ep5 Cris Derksen does her job

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Cris Derksen is a career artist,a career musician, as in she has
made a career for herself asboth an artist and musician.
And maybe those don't needdistinction, but Cris Derksen
says she is just doing her job.
And maybe that won't strike youas odd, but I have a lot of

(00:20):
career artist friends whodefinitely don't refer to it as
just doing their job.
Not in the same sense as if theywent to work every day as an ER
nurse or construction workerdoing their job.
But that's definitely how Crisdelivered it.
Cris Derksen is a two spirit,Juno nominated artist from

(00:41):
Treaty 8 Territory in NorthernAlberta.
The credentials are too long formy typical intro.
Known for a truly unique andblended style, she brings
classical music and traditionalindigenous music together.
Making it with her signatureelectronic fused cello playing
and composition.

(01:01):
She is an original artist withthe groundbreaking orchestral
powwow as part of her personaldiscography, as well as a sought
after composer and performerfrom the chamber orchestras and
symphonies across Canada toCarnegie Hall, all just part of
the job.
My name is Glenn Erickson.

(01:22):
This is Almost Famous Enough.
Thank you for spending your timewith us.
This is Cris Derksen.

Glen Erickson (01:46):
Uh, thank you, by the way.
Um,

cris derksen (01:48):
Yeah, I'm Yeah.

Um, so it's been a while since you and I have
talked.
we have our own unique versionof history together, which I'm
sure we're going to like crosspaths on our conversation about,
but, um, yeah, I don't thinkI've seen you since the love is
a battlefield, shows that we're.
Touring around here, I think was2021, uh, maybe.

(02:14):
So.
You in my history, I think ofyou as hailing from Edmonton,
although your history is moreobviously tied to, uh, northern
Alberta, right?
And, um, your Treaty 8 heritage.
So, um, have you, do you get tocome back here very often?
Is your mom, Lisa, still inEdmonton?

Yeah, she's in Sherwood Park.

Okay.
Yeah.
Diving into it.
I'm really interested, Cris injust digging into your own
story, right?
The whole arc of your journeyas, uh, as an artist and an
artist reflecting the person youare and who you've become and
Um, I think the unique parts ofyour artistry and how those
opportunities showed up wouldbe, I think really interesting

(03:00):
and educational for other peoplewho are looking at that.
It's not the typical, even forme, the typical that I have most
of my history with are, youknow, Bands and people hitting
the road and playing bars backand forth and, uh, version of
musicianship and you've sort oftaken a blended approach in your

(03:21):
career.
And I think blended is maybe abit of a theme for you.
Right?
So, I mean, going all the wayback, you just.
Talked about, know, your momhaving this really strong
Mennonite, background.
If anybody listening doesn'tknow what that means, it's, it's
very homesteady.

It's like, my grandparents were so strict,
like, Oh, it's called anymidnight.
It's so strict.
It's kind of like the Amish.
Um, that's like the easiest wayto describe it.
Um, and

Without the colonization picture that I
think a lot of people have fromthe American Amish.
Teenagers going wild televisionshows that you see now, right,
but still a very, very, verytraditional community based,
like, violating of the communitywas essentially like violating a

(04:07):
A law of God kind of thing.
So they just, there was thattightly considered and like
lives in breeze out of SouthernManitoba seems to be the
heartbed of where all of this,and then they spread out across,
uh, the country.
But, so what's interesting to meis like, so you have.
a mother who has come out ofthis very strong obviously like

(04:31):
Caucasian mother of I'm suresome maybe German descent is an
easy assumption if it'sMennonite.
Uh, as far as like Canadiansalways seem to have to reference
which Part of some continent ofCanada we came from since we all
showed up here.
And, and, um, but then you haveyour, your father's side as

(04:53):
well.
And I'm, uh, I'm curious becausethis is, is gonna play into the
blend of who you are, which isamazing.
And, uh, I, I'm sort of curiousabout where did that start?
Like how did they.
Uh, meet, did they get together?
And my story knowing you wasonly as the child of a single
parent, right?
So I never met your father.
So I don't know how he playsinto the so much.

(05:16):
I'm wondering if you could giveme a little bit of that
background.

Yeah, so my dad is a Cree, uh, he comes from North
Talcrete Reserve.
Uh, he comes from like a line ofchiefs.
So, um, so my grandfather'schief, my great great
grandfather's chief, there washereditary chiefs and now
they're voted in.
So, uh, currently my Dad is notchief, but my uncle Frank is
chief.
So it still seems to be like abit of a family business.

