Bryce Lewis, Saskatchewan Country Guitar - Part III
III. The Vultures Den and an on'ry old neighbour
We arrived with twelve post dated cheques and an equally contributed damage deposit. Bryce, our drummer Steve and I were all without the stability of a home-base having spent the last couple years promoting our album "Jasper". The live recording captured our tightness as a band over a two night stay at the Royal Canadian Legion in Jasper, Alberta but quickly became a dated representation. We were becoming increasingly tighter and if stages, hotels, and the van didn't provide enough opportunity to strengthen us, a collective living space was our next pursuit.
The small bungalow on a neighbourly crescent in Regina's Albert Park was ideal. We looked past a large dark stain on the living room hardwood floor and began the process of moving in. The basement's vintage wood paneling offered a retro aesthetic aligning with our brand of throwback country music. We plotted out our collective rehearsal stations and dubbed the space The Vulture's Den.
As we moved our belongings into the main floor bedrooms, Bryce called us into his. Omitted from the showing, the backside of his door was a shredded mess. Claw marks as one would suppose on the gates of Hell. The simple act of closing the door would loosen fibres. The room clearly housed the torment of a savaged animal. In true fashion, Bryce laughed it off and unpacked his contents.
We couldn't ask for a better neighbour. Defensive end for the beloved Roughriders, David Lee. #91 welcomed us to the neighbourhood and was inquisitive with our line of work. We shared tools and know-how. Across the street was a contrasting attitude, untrusting and miserable. Regardless of our attempts to befriend, we were given the silent treatment with an obsessive surveillance.
But, like the interior to Bryce's bedroom door, we chose to ignore whatever narrative preceded us.
The passive harassment was accumulative. I would return home from a week or two on the road to parking tickets, my vehicle clearly reported for being on the street. When it would snow, the neighbourly offering of blowing out driveways and sidewalks would have us denied, disengaging to only pack down the snow and pick up past our property. I crossed the street to offer and olive branch. It was rejected.
"What's his deal?" we asked David.
"It doesn't help that the SWAT team kicked in your door before you moved in," he replied.
It wasn't hard to recover details.
Three charged with trafficking cocaine.
"An investigation by the Regina Police Service, including members of the Regina Integrated Drug Enforcement Street Team (RIDEST) led to the execution of Controlled Drug and Substances Act (CDSA) search warrants on Wednesday, October 1, 2014...
"...Seized in the searches was approximately $6700 in currency, over 3 grams of marihuana, and cocaine with an approximate street value of $13,500, as well as drug paraphernalia and cell phones."
They shot the dog upon entry.
That explained the stain on the floor.
Howdy Readers,
As always, I sure appreciate you taking the time to read and/or listen to these entries. It’s been quite enjoyable writing about Bryce and the time that we’ve spent together over the years.
Bryce’s guitar-slinging is all over the upcoming album (not to mention, one sick-ass bass-fuzz solo with a beer bottle). The vinyl is currently in production and I’m diligently working away at creating promotional content with little jack films. All of this is funded by Substack subscriptions. A mighty thank you to all those that have upgraded from the free subscription to the yearly paid - if you are able to and haven’t yet, please consider doing so. I’ll be in touch and make sure that the new record makes its way in your direction.
Thanks again, crew -
BB