Vancouver Adapted Music Society
Encyclopedia
Vancouver Adapted Music Society (VAMS) is a not-for-profit organization that encourages, supports and promotes musicians with physical disabilities in Vancouver, Canada.
Located at Vancouver’s G. F. Strong Centre
, the studio is designed for people with a wide range of disabilities and musical capabilities. It features industry-standard equipment including a 64-bit iMac running Logic Pro
9 Studio, Apogee Ensemble audio interface and Euphonix
MC control. In addition, it contains an M-Audio Axiom 49 keyboard, LTD electric guitar and bass, Takamine semi-acoustic guitar, Roland HD1 drum kit, a custom vintage tube microphone and a UA DCS remote pre amplifier. Both the iMac and Axiom 49 keyboard are height-adjustable to accommodate wheelchairs. A jouse (joystick-operated mouse which can be operated by the users’ mouth or chin) and a head mouse can be used to operate the equipment, and a MidiWing allows joystick programming of a keyboard.
Musicians can play instruments live or program sounds to build and record up to 256 track recordings, burning their completed work at 24bit/96 kHz DVD quality. The studio is also 5.1 capable with a full Blue Sky 5.1 monitoring system.
Produced by Shore 104 FM, it features VAMS members Jim Byrnes
, sylvi macCormac and Rolf Kempf, joined by Ndidi Onukwulu
, The Sojourners, Geoff Hicks, Wide Mouth Mason
’s Shaun Verreault, Adaline, Daniel Wesley
, Shane Turner and Jets Overhead
in a cover of Bob Dylan
’s I Shall Be Released.
Jim Byrnes was quoted at the time as saying: “The theme of the song fits so well with the mandate VAMS lives by: music truly sets you free. We are all prisoners in some way. We have a physical disability or a mental disability or we’re afraid of something in our lives; but I think this project is an opportunity to show how this music, that we love so much, is a way to set us all free and allows us to be a part of the world that surrounds us.”
The video, shot on location around Vancouver, BC, can be seen on the VAMS website.
VAMS released a 15-track compilation CD, Strait Goods, in 2008.
and Dave Symington.
Both are quadriplegic. Sam, who played keyboards, and Dave, a drummer, wanted to tackle the barriers faced by musicians such as themselves – issues they had not come across before they became disabled as a result of sporting injuries.
Both musicians formed a band around this time, Spinal Chord, with guitarist Don Alder and bassist John Shepp which used music as a vehicle for raising awareness of disability issues. The band split in the mid-90s.
comprises six affiliated societies:
Programs
VAMS operates programs for people with varied musical skills, including karaoke, sessions for learners and intermediate musicians; it operates a fully equipped music studio and promotes live concerts.Studio
Vancouver Adapted Music Society unveiled the country’s most modern studio for musicians with disabilities in November 2008.Located at Vancouver’s G. F. Strong Centre
G. F. Strong Centre
GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre is the largest rehabilitation hospital in British Columbia. It is located in the South Cambie neighborhood of Vancouver....
, the studio is designed for people with a wide range of disabilities and musical capabilities. It features industry-standard equipment including a 64-bit iMac running Logic Pro
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a hybrid 32 / 64 bit digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software application for the Mac OS X platform. Originally created by German software developer Emagic, Logic Pro became an Apple product when Apple bought Emagic in 2002...
9 Studio, Apogee Ensemble audio interface and Euphonix
Euphonix
Euphonix was a professional audio company located in Mountain View, California, United States. Euphonix produced the first successful line of large digitally controlled analog audio mixing consoles in the late 1980s and has since moved on to all-digital systems....
MC control. In addition, it contains an M-Audio Axiom 49 keyboard, LTD electric guitar and bass, Takamine semi-acoustic guitar, Roland HD1 drum kit, a custom vintage tube microphone and a UA DCS remote pre amplifier. Both the iMac and Axiom 49 keyboard are height-adjustable to accommodate wheelchairs. A jouse (joystick-operated mouse which can be operated by the users’ mouth or chin) and a head mouse can be used to operate the equipment, and a MidiWing allows joystick programming of a keyboard.
