Vintage Flight

Avalon Bridger has a lot to be excited about.

Ashen Blue recently opened for acclaimed "Guitar Woman" Sue Foley at The Boathouse, where Foley took the time to chat with singer-songwriter Bridger after the show.

They band also won the 2017 Grand River Blues Society Youth Legacy Challenge. That means a paid gig playing Saturday noon's opening Blues Festival slot following in the footsteps of Blues Camp alumni like Joshua David and Johanna Pavia.

Another winner's perk is an original song recorded, produced and added to the 2017 TD Kitchener Blues Festival CD.

And if that's not enough, Ashen Blue has officially switched their name to Vintage Flight just in time for the Saturday showcase.

Bridger's also thrilled to be heading back to the Grand River Blues Camp for her third year, where she will play the bass.

"I am also singing of course," said Bridger, merrily adding that she has been playing bass for a year and a half, in addition to guitar.

"At our school music class I originally picked alto saxophone," she said. "But then afterwards they asked if there was anyone that wanted to play bass, and I said, 'cool I'll play bass.' I have loved it ever since," she notes, adding she's been taking bass lessons from veteran player Robert Reid, and guitar lessons from musician Jay Leonard of The Gaes, and Romeo Sex Fighter.

The other members of Vintage Flight include guitarist Jake Shepherd (also taking lessons with Reid) and drummer Quinlan Missikowski. Missikowski or "Q," who Bridger met at School of Rock and then again at Blues Camp, now hones his student's chops with award-winning drummer Jimmy Boudreau.

"(Blues Camp graduate) Braydon Kains started with us in February," says Bridger. "We really like to do a lot of hard bass stuff in the band and he did everything we threw in really fast. He goes to university for computer science and does a bunch of solo stuff as a guitarist around K-W," said Bridger, adding that Jake Shepherd will also be taking computer science in the fall. "It's close so Jake is staying with the band," she adds. - The Record

Twelve-year-old singer/songwriter Avalon Bridger says her unusual name is based on the mythical tale of King Arthur. Avalon is a magical, idyllic place perhaps a little like the place that Bridger goes to when she writes music.

She admits she's shy and music is a way for her to connect with people. But onstage this young performer is a dynamo in the making, wowing audiences, belting out rock and blues like a performer far beyond her years.

Bridger, who has a younger brother, Lochlan, 9, and a sister, Quinn, 5, says music has always been in her life. That's thanks to her mother, singer Tara Bridger who played in a few local bands including Several Fell Swoops, and Bridger's dad who is also an avid music fan.

"I think I started out listening to pop," she says. "But it was only when I got involved with (live performance/songwriting camp) School of Rock (run by Cynthia Sundberg and husband Rick Endrulat) that I actually started listening to more rock," says Bridger, now in her third year. "My dad was always into rock so I started listening to his rock music then too and I just got it," she says, preferring 1960s and 1980s music citing her favourite artists as Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and especially Led Zeppelin.

One fateful day Tara Bridger thought her daughter might also like to try the Grand River Blues Camp. Her School of Rock pal, bassist Dalton Durham from their current band Ashen Blue (named after a The Doors "Roadhouse Blues" lyric), was also enrolled.

"We had to get special permission for her to attend Blues Camp last year because she was only 11," adds Tara Bridger with a laugh.

"I did not really know anyone else so I was quiet and a little lonely the first day," recalls Avalon. "I guess I started to know people around the third day and that was halfway though the week," she says, adding that her teachers were Cheryl Lescom, and Alana Leonard for the vocal classes. "As soon as I did the Blues Camp, I started listening to more blues," she adds with a smile.

Bridger has already played many music events around the area including TD Kitchener Blues Festival, Big Music Fest, KW Arts Awards, Rock & Rumble, and New Year's Eve at Kitchener City Hall, as well as many local blues jams and charity events. ‎She has shared stages with locally based music professionals Cheryl Lescom, Alana Leonard, Miss Angel, Charity Brown, Chris Latta, John Lee, Don Featherstone, John McKinley, Mike McDonald, plus (McDonald's Monster Jam) guest drummer Randall Coryell (Tom Cochrane) and Blues Camp alumni Joshua David.

For Grand River Blues Society Youth Legacy Challenge, Ashen Blue including Bridger, vocals; Jake Shepherd, 16, guitar; Dalton Durham, 17, bass; and Peter Daginis, 17, drums, will perform original song "Easier That Way." They will also play several rock and blues classics including The Doors ("Roadhouse Blues"), Cream ("Sunshine of Your Love"), Big Sugar ("I'm a Ram"), Black Crowes ("Hard to Handle") and Led Zeppelin ("The Lemon Song").

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The winning band's song will be recorded, produced and added to the 2016 TD Kitchener Blues Festival CD. The winner will also score the opening spot for Saturday's (Blues Festival) concert on the main stage like fellow Blues Camp alumni, Joshua David, Braydon Kains, and Johanna Pavia.

"When Avalon started performing it was a big surprise to us," says her mother. "She had been exposed to music in the house with me when she was growing up. But when we first went to see her perform, we expected her to get up and sing like a 10-year-old girl. But she sang like an old soul. It was amazing. People are usually shocked just as we were shocked," says Tara Bridger softly.

Avalon Bridger's dream is to pursue a full-time career in music. "I have been playing music for two years now. I just love it!" she says with a huge smile. - Kitchener Waterloo Record