes as every one of the bands put on a fabulous show. The bands this year were:

• The Singletones (from Vancouver)
• Audi Alteram Partem (from Victoria)
• Carpe Groovum (from Nanaimo)
• Blind Elmo (from Victoria)
• The Witness (mostly from Victoria)

When the dust -- and the applause-o-meter readings -- settled, Carpe Groovum was handed the prize for the best Beatles cover and The Witness was declared this year's overall winner.

It was The Witness’ second win at the Victoria Battle of the Bar Bands; they were the champs in 2009, as well. The members of that band are: Michael Frey (guitar and lead vocals), John Coupar (keyboard and vocals), Mark Slay (drums – Mark is a lawyer who practices in Vancouver) and Ted Evans (bass).

Carpe Groovum, a blues-rock-pop band from Nanaimo, is comprised of Doug Nuyts (the only lawyer in the band) on guitar, Chris Kaiser on drums, Jim Guerin on bass and Ralph Hunter on vocals.

The Master of Ceremony duties were again ably conducted by Bill Murphy-Dyson. The long-suffering organizers for the event, Eugene Raponi, John Waddell, Tom MacLachlan and Roxanne Helme, were joined this year by two young and enthusiastic conscripts, Krystle Gill, an associate with Berge Hart Cassels, and Shannon Mather, an articled student with Straith and Company. They did a great job.

The organizers would like to thank the generous sponsors: The Victoria Bar Association, Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Hotel Grand Pacific, BC Shorthand Reporters Association, the Salmon Kings, Driftwood Brewery, John’s Place Restaurant, Red Fish Blue Fish, Vista 18, Sea Cidery, Charest Reporting, Total Delivery Systems, Select Courier and Wildplay Element Park. They’d also like to thank the Table Sponsors -- Berge Hart Cassels, Carfra & Lawton, Cook Roberts LLP, Cox Taylor, Johns Southward Glazier Walton & Margetts, Premiere Verbatim Reporting, Singleton Urquhart, Straith and Company, Green Helme, F. Kenneth Walton Law Corporation, and Waddell Raponi.

[posted May 24, 2011]