Brian Bannister isn’t fretting about an upcoming concert he’s playing in, though it will be his first time performing live with a band in over 40 years.
Salmon Arm residents may know Bannister from his time behind a camera lens, particularly around the holidays when he'd shoot photos with Santa at Centenoka Park Mall. Long before his lengthy career in photography – a profession he picked up from his father – Bannister used to rock and roll with bands in Ontario.
Forty-two years later, Bannister has come full circle. In addition to having just turned 65, he recently joined the ranks of seasoned musicians Dan West, Richard Sevigny and Mike Chubey of The Canoe Rockers. Bannister will be playing bass in his first gig with the band on Saturday, July 6, at the Salmon Arm Camping Resort, located by R.J. Haney Heritage Village and Museum.
"Somebody asked me if I’m nervous and I’m not," said Bannister. "I’m more nervous working with these guys because these guys are my peers, they’re the people that I wanted to be like at different times in my life playing music. So that part makes me a little nervous. I’ve got to do it right, don’t want to make mistakes."
Though he also plays guitar, Bannister's long been about the bass, beginning with brass.
"In school I was playing tuba…," said Bannister. "I even had a tuba band there… we did jazz teams in Grade 8."
Bannister's teenage years were difficult at home, and he would at times take refuge with his brother-in-law, Gataen Beaulieu, who happened to own a music store.
"He would take me in every time I was thrown out, and I would monkey around with all the gear he had all over the place," said Bannister. "It was so cool."
When Bannister was 16, Beaulieu decided to start a band to perform at weddings. Bannister, who could read music, was enlisted to cover the low end as the band's bassist.
"I was shooting weddings for my dad when I was living at home and playing at the parties afterwards quite often," said Bannister, noting Ken Bannister ran a photography studio.
Later, Beaulieu would see a Beatles cover band called Liverpool. The experience prompted him to start his own Beatles cover band called Penny Lane. Bannister would be the band's McCartney.
"I was Paul – a right-handed Paul," laughed Bannister. "The wedding band was fun but that was my actual start. I was 17 by that time and there I was playing in bars with my brother-in-law with a band called Penny Lane. We dressed like the Beatles, we did four distinct sets for the eras. It was a lot of fun."
At one gig Penny Lane was the opener for an Elvis tribute artist Harry Jackson in a sold-out concert of about 1,000 people at a no-longer standing dance hall. Afterwards, Jackson decided to take his show on the road and at 18, Bannister transitioned from the Beatles to The King.
"I was on the road with them for about two years until I was 20," said Bannister.
When the Elvis gig ended, members of the backing band including Bannister, Kenny Ross and Brian Loomis, formed their own band, Southbound. Bannister said until now, this was the best band he'd played in.
"We had a pretty good following back then," said Bannister, who thought of Ross as an older brother. "Kenny and I were really close," he said. "When we were on the road we shared the same room often…We even argued like family.
Bannister has fond memories of his touring days.
"It was a riot, I was 18-20 years old living in hotel rooms in every city throughout Ontario, I was sleeping all day and playing all night," said Bannister. "It was a rock-and-roller's dream."
"It was a riot, I was 18-20 years old living in hotel rooms in every city throughout Ontario, I was sleeping all day and playing all night," said Bannister. "It was a rock-and-roller's dream."
Around age 24, Bannister said he left music, and eventually Eastern Canada, to get his own photography business going in the Lower Mainland. Bannister's father, Ken, wound up selling the Ontario studio to Brian's brother and sister, and travelled west to be and work with Brian.
"I went right into photography when I got out here; I was in Burnaby and my dad came out and joined me…," said Bannister. "We ran a lab on the West Coast , which we moved to New West. That was the start of my photo career in B.C. We had a number of studios."
Ken passed away in 1992 and Brian wound up relocating to Salmon Arm. For domestic reasons, he was forced to put music on hold for a while, but kept busy with his photography career.
Later, a change in circumstances enabled Brian to play music again.
"I never really said that I’m done with it… where photography was a lot of people’s hobbies that was my job and music was my hobby," he said.
Brian initially met with Sevigny through his Centenoka Santa, Chris Emery, who plays with the Blind Bay Blues Band. Brian did some promotional work for the band, and clicked with Sevigny who played with the band at the time.
"We just became friends…," said Brian. "I mentioned that I played music and during the pandemic he messaged me one day, said, 'hey, want to come over and jam? I’ve got lots of space, we can be apart from each other.' We were doing stuff like jazz – stuff that nobody really would want to hire somebody to do – it was for us and we were really enjoying it."
Richard Sevigny, West and Terry Diemert wound up leaving the Blind Bay Blues Band to form The Canoe Rockers, which started performing in 2022. Over time the band's lineup would see its own changes including, most recently, the departure of its bass player. Looking to fill the position, Brian was asked by Sevigny to meet him at West's and "see what happens."
"I didn’t hear anything for a couple of months," said Brian. "Then Richard calls me and says come on over to Dan’s again. I go over and I’m in the band. It was really that simple.
Commenting on the small-world the Canadian music scene can be, Brian explained during a conversation, West shared the name of a musician he'd played with who Brian knew. From there, Brian realized he'd been a fan of West's back east.
"Dan was a guy I used to see when I was 17… said Brian. "His band called the Dixie Flyers, in Southern Ontario. I would sneak into a bar to see him because I liked these guys so much. My sister-in-law worked in the bar and she would hide me in the back… Dan was one of my music heroes and I didn’t even know it. Now I’m playing in a band with him."
Brian holds each of his bandmates in high regard, and looks forward to his days ahead and what he calls his retirement project, playing with The Canoe Rockers.
"I’m not sure we’ll be the next Salmon Armenians, but it would sure be nice to be in the same league," laughed Bannister.
Brian said the July 6 concert is semi-private, explaining members of the public can attend but attendance will be limited by the available parking. For more information, visit The Canoe Rockers on Facebook.