Here we are again, friends.

The same place at the same time we were last year, into the wild (with the internet) to build our community of musicians and music industry professionals. This year, there are quite a few familiar faces we saw at last years’ camp, including our talented friends who share our triumphant title of “Second Round Artists,” @41st and Home and @Behind Sapphire, as well as new participants, friends we’ve either played shows with amidst our travels in the past or people we have had the pleasure of having them lavish us with their knowledge on a previous occasion. So far, the return has been wonderful. We’ve been welcomed warmly by everyone again, inluding the weather, we’ve been well-fed and now the process has already begun. We literally blink and miss something, or someone, a blur of overwhelming joy of being able to be a part of this a second time, and also, the thrill of all the crazy, busy and hilarious times to come.

7:15 am, North Vancouver

I wake up on Cody’s floor after sleeping for 3 hours on a half-inflated air mattress that I was too lazy to finish inflating. There is a black cat on the stairs, which I consider to be some kind of omen of the week to come, or perhaps a dream. It is unsettling to say in the least, but I shower and try to wake up the boys for our drive to Princeton. We are on the highway by 8:00 am, making good time, as always. We listen to a “Rascal Flatts” version of “Life is a Highway” and are impressed more than we should be. We listen to Beyonce and speak in “Canadian” accents for about 20 minutes as we near Hope and anticipate a glorious pit-stop for coffee and one of thousands of pee-breaks we will no doubt be taking for Dan and his bladder when, UH-OH, our tire explodes. We pull over and assess the damage. Catastrophic. The tire is shredded and completely destroyed. @Treelines stops on their way to the camp to try and help us, and we are extremely grateful, but without adequate tools, they are quickly on their way (THANKS BOYS) We find the jack, our spare tire and our ratchet and begin to change the tire, thinking that “Hey, we’re 4 strong men between the ages of 22 and 35, NO PROBLEM.” It turns out we are all wrong and can’t loosen the nuts off the wheel. We call BCAA and they arrive within 30 minutes. One man attends to the tire, while the other man, who may have been in his late 60’s, reassures our insecurities about our strength and entertains us with a few stories of his early life. Tyson and him get along great.

1:30 pm, RockRidge Canyon

We arrive to the camp late, but safe, and it is hot outside. The glorious arrival process has already ended and lunch is already half over. We eat quickly, sign in, unload our gear, find our bunks and mates (BUNKMATES) and bootcamp begins with a pre-production session with @Garth Richardson himself, a great man who has produced many great things in his life and we are honored to be working with him for our “Inspired By Vancouver” Peak Performance track. We play him our demo of the new song we wrote for the project and he gives us his honest opinions. He is one cool dude.

8:00 pm, RockRidge Canyon, Street Hockey Rink

After dinner, Bob D’ieth tells us attendance for the “Staff vs. Musicians” road hockey game is mandatory this year. Having not have played any form of hockey in years, I decide to give it a shot. I grab a stick and join the rest of the fellas down at the frontlines for a chance to play in the match. There is a lot of us so the line is rotated quickly. Matt Lockhart seems to be leading the musician side of the game, in the style of Spartan General, and it is fierce and awesome, his passion for hockey that is. It reaches my turn and I run out and begin playing for the first time in, ooooh, let’s say 6 years. I am terrible and break my stick after about 1 minute or so and am quickly rotated. Cody is proud of me for participating in something I never thought I would again for a million years and I am eaten alive by mosquitoes, as is every other shirtless, sweaty, chanting dude. I notice that @Grant Lawrence is the goalie for the Staff as I am leaving for the computer lab and it makes me smile. What a great day.

There is much work to be done in the next few days, including all-day industry seminars, recording sessions with Garth, and nightly showcases with critique, but as nervous we get with these sorts of things, we just know it will be an awesome and inspiring time, equal to, if not more so, than the last time.

More updates soon, pals! Stay tuned!

– ACRES