SUE MALCOLM & THE SWINGIN' DOORS - These six Vancouver roots veterans serve up a menu of sizzling hot western swing. This distinctive style of music is a gumbo of country, swing, jazz and blues, featuring the sounds of fiddle and steel guitar. Western swing is dance music, so let's party!
SUE MALCOLM - vocals, guitar Sue has performed bluegrass, country, old-time, western swing and children's music for many years, and is enjoying the opportunity to stretch out and include more western swing in her repertoire. A founding member of Vancouver's Pacific Bluegrass and Heritage Society in 1980, Sue has been leading beginner bluegrass jams since 1995 at many venues in BC, Alberta, Washington and Oregon. She has helped scores of adult students get started with music making, through classes at the Trout Lake Community Centre, the BC Bluegrass Workshop, the Georgia Strait Guitar Workshop and other classes and workshops.
DON FRASER - lap steel, vocals Don's abilities run the gamut from country and bluegrass to swing and Gypsy jazz. As part of the duo 'Swingamajig', with son Michael, Don performed at jazz festivals around North America and Europe. Don has won numerous awards including first place at the Western Canada Guitar Championship. He is well respected in Western Canada as a teacher, performer and arranger, and has been a regular instructor at the Georgia Strait Guitar Workshop, the Moveable Music School, BC Bluegrass Workshop and Vancouver Island Guitar Workshop.
RUEBEN GURR - guitar, vocals Rueben Gurr has been a guitarist/ vocalist/producer/instructor/ band leader in the local scene since the 70s, a CapU music instructor for most of that time. In pre-pandemic times, he was producing records for local singers, holding monthly workshops, and teaching at local music camps. Rueben has several records out of his own compositions, latest one out just before the plague hit.
DOUG THORDARSON - fiddle, vocals Growing up in a musical family on a farm in Manitoba, Doug's dad was a fiddler, and brother Philip played the piano. After some classical studies in Victoria, he moved to Vancouver and joined Michael Dunn's Gypsy jazz group the Kitsilano Kat Kickers. Doug is a long-time violin and viola player in the Vancouver roots music scene. He has played with countless roots, country, western swing and gypsy jazz bands.
STU MacDONALD - bass, vocals Before becoming a roots bassist, Stu was well known in the Vancouver music scene as a member of such bands as Crawfish Fiesta, Helen Gone and The Beverly Brothers. Making good use of his razor-sharp wit, Stu has made it his mission to revive the role of the bassist-comedian so popular with early bluegrass and country bands. He also sings on occasion.
PHIL BELANGER - drums Phil has had a long and eventful journey as a musician. With the powerful pull of the Beatles, the British invasion, Motown, and a good deal of AM radio in the 1960’s - he felt no choice but to pick up the sticks and become a drummer. After a lot of gigs in legions, bars and clubs, he enrolled at UBC, studying classical music - both percussion and guitar. After that - it was on to jazz, Cuban, Brazilian and various world music traditions, while never losing sight of his musical roots.
