I found out about this concert two weeks before it happened. I happened to see that Default was coming to Kamloops as the start of their Canadian Tour (Fallout 25th Anniversary Tour) and were going to be touring with Limblifter and Wide Mouth Mason. I clicked the ticket link and saw that Spendo was opening for them at this Kamloops show. I rarely miss a Spendo show when they come to town so this was a total bonus. I called up Bradley (lead guitar for Spendo and an amazing guitar tech https://www.facebook.com/groups/631252425709252/ ) to double check that they were actually doing the show! I offered my photo services and he put me on the guest list. I taught Brad metalwork/welding back in 2012 in North Delta where he grew up and we chat often about guitars and projects. Anyways…. I was stoked and invited a few friends to buy tickets to the show.
I got there an hour early with the plan on joining the band for dinner but soundcheck was running behind so I hung out with the crowd. Default’s tourbus was parked outside and Dave (bass) and Danny (drums) were hanging outside and chatting it up with the fans. Both of them still live in the Lower Mainland and it was sweet hearing them talk about past concerts and adventures. I met a few people with ages ranging from 19-72 outside. There was a fan there from Manchester England who had seen Default a number of times over the last two decades and happened to be visiting British Columbia at the time of the concert. There was quite a few people from the surrounding area (Salmon Arm, Logan Lake, Cache Creek) that had made the trip to see Default. I was wearing my Spendo T-shirt and stood out a little bit but I always enjoy hanging out with other Rock N Roll folks.
My guitar friend and past student Dan (Guitar Guru Extraordinary Dude) showed up and asked me if he could sneak something inside my camera bag so the bouncer wouldn’t find it. He passed me a set of guitar strap locks and screws. What the heck Dan!?!? I normally just bring cash to shows like this….. Dan knows the guitar tech for Default and was asked to bring some extra strap locks since one of the guitars was missing a functional set. Dan seems to know everyone in the music scene and always is able to drop some musical knowledge anytime I bring up an obscure band or guitar brand. I pocketed them and immediately got cut from the screws as I shoved them in my pocket the wrong way up. Dan was excited to get carded that night as he had just turned 19 and this was his first legal 19+ club night. I’ve known Dan for 5 years and hadn’t even thought about that.
The doors to Nightshift on 5th opened late due to the rough soundcheck (Brad from Spendo was texting me as they were chasing monitor buzz and a few other issues) and the crowd began to trickle in. I got myself signed in (Guest List!!) and walked past the bouncer without issue. Dan got frisked and followed me in. Strap locks passed off and with a feeling of Mission Accomplished we headed to check out the stage setup. Monitors, big amps, pedalboards, etc were there to greet us. After seeing the Spendo crew looking a bit tired from soundcheck Brad came up to me and apologized for not getting to hang out. Not a problem Brad. Go get ready for your show and we can catch up afterwards!
I bought Dan his first legal club beer and we got situated at the front of the stage so I could get photos and feed off some live music energy.
Alex Kilba (Three Vixens Photography) was there doing photos as well. I’ve seen him at many other local shows over the years but hadn’t had a chance to talk. Go check out his work.
I brought up with my old Canon 6dII DSLR, 16-35 2.8L, 50 1.4, and my heavy 70-200 2.8L in my worn out Manfrotto camera bag. My ‘outdated’ gear still does the job and I have no reason to replace anything yet. I was going to bring more gear but this was plenty to deal with especially knowing I would be changing lenses on the fly and getting bumped around by the dancing crowd.
This was my first time seeing Spendo without Erik on keyboards. He had left the band earlier in the year and I was curious how the songs I was familiar with would sound. Spendo is currently made up of Bradley Lambert (Lead guitar), Kyle Stegan (Bass and vocals), Trevor Crane (Drums and vocals), and Spencer Tomlinson (Lead vocals and guitar). Website here: https://www.spendomusic.com/the-band . I snuck a shot of Spendo’s setlist for the night and watched the crowd get bigger and louder in the small 625 max capacity club. I’ve played on stage here a few times myself and it’s a great space and you can feel the energy when it’s packed!
Nikki Omen got the show started with a few words and welcomed Spendo to the stage. Spencer Tomlinson is originally from Kamloops and the local radio shows always do their best to hype shows when Spendo is in town. You can hear Nikki Omen on Looped in with Nikki Omen https://cfjctoday.com/looped-in/ and the morning show on 98.3 Cifm https://www.facebook.com/983Cifm .