(05:41):
Um, I didn't grow up on the res.
Uh, I grew up mostly inEdmonton.
Um, and I would spend my summersand winters up, uh, up visiting
both sides of the family.
And they're so dichotomous, likethey're so opposite from each
other.
Um, I grew up like when I wasfive, we're getting into some
music things.
When I was five, my mom, uh, shegave up her car funds.

(06:06):
Cause when I was three, I toldmy mom I wanted to play the
flute.
And so my mom knew enough thatshe was like, no, she needs a
piano.
Piano is a basic.
So she gave up her car fund toget me a piano.
And at that, that time she alsogave up our TV.
Um, so I grew up without a TVand.
It was like going to the res,um, I remember like so vividly,

(06:28):
like watching Harry and theHendersons for the first time.
And when the, like theSasquatchy guy, like, like jumps
in front of the car, I jumped sohigh.
Cause I like, didn't have a TV.
Then I didn't watch TV.
I didn't know how to watch TV.

You weren't desensitized from jump scares in

Exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I was,

even though it was a comedy, not a horror.

yeah.
Um, and then, so like, So fromthis kind of really
contemporary, like, like verymodern kind of life with on the
res, and then going to visit mygrandparents, um, on the other
side and in which I had to wearthe dresses that they make with
the puffy sleeves.
And like, there's absolutely noTV and like no radio really.

(07:15):
Like it was, uh, They didn'thave running water until I was
like seven up there.
They're really, it's reallylike, um, kind of like living in
the past.
And so going between the twocommunities was super
dichotomous and super weird.
And like, also very differentfrom my city life too.

(07:35):
Um, so

was, was that causing, I guess I'm curious
what that was sort of creatingin you.
in you as those years start,probably you start approaching
towards your adolescence andthen, you know, forming a lot
more self identity.
I'm curious what that sort ofdichotomous upbringing was
creating in you.

yeah.
Okay.
I think we have to get a littlebit deeper too.
Um, on my gram.
Parent's side.
So, um, and this plays, oh,sorry about that.
This plays into the music a lot.
So I, I get questioned a lotbeing like, where's your
Mennonite side of, of yourmusic?
And, uh, to be honest, the OldColony Mennonites, they didn't

(08:17):
have music.
Like that was not part of whatthey did.
So, Yeah,

and music making?
Or are you just like

also like, um, in church, like the men on one
side, women on the other, uh,they would like, it would kind
of be like these chanty things,but here's the thing.
There's no, it was not writtendown.
There's no notes on a page forthem.
It would just like, whoever wasthe leader of the day would
start on a tone and everyonewould find that tone.

(08:48):
And then he'd like, recitewhatever poetry thing.
Um, and, and the audience likefollows him, but like,

response kind of?

but it was like, um, not even like, they would
like follow the notes.
So when he would change notes,everyone would change notes so
much later that it was justlike, chaos and very hard for my
poor little brain to understand.
And then on top of that, we, sowe have this like very
uncomfortable, you're like twoby fours, women on one side, men

(09:20):
on the other.
Like, it's not, not an idealsituation for an eight year old.
And then this terrible, terriblemusic.
Um, but also here's the kickeris that my grandmother was so,
so, so racist, uh, againstindigenous people.
Um, So when I was born and mymom phoned home to be like,

(09:40):
you're a grandparent.
I'm the eldest cousin.
Uh, My grandma didn't ask if Iwas a boy or a girl.
They asked if uh, if I was redor white.
Um, and my mom said red and sothen was immediately
excommunicated.
So there's like this This racismthat I grew up with, um, against

(10:03):
me, um, is definitely does playinto how I steer my music and
how I steer, um, you know, Ialways do say I'm half Cree and
half Mennonite, and I think, andI like to call myself a
Creenonite, it's a cute littlejoke, and I always do.
I am like, I am half and halfand I do need to, I do need to

(10:25):
represent half and half, but,uh, I'm not going to bring up a
lot of these intense stories toa regular audience.
Cause that's a lot, that's a lotfor regular people to
understand.
Um, so, uh, a lot of myperception and a lot of my music
work making comes from theindigenous perspective.

