Mr.Vein
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Mr.Vein

Band Rock Cover Band

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"Access 2 Amsterdam: Overload"

I stopped in at Amuse for a set by Mr. Vein. This band came all the way from White Horse, Yukon Territory to be a part of A2A. I have to admire the initiative of this band and fellow Yukon rockers Say No More for making the journey. I've been through White Horse and was amazed that bands from such a remote and isolated spot would be shooting for international recognition. Mr. Vein's sound was a curious blend of Elvis Costello styled pop songs with Eddie Van Halen guitar licks.

- Bob Pomeroy


"The day the music revived"

Seven years after alcohol and drugs knocked out Mr. Vein, the Whitehorse rockers are playing a reunion show.

The music is still hard driving ‘90s hair metal with crowd pleasers like Kiss My Heart and Bad Reputation, but the boys have changed.

Married, with kids and government jobs, the rockers aren’t quite as wild anymore.

And neither is the local music scene.

“It’s not like it used to be with rock and party bands—it’s more folksy,” said frontman Tim Naylor.

When Mr. Vein formed in ‘99, the hard rockers played five to six nights a week and even had lineups on Monday, said Naylor.

“Back then, the audience was different,” said drummer Dan Dunphy.

“There was live music somewhere in Whitehorse every night and a lot of people came to see a band perform.

“Now it’s just come to the bar, get drunk and get laid,” said Naylor.

Naylor, Dunphy and guitarist Tom Inglis got together to play an Atlin gig after Naylor double-booked Love Rhino, the band he was in at the time.

Inglis and Naylor had been jamming together already, but when they tried to cobble a group together to make up for the double booking, they realized they were short a drummer.

“We found Dan the night before the gig at the Capitol, and basically just poured him down the street and into the vehicle,” said Naylor.

With only one night to practise the boys were pretty green, but when Dunphy stepped off the stage and took a drum solo at the Atlin Inn tapping on glasses and chairs all around the bar, the crowd was in the palm of their hand.

“Before we even finished our set they asked us to stay another night,” said Inglis.

The band was playing top 40 hits, and took any gig thrown its way, including Thunder on Ice—an outside show on Marsh Lake in the middle of winter.

“It was minus 20,” said Dunphy

“It was brutal and horrible, but we were just looking to play,” added Inglis.

Mr. Vein also played Faro’s Farrago festival and played regularly at the KK and the Capitol.

“When we started there used to be 10 bars to play in,” said Naylor.

“Now there’re two.”

Mr. Vein started writing original tunes and, six months after forming, the musicians recorded an album at Laurie Malo’s Rainbow Studio.

“We paid for it all ourselves,” said Naylor.

“We had 100 songs and we got it down to 10 for the CD.”

Kiss My Heart kicks off the CD with Naylor belting out, “You’re blocking my door, I don’t love you anymore,” in a voice reminiscent of Axel Rose.

The album, called No Big Deal, ended up landing Mr. Vein a gig in Amsterdam, but Dunphy missed the show.

“I went to Las Vegas,” he said.

“I needed to get out of town and see something else. I was under the impression there was a big career in music waiting for me somewhere other than here.”

Drummer Neil Byblow filled in for the Amsterdam gig, but Mr. Vein had already started falling apart.

“We were having a lot of fun, and were having a hard time balancing our personal lives with our work lives—we needed a break,” said Naylor.

The band broke up in 2002.

Dunphy and Naylor stayed in the Yukon, and Inglis headed south.

Naylor drives heavy machinery for Highways in Destruction Bay.

“The next step is politics, that’s the way it goes here in the Yukon,” he said with a laugh.

Dunphy works at motor vehicles and while they occasionally saw one another, neither of them had talked to Inglis for years.

Then, nine months ago, Naylor got a call.

Byblow wanted to see Mr. Vein play a reunion show in Whitehorse.

“He kept asking,” said Naylor.

With the help of the internet, they found Inglis—working at Canadian Tire and raising his family in Milton, Ontario.

They set up a three-way call.

“We hadn’t talked to Tom in seven years,” said Dunphy.

“It was so good to hear his voice—I got all giddy.”

Inglis, who’s ticket was covered by Mr. Vein sponsors, agreed to fly back for the show

“I didn’t realize how much I miss this place,” he said, setting up the stage at Coasters on Wednesday afternoon.