Spendo Setlist:
Still Here
Great Unknown
Coconut
Fighter
Minimalist
Gone and Glad
Should I Have Known?
Give It A Try
Above: Spencer’s shoes, pedalboard, and setlist!
Spendo played an 8 song set and it was probably one of the best sets I’ve heard them perform. Great guitar work and rockstar moves by Bradley. I could see Spencer’s face some of the time but I swear it gets longer everytime I see these guys perform. Trevor’s drumset was tucked in the back corner so it was harder to see him but I sure could hear him banging hard back there! Kyle is a solid bass player and I wish I could have chatted with him after the show. More on the post-show hangout later in this post…
Below: Some of my favorite shots of the Spendo’s set. I stayed in one spot for the set. Next time I’ll sneak around a bit for other angles other than standing in front of Brad’s area!
In the middle of the set Spencer spoke about how grateful he was meeting Danny (drummer for Default) and how it has helped his musical journey.
Spendo has great crowd energy with each band member contributing their own special touch to the show.
Finishing with their great sing-a-long tune”Give it a Try” the crowd roared as their time on stage came to an end. Spendo started tearing down the stage and I could tell they had a great time performing. 15 minutes passed and the crowd began to push towards the front of the room.
Up next… Default!
Default setlist:
Slow me down
Sick and tired
Deny
Somewhere
Plush (cover)
Seize the day
By your side
One late night
Taking my life away
Let you down
Faded
Live a Lie
All she wrote
Bullet
Turn it on
All is forgiven
Hiding from the sun
I can’t win
Wasting my time
ENCORE:
Like a stone (cover)
Count on me
Above: Jeremy’s pedal board and setlist.
The house lights dimmed and the silhouetted band members took the stage. The stage was clear of monitors and only one guitar amp was on stage. I’ve used in-ear-monitors myself and enjoy having a clear mix in my ears wherever I am on stage but I am still getting used to going to shows without much stage volume. The lone guitar amp on stage belonged to Mitch Jay who has joined Default for of their live shows and plays ‘multi-instruments’ with Dallas Smith’s touring band.
In the darkness Jeremy Hora opened with the guitar riff of “Slow Me Down” with Dave Benedict and Danny Craig joining with the driving drums and bass much to the delight of the crowd. Dallas stepped up to the mic and lead the crowd with the opening lyrics as the lights began flashing.
Oh this time is right
Oh but I’m wound too tight
Never keep
Never sleep
Never find all the time that I need
Just to stay in line
Got to go
Default’s 2001 album “The Fallout” came out while I was still in high school and I remember hearing them on rotation on 104.9 X-FM and 99.3 CFOX. I fell in love with the local Vancouver music scene as a teenager and wanted to live and breath music for the rest of my life.
The second song was the opening track to “The Fallout”. Sick and Tired has this fun opening guitar riff that Jeremy Hora plays and is one of my favorite tracks from the album. Great sing-a-long and head bobbing early 2000s energy.
Dave Benedict seems to be one of the reasons musicians use wireless systems. He danced and bounced around with his feather hat for the first half of the set. Once the hat disappeared we were treated to one of Dave’s distinct look and stage presence. The hair. Fans are used to seeing his braids swing around in while he shakes his head to the beat. Dave’s hair wasn’t the only thing swinging around during the show. At one point Dave wildly swung his bass around and the headstock connected directly with Dallas Smith’s head mid-song. Shaken but not stirred they continued. I’m sure words were exchanged at some point.
Danny Craig co-founded Default in 1999 with Jeremy Hora and in addition to his work with the band co-owns Rock Is Dead Records with Dave Benedict. Photographing drummers can be tricky in clubs. Sorry Danny. I did my best!
Mitch Jay is an in demand session and touring musician and is currently touring with the band for their live shows. Mitch has won awards and is primarily known for his country and bluegrass work.
Group shots and some of my favorites now! In no particular order here are some of my favorite photos of Default’s show.
This was such a fun concert to attend and be a part of. After the show I hung out with both bands afterwards and when the Default crew loaded up for a long night of driving to Alberta the Spendo dudes invited me for some late night Dennys.
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