(10:46):
Um,

Um, uh, okay, well, I'm not afraid of the
intense stories, uh, or howeverthey play into making you who
you are in that Yeah, I thinkthat there's a lot of interest
to me and how somebody getsformed out of both sides and,
uh, interesting to hear youspeak sort of with a respect and
a reverence of wanting toinclude both of that heritage

(11:11):
into who you are right now.
I mean, uh, that this is alsothe end of the 80s, like 80s
into the, into the 90s, uh, we,we loosely use this term that
was a different time then itprobably gets used too much in
a, passive way that shouldn't beused to, to get out of

(11:32):
uncomfortable conversations, butit was so drastically, you know.
different, right?
In that, in that I have toremind myself when I feel
shocked that someone was stillusing colors to talk about race,

Mm hmm.

That I had to remind myself how common still
was only that that long ago inour human history, uh, in this
part of the world.
Right?
So, um, yeah, I find that alittle bit shocking, but, uh, at
the same time, I have to remindmyself what it was like.
So, I guess the part I'm reallyinterested in still is, how was

(12:09):
that sort of shaping?
This like young person inEdmonton you know, where you're
a child.
Okay.
Let me just put it this way.
a single parent household, allthose disadvantages that you're
already having to deal with justin that sort of domestic
situation.
Right?
And then what most people mightnot see is how much you're

(12:32):
wrestling with two verydifferent.
opposite senses of heritage andfamily

Hello, everyone.

that was, I think, very prevalent, uh, still
in the

Silence.

what that was like for you.

I mean, I always, it was always just a part of it.
It was always just a, it didn'treally feel like a struggle.
It was just like what it was.
Like, yes, I have a bad dad, butI have amazing aunties and like,
I have amazing family.
Um, so it wasn't like, um, yeah,it didn't really feel like that
to me.
Cause I was always like, I, Ialways knew who I was.

(13:39):
I guess, so you know, sometimesignorance is bliss, like

Yeah, I mean, that's a great statement, Cris,
like I met you in your teens.

yeah.

I guess right off the bat, I'll echo that I always
felt like you had a reallystrong sense of who you were
that was apparent in your, inyour teens.
And that's not a gift, uh, verymany adolescents or have.
And most of the ones I wasmeeting and working with, like,
did not have that sense.
It was, if I can be completelyhonest, it was even probably a

(14:14):
little intimidating.
Right for an adult to meet, uh,a young person who had a strong
sense of identity and, I was notin a place at that time where I
was prepared to deal with it Um,I mean, this is sort of a new
podcast for me.
I don't expect everybody to knowstory.

(14:35):
I'm not ashamed of it.
The story is not about me.
It's about you, but, um,background is I worked at a
church and I worked with teensand it was a very upper middle
class church on the west side ofEdmonton in northern Alberta,
that was built on a lot ofaffluence and I was given a lot
of freedom and opportunity.

(14:56):
And, We've only briefly evertalked about this, but, you
know, for me, like an indigenousyoung person in a single home
was not average kid in thatgroup.
Right.
And, um, I was only in my mid tolate twenties and despite how

(15:16):
cocksure and ridiculouslyarrogant I was, I, I literally
did not know what I was doing.
And, um, so that for me was.
You know, I was so blind to somany things, right?
So, uh, so hearing you talkabout that and say, like, I knew
who I was, it immediatelyconnects to me.
Cause that's, that was my senseof you at that time.

Yeah, and I think that's also like what's given me
this career is that I've alwaysknown who I am.
And I've always like had astrong, I feel like I have a
strong moral compass, but I knowthe stories that I want to tell
and, and, um, I think they'reimportant and folks want to
listen to them.
And that's really cool.
It's

when did the transition for you, if you were
very, very young, because youhad an interest, you get a piano
in your house, you're learningmusic theory.
Uh, you don't have a TV, somaybe you're not getting
inundated with pop culture.
Um, so how does the transitionto, you know, this instrument
that's carried you around theworld, the cello, when does that

(16:21):
happen for you?

