Every one is talking about it so we should too! It is that time of year that we all feel winding down with Christmas right around the corner and a New Year before us. Here's a little look back from our perspective with Engage.
2024
It was another year of change for Engage as we seen member exit and new members coming in. New songs had been written and we were in between bass players for the new album. After much thought, we asked Rick's long time friend and bassist, Peter Sisk, to help us with bass tracks on the new music. Peter did a wonderful job filling in while we settled on a permanent bass player. Enter Vernon Daigle! He was right under Rick and I's noses all along. The story is interesting on how we discovered him, or maybe he discovered us! The previous year, Rick and I played duets at the gazeboo in Minto, NB., and Vernon happened to be passing by a couple of times. Rick chatted with him while we tore down the equipment. I thought I hear him mention that he plays bass but only in jams in his friends garage. Fast forward almost 8 months, and I was reconsidering what we should be doing in the future. We already had Greg Mansfield join us as our drummer and I didn't want to let him down. So I told Rick I was going to have a nap and forget about everything for a while. I barely was laying down and had shut my eyes before I popped back up and said to Rick, “ Who was that guy at the gazeboo? didn't you say he friend requested you last year? ” Rick thought for a moment and he said he thought his name was Vernon and that yes he was on his friends list. Without even hearing Vernon play, I told Rick to contact him and he did. Vernon excepted when he was assured by us that our family lives come first. We have been having a blast ever since. Vernon is the jokester in the band and is also very intelligent to work with. On top of that, Greg and Vernon have molded together as a perfect beat together.
We spent quite a bit of time in Nova Scotia with our semi retired drummer Larry Steele, playing gigs and just soaking up the good vibes. Larry was on our first album with us. Sadly because of the distance between where we are located and where Larry is located it didn't make it feasible to be a fulltime group. Larry is an honorary member and we play with him every chance we get. We are actually hoping to put on a show where both Larry and Greg are on the stage together. Wouldn't that just be so cool!!
Now that the year is winding up, we can look back at what a fantastic year we have had. Yes, there were alot of quick changes, but we were able to launch our Canada wide campaign under the helm of Eric Alper and we will be working with him again with this new album release by spring. We love what we do, and we love who we are working with on all levels. We pray that you all have a safe rest of this outgoing year, and wish you blessings and prosperity in the year to come. If you see us playing anywhere, spread the word and come out to a show or a dance. We are thankful for each one of you who takes the time to support our music any way you are able.