“And I haven’t even seen that many people yet.”

One fan, flying up to Whitehorse for a wedding, changed his ticket to a week earlier in order to catch the Mr. Vein reunion show.

“We say it’s No Big Deal,” said Naylor, referencing the album. “But it is to us.”

Inglis stopped playing in bands after he moved to Ontario.

“It didn’t matter who I worked with, it just wasn’t the same,” he said.

“I’ve played with a lot of different people,” added Dunphy.

“But I haven’t found anything that fits like Mr. Vein does.”

The bandmates still love their originals, but musical tastes have changed.

“There will be lots of faces from the Mr. Vein days,” said Dunphy.

“But it will be interesting to see what the next generation of kids think of our tunes.”

“I believe in the music,” said Inglis. “I think it will live forever.”

Madly rehearsing since Monday, when Inglis flew in, the hard rockers might even have a new song for their pati - Yukon News - Whitehorse, Yukon


"MR. VEIN 'NO BIG DEAL' (INDEPENDENT"

MR. VEIN 'NO BIG DEAL' (INDEPENDENT)
MR. VEIN is a Canadian band and their debut 'No big deal' is a nice melodic poprock record. Actually the band has an own style that has 80s influences, but on the other hand it just sounds like MR. VEIN! Anyway, the first couple of songs are also the best tracks, namely the uptempo melodic poprockers "Kiss my heart", "Giving all up" and "Trying to get by". These songs remind me of THE OUTFIELD and LITTLE AMERICA.
(Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) - Strutter Magazine


Discography

"Years For Strangers"Single : CKRW FM 96.1 "The Rush"
"Crazy" Single: CKRW FM 96.1 "The Rush"
Streaming: "Fire" online "Radio RNR"

Photos

Bio

"With one of the freshest and powerful sounds in the North, Mr. Vein is sure to take the country and someday the world by storm. Mixing equal parts of energy, fun, harmony, adrenaline and heart. Mr. Vein is an experience that everyone will enjoy."

John Layman - Frostbite Festival

"The response to Mr. Vein by our listenership has been huge. The number of requests for "Years for Strangers" is often greater than songs charting in the top ten!"

Keith Ellert - Morning show host, 96.1 FM CKRW "The Rush"

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From the north, comes an avalanche of rock and roll! A hot sound from one of the last untapped frontiers of Canadian music, the Yukon. MR. VEIN's debut CD "No Big Deal", is filled with infectious grooves, great licks, driving rhythms, and vocals that range from soothing to haunting.

Lead by Years For Strangers, Mr. Vein is receiving play at several stations across the north, fitting ROCK, CHR, AND HOT AC formats. Hot on its heels is the second single Crazy, making a huge splash with a uniqueness that defies you to keep it out of your head! The marriage between old school and modern rock, mixed with a fresh flavour, gives this debut a great potential for going several cuts deep.

MR.VEIN IS:

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TOM INGLIS - Guitar - "last of the great smokers" In some strange experiment combining DNA from Keith Richards and Edward Van Halen, Tom was born. A great head start to a life long love affair with his axe. Tom has played professionally for over 15 years, toured from coast to coast, and spent a year at the Guitar Institute of Technology. There are two types of guitarists, those who play, and those who plug a jack cord into an artery and let their life blood of music flow through. Tom goes through a lot of band-aids.

TIM NAYLOR - Bass / Vocals - "a towering force of bass" Without a doubt, Tim is one of the most remarkable singers to hit the music scene in recent memory. With a set of pipes that seem to tap into the roots of the mountains from which he hails, his vocal stylings span from a young and restless Elvis, to the Righteous Brothers, with the depth and intensity of Jim Morrison. This is not a voice you can mistake. With the bass around his neck right up front with the rest of him, Tim helps power the driving sounds of Mr. Vein. Playing since he was 4, Tim's been playing professionally for 15 years. He's also an accomplished guitarist and drummer. Every other instrument in the world he just plays well.

DAN DUNPHY - Drums - "the good-looking one" Growing up with the channel stuck on MuchMusic and the kitchen cupboards for a toy box, Dan's childhood friends were the pots, pans, and tupperware. It should be no surprise that Dan loves his drums the way he does. Whatever this may cost Dan in therapy, it's a windfall to the band. His steady beat, and unrivaled rhythm is the backbone for Mr. Vein.