Yeah, that was in grade four.
Edmonton had a public schoolstring program, so it was
completely accessible.
It was completely affordable formy single parent mother to put
me into cello.
Uh, the story is I came homewith a piece of paper saying,
does your son or daughter wantto play violin, viola, cello, or
bass?
I wanted to play the bass.
I thought the cool kids playedthe bass, but my mom's car was

(16:45):
too small.
Uh, she drove a little high endpony.
And so This is how we got stuckwith the cello.
Um, and I'm so fortunate becausethe cello just has such a giant
range and can be so manydifferent things.
And, uh, you know, it's reallyrelatable.
It's the same range as a humanvoice.
You know, I've only met oneperson.
This is, this is recently inJapan and he was like, I hate

(17:07):
the cello, but I like the wayyou play it.
And I was like, who hates thecello?
I've never heard.
Or anybody hate the cello.
So, um, yeah,

So it was pretty early on that that became your
instrument, right?
Okay.

totally.
And like in junior high and likewhen I knew you, um, like I'd be
playing along to Nirvana andlike, What was it?
Pop, like, rock, Cristian rockgroups.
I just like play along toalbums.
Um, and that was like thebeginning of me.
Uh, that was like, yeah, maybeme like exploring what I wanted

(17:47):
to do.
Um, I was like,

training, right?
Like your

totally.

of ear training,

Yeah.
Um,

adjacent to like most guitar players who end up
in bands.

totally.

same experience, right?

Yeah, totally.
And, uh, I knew that I, I knew alot of things like, like I knew
in grade 11, I went to aperforming arts school in
Edmonton, Vic, uh, and, uh, Iwas like in a class of like, you
know, a thousand wannabe actorsand I was the only cellist and I
was like, Oh, if I want to be inthe arts, um, this is the way I

(18:24):
want to go, um, to get intouniversity, uh, I had to take a
year off, uh, cause I wasn'tgood enough yet.
Because there's group lessons,right?
Um, so, uh, I didn't get privatelessons until grade 12, um,
halfway through the school year.
Um, so I took a year off anddid, uh, two lessons a week and
then got into university.

(18:44):
And again, I, Knowing who I was,I didn't want to be like a desk
musician, like an orchestramusician.
I wanted to be a rock star.
I wanted to play the folk fests.
That was like my main goal.
but I was like, I would need toplay the cello good enough to
play my own music so I can goplay, uh, the folk fest circuit.
Cause that was, you know, mygoal at the time.

(19:04):
So I come to the cello from likekind of a sideways positioning
of like not Like I loveclassical music.
I work in it now.
Uh, and it's always been a partof me, but it's also like the
classism of classical music wassomething I had a hard time with
same with our church.
Like the classism of our churchwas crazy.
so I think.

(19:25):
You know, as much as like my, Iguess like ancestry develops me.
So did the, you know, sort ofpoverty and so did like my
perception of like how folksshould be treated.

Well, I have some questions there.
I mean, there's two things I'mgoing to try to make sure I can
remember to get to them aboutyour path related to what you
just said.
So you first of all, I mean, youhave this opportunity of going
to the only performing artschool at the time and for a
long time in Edmonton, right?
So there was only oneopportunity for any student to
have that which is in a sense anadvantage, even though you're

(20:00):
right.
It was massively possiblepopulated by students, right?
Like theater kids, not as muchmusic.
Um, and that's the reason a lotof young people were going there
or asking to go there, even ifthey weren't in the area or
that, you know, but so you sortof have that advantage.
I think was what you'reidentifying.
But was there also thedisadvantage, which maybe

(20:22):
you're.
Sort of suggesting in betweenthe lines of, probably couldn't
afford to go get private lessonsthat maybe a lot of other
developing cellists ortraditional, you know,
orchestral instruments have, youknow, get on that track pretty
early, right?
For private.

Totally, totally.
It's so early, like, uh, youknow, I only taught for one
year, but the, you know, theyoungest kid was like, I think
four and like the mother.
was like, do you think this kidhas a chance?
And I'm like, they are four.
Sure.
They can do whatever they want.
There's like, what?

(21:00):
Um, so yeah, the, the, the worldis quite, the classical world is
quite strict, you know, similarto religion.
Um, I think that's up to thehuman.
I think that's

you're probably feeling a little late in some
way.
So that was one, I think, pointof interest, because what are
the, I mean, even someone, aparent asking that question, I'm
interested to know, like, whatare, when someone's training
like that, what are theopportunities?
That are ahead of them.
Like if somebody has been insome version of an instrument,

(21:32):
classically trained, from timethey're four or six or eight,
like what's the trajectory ofpossibility for them?
Or maybe you can say, what wasit then versus what it is now?

who's like behind the instrument and like where
they want to take it, you know?
Cause like, there's a bunch oftrumpet players that are amazing
jazz trumpeters.
There's like, there's, there'sso many different things you can
do within music within that onething.
So like I had to go to classicalmusic school because that's how
I got, that's how you could getthe training.

