Update: The family’s obit is NOW AVAILABLE
May 6, 1953 – December, 17 2021
I find it hard to believe that it has been 8 years since I left a band fronted by a man who I had more musical chemistry with than any other musician I have ever worked with. Deception’s front man, Art Panchishin, forgot more about how to play blues, than most people will know in their lifetime.
Art and I had a very unique chemistry that both of us noticed during the first few bars we played together, the very first time we got together in his studio in 2004. At the time I didn’t know I was auditioning for a spot in his band. Truth be told, I thought I was auditioning him for a spot in mine. But things have a funny way of turning out.
Although I had to go on and find other members for my own group, I became the 4th member of Deception, which at the time included: Gary Huntbatch on drums and vocals, and Steve Fultz on bass guitar and vocals.
Band + sax means re-working of charts
Art’s arrangements of classic and original blues numbers needed to be re-tooled to include my sax. However, since he had not had a sax player in his group before, he gave me free reign to try what I wanted for horn lines.
In the beginning I wasn’t playing enough, so he kept telling me: add more here; and here; and put something more here. Next thing you know, the sax was intricately woven into all of Deception’s songs.
For Art I did what I do best: developed horn lines specific to a particular vocalist, and played these lines consistently so they would always know what was going to happen every time we played a particular song. It paid off. The audiences responded well. Based on the audience feedback the band received after I joined the group, they really liked the added tonal colours and complexities the saxophone added to Deception’s music.
When it came to solos, Art was never one to hog the spotlight. I played nearly as many as he did. For nearly 10 years I played screaming blues solos that became so intertwined with those of Art’s amazing blues guitar work, that sometimes neither he nor I could tell whether it was him or I playing a particular note or riff.
Personnel changes in 2009
2009 was a major transition year for Deception. Art decided it was time to change-up the band’s personnel. He and I were to be the only members who remained, while the drum and bass guitar slots were to be filled by Randy Mathers and Charles Mauviel respectively. The following year Art also had the opportunity to add keyboard player Bob Peters.
My two closest musical collaborators
Some of my favourite moments with Art, were the time he and I spent with another important musical colleague and friend of mine: the incomparable Ray Myers.
When we first moved back to BC, I had played bari sax for Ray in his R&B band. Even though I quit his band, Ray and I remained good friends. We always enjoyed getting together and playing in his studio. I figured Art & Ray would get along well, and they did.
Art, like pretty much every musician who had a working knowledge of the music industry, knew of Ray Myers, but Art had never met him. So when I suggest we get together with Ray, Art jumped at the chance.
The first time he and I drove to Burnaby to meet up with Ray in his studio, Art was awestruck by the gear that Ray had. After the gearheads finished their talk about sound equipment, we spent the day playing, with Art being knocked on his ass by Ray’s vocal abilities.
Ray would come out Art’s place as well on a few occasions. He even came out to a blues jam we hosted out at Straiton Hall in 2010. This video clip features a small taste of Ray Myers doing a blues tune with Deception. Please excuse the poor quality recording, but it was done on a Panasonic camera on video mode. (Best we had access to back then.) 😉
When trying choosing photos to include in this in memoriam post, I poured through hundreds of photos to find some that captured the moods, the expressions, and some of the complexities of the man whose musicianship and knowledge of the blues I so respected. Here are some more of my favourites…
All good things
In 2013 I decided to leave Deception. It was one of the hardest musical decisions I have ever made in my life. At this point I had worked in electric blues bands for over 20 years, and really wanted to see what other options were out there for me.
The musical chemistry I had with Art I have never had with any of the other hundreds of musicians I have worked with previously, or since. It is also highly unlikely that I will ever have it with anyone again. Art was my blues partner, and one of my closest musical companions. He will be forever in my heart, and his music will live on in me whenever I play any kind of blues solo.
And with that, let’s give the last word to Art. Again, please excuse the quality of the recording—the Panasonic camera on video mode strikes again—but for those of you who knew him, and knew Deception in 2005-09, let this be a short trip down memory lane.
Helen. What a beautiful loving tribute to Art. I never knew him but now feel through your tribute and videos I was able to know him a bit. A very special human being and musician. ??
Thank you Bev. Actually, you did meet him a couple of times I do believe. One of the pics of us at Ray’s place I have show you in “your” chair, and at some point Claudette is on bongos as well.
You might have also come to the blues jam at Straiton Hall. Although that one I’m not sure about. It was held on Mother’s Day, so you might have had other stuff to do. Although knowing Ray, he would have kidnapped you from you own luncheon, and brought you along. 😉