Musicians can play instruments live or program sounds to build and record up to 256 track recordings, burning their completed work at 24bit/96 kHz DVD quality. The studio is also 5.1 capable with a full Blue Sky 5.1 monitoring system.
Releases
VAMS members, aided by a variety of West Coast music scene names, released a music video in August 2009 to promote the capabilities of people with disabilities.Produced by Shore 104 FM, it features VAMS members Jim Byrnes
Jim Byrnes (actor)
James Thomas Kevin "Jim" Byrnes is a blues musician, guitarist, and actor.-Life and career:Byrnes was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a homemaker mother and a municipal accountant father. He has lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, since the mid-1970s...
, sylvi macCormac and Rolf Kempf, joined by Ndidi Onukwulu
Ndidi Onukwulu
Ndidi Onukwulu is a Canadian singer originally from Burns Lake, British Columbia. Although her style is often classified as jazz and blues, Onukwulu combines several musical genres in her songs including surf music, electric blues, gospel, and country...
, The Sojourners, Geoff Hicks, Wide Mouth Mason
Wide Mouth Mason
Wide Mouth Mason is a Canadian blues-based rock band, consisting of Shaun Verreault , Safwan Javed , and Gordie Johnson . Former bassist Earl Pereira was also co-founder of Wide Mouth Mason...
’s Shaun Verreault, Adaline, Daniel Wesley
Daniel Wesley
- External links :* official site* at CBC Radio 3* Fitzgerald, Nicole. "", Pique Newsmagazine, 11 October 2007.*...
, Shane Turner and Jets Overhead
Jets Overhead
Jets Overhead are a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 2003 and based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.-Formation and debut:Singer Adam Kittredge conceived of the name Jets Overhead while observing air traffic patterns in London, England...
in a cover of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
’s I Shall Be Released.
Jim Byrnes was quoted at the time as saying: “The theme of the song fits so well with the mandate VAMS lives by: music truly sets you free. We are all prisoners in some way. We have a physical disability or a mental disability or we’re afraid of something in our lives; but I think this project is an opportunity to show how this music, that we love so much, is a way to set us all free and allows us to be a part of the world that surrounds us.”
The video, shot on location around Vancouver, BC, can be seen on the VAMS website.
VAMS released a 15-track compilation CD, Strait Goods, in 2008.
History
VAMS was co-founded in 1988 by Vancouver, BC, musicians, Sam SullivanSam Sullivan
Sam Sullivan, CM served as the 38th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and has been invested as a Member of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian award...
and Dave Symington.
Both are quadriplegic. Sam, who played keyboards, and Dave, a drummer, wanted to tackle the barriers faced by musicians such as themselves – issues they had not come across before they became disabled as a result of sporting injuries.
Both musicians formed a band around this time, Spinal Chord, with guitarist Don Alder and bassist John Shepp which used music as a vehicle for raising awareness of disability issues. The band split in the mid-90s.
Affiliated societies
The Sam Sullivan Disability FoundationSam Sullivan Disability Foundation
The Sam Sullivan Disability Foundation, which is based in Vancouver, Canada, administers six affiliated societies that provide services for people with physical disabilities.- History :...
comprises six affiliated societies:
- British Columbia Mobility Opportunities SocietyBritish Columbia Mobility Opportunities SocietyBritish Columbia Mobility Opportunities Society is a not-for-profit organization that enables people with disabilities in Vancouver, Canada, to explore the outdoors. Activities include hiking and gliding.-Activities:...
- ConnecTraConnecTraConnecTra is a not-for-profit organization that provides socialization, community-based and employment-related services for people with physical disabilities in Vancouver, Canada.-History:...
- Disabled Independent Gardeners Association
- Disabled Sailing Association of British ColumbiaDisabled Sailing Association of British ColumbiaThe Disabled Sailing Association of British Columbia is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that enables people with disabilities to take part in a sport it promotes as “accessible and inclusive.” It is located in Vancouver, BC, and has affiliated branches in Victoria, Chemainus and...
- Tetra Society of North AmericaTetra Society of North AmericaTetra Society of North America is a not-for-profit organization that provides volunteer engineers across Canada and the US to design and construct custom assistive devices for people with disabilities.-History:...
- Vancouver Adapted Music Society