(22:09):
There wasn't, there's not reallyjazz cello schools.
I mean, there are jazz cellists,but there's not really jazz
cello schools.
Uh, and there's no like rock androll school for cello.
Um, which I probably would havetaken.
But I probably wouldn't havebeen as good, you know?
so I think like the normaltrajectory is that, yeah.
And the other thing they don'tteach you in music school is

(22:31):
business.
and they don't teach you likeabout, you know, now we hear
about branding and being yourown brand and blah, blah, blah,
but like, they don't teach youthat you just like, I've, my
hat's been my brand, you know,for the last 20 years.
And like, I took those extrabusiness courses.
I learned how to write grants.
I knew that I wanted to, where Iwanted to go and I knew that

(22:54):
that path wasn't the regularpath.
Um,

figure that out?
When did you figure out like youneeded to take courses or figure
out the business part?
Like how old, where was that inthe,

um, I did, okay, I did a couple of years at U of A,
but, um, I was not very, I was aterrible student.
I was like more of a bar star.
I didn't relate to myclassmates.
Uh, most of them still lived athome.
I was on my own by that point.
and like their parents wouldlike make their lunches and pick
them up after orchestra.

(23:23):
And I was like, what the heck?
I've been living on my own forlike two years.
So it just wasn't the rightspace for me, wasn't the right
place for me.
I wasn't in the right place.
Uh, so I took a year off and Idid Canada World Youth, um,
which brought me to Brazil andthen, uh, to Vancouver again,
and I had been spending somesummers in Vancouver and, uh, It

(23:45):
was like after Candleworld'sYouth, I was like, no, I really
want to be a cellist, and Ireally want to play the
footfest.
And, then I got into UBC, andthen I cared.
Um, but I had to like, kind ofgo through my own, um, Yeah.
My own mistakes to get to theplace of like wanting it really

(24:06):
bad.
Um, and like, yeah, I wanted itreal bad.
Like that was the only thing Iwanted.
And I couldn't for the life ofme get a damn job, like a
regular job.
so I busked for like six monthsin Vancouver, um, which is like
so hard.
Like, it's so, it's hard on thesoul.
Um, and then, But then I did getback into university.

(24:29):
I got into UBC.
And that's when I was like, Iwant to play the folk fest.
This is why I'm here.
I'm going to get it really,really good.
So I worked my ass off and gotreally, really good.

So busking paid the bills?
Like, how hard did you have to,like, how long did you have to
sit out there?
And, uh,

I mean, yeah,

of the art museum?
Is it on Granville?
Like, where's, where was thebest spot to earn the best,

yeah, the most, the most money I made, I think
it was Canada day morning.
I went to English Bay.
Um, and like.
All the old people and I justlike played Bach and played some
dirts and things and like the,the birds would all come swim
around and watch.
And I think I made like 500bucks that day, which is pretty

(25:20):
good.

pretty good.
That's a

That's a pretty good day.
And I was like, also like, thatwas like 20, what?
22, 23, 23

Yeah,

years ago.

it.

Yeah.
Yeah.
So I was like in my twenties andlike, I lived in a big punk
house and my rent was superaffordable.
and.
Yeah, it was good times.

of all of that is super punk.
I mean, you know what I mean?
Like,

Yeah.

age.

Yeah.

the age for it, which I think is fantastic and
hilarious at the same time.
So you're obviously starting toprogress through what your
options might be.
And, uh, I was curious wherethat stage and you just
identified was where you sort ofreally decided to pursue it,
whether that was happening highschool, like when I knew you,

(26:04):
but I didn't know all of thatabout your life or whether that
sort of happened, um, a littlebit later, which I think it does
for a lot of people to get tothat point where it's like,
really, when you say like, Iwant it bad enough.
I think it's important.
You hear that a lot, right?
About musicians, like you canwatch every season of American
Idol and they all seem to wantit like nothing else, but we all

(26:26):
know from experience.
Once you get into it, like, areyou willing to busk months and
do whatever you have to do?
Are you willing to sacrificeevery other thing

Yeah.

for this?
Uh, just what it takes, right?

Yeah.
And like, yeah.
The, to be a touring musicianand like, to be gone from your
family, like so, so much iswild.
Like, you know, I'd like hangingout.
I, uh, I was so lucky though.
Like, so, uh, in university, afriend, I had already played the
Vancouver Folk Fest and thisfriend who hired me for that was

(27:02):
like, Hey, Cris, who do you wantto play with next?
And I was like, Tanya Tagak, andshe's an Inuit Tutsi girl, and
my, my friend made it happen.
My friend made, brought Tanya toVancouver.
We did like a gig with a bunchof different folks.
Um, and me and Tanya caught onlike house on fire.
Um, and then I started touringwith her.

(27:23):
So like before, when I did mygrad recital, the next day I
went.
To, I came to Toronto to record,no, to Ottawa to record, uh, at
the NAC.
And then we went to Spain likethe next day.
I like, I was,

like her, like supporting her music, like
playing

yeah.

if you're okay.

Yeah.
And like, I don't know if folksknow Tanya's music at all, but
Tanya is a thousand percentonly, she only improvises.
I think I've had like, maybelike two rehearsals with her
ever in life.
Um, Uh, so it's like justcomplete improvisation and
complete like balls to the wallyou're thrown in.
Uh, you know, I learned how tolisten really good.

(28:06):
I learned a lot from Tanya.
I learned how to not tour.
I learned how to, um, I learnedhow to pay people properly.
Um, cause I was just a sidemusician and you know, it's a
struggle man to getting likethree 50, a gig and, but, and
like 50 bucks per DM orsomething.
And, but you're in Europe,right?

(28:27):
Like, so you're like, it's kindof spending as much as you're
making at that point.
Um,

Well, I think it's interesting.
You can probably shed a littlemore light on this too.
cause I think a question a lotof people will often have about
music when they hear peopletelling their story I don't know
if you've sat through, you know,like keynotes or they bring
musicians up and they getinterviewed and I'm often, my
brain is.
Going always between the linesof like, okay, so that's an

(28:55):
awesome story, but how do youget that?
Right.
So you just say like you got achance to meet Tanya who you
really wanted to and side note,Uh, I find that super impressive
because balls to the wall is agreat way to describe her
because she's fierce Like i'vealways used the word fierce

yeah.

I would be it would be intimidating Even more
so now realizing how much wouldbe Improvised that to be that
fierce improvisation is it'sjust another level.
So tagging around with that, itwould be, um, very intimidating.
Uh, your self confidence,obviously that we talked about

(29:31):
earlier, let's do a play throughin, in, you know, in your
twenties, being able to pullthat off.
But let me back that up even alittle more.
Cause you said while you're atUBC studying, you get a chance
to play.
At the Vancouver Folk Fest.
So how do you get that gig atthat age in still a very much
development phase?

(29:52):
How do you get that gig?

Um, you know, I, I'm a big believer in like
putting things out there andlike being like, I want more of
this.
Like, I don't do a five yearplan.
I find that too esoteric.
Um, but I, I am definitely like,I want to do more of that.
So like, currently my, my thingsare like, I want to write more
symphonies.
So like just putting that out inthe wall, into the world and

(30:16):
into your mind.
And it's like, kind of amazinghow that happens, how things
help for me.
Like that's really worked for meis like, knowing that I've
always wanted to do that, youknow, getting my name out there.
I also, when I was graduatingfrom university, Cirque du
Soleil came knocking at my doorand being like, Hey, do you want
to go to China to work on thiscello project?

(30:37):
Um, and I was like, that soundsnice Cirque du Soleil, but no, I
need to make my name, uh, herein Canada.
I need to make my name at homefirst.
So I, Worked on making my name,you know, you play this.

you said, no,

I said no to Cirque du Soleil.
Yeah, so I could run around withTanya

that's pretty ballsy, Cris.
That's, that's prettyincredible.

Yeah,

So,

yeah,

while you're with UBC, you end up a chair position
with the symphony in Vancouver.
So how, where, where did thatsort of happen and land?
Cause that's a prettysignificant thing

yeah,

think as well.
Right.

yeah, like I like I said, I worked my I got, I got
real good.
I wish I was that good still.
Um, but, uh, the, yeah, to getit, it was just, you know, they
have subs.
So profs will bring kids in andbring folks in that are capable
of doing the work.
Um, do you know, what'sinteresting about symphonies now
is that like, You learn thosesymphonies in university.

(31:42):
So when you are subbing in orlike symphony players in
Vancouver, they've been playingthe same music since university,
like in generally, you know,like Beethoven's ninth, like we
all played it in first year.

Yeah,

So yeah.

that makes a lot of sense.
So I guess, uh, yeah.
So part of my interest then,because what you're like, you
said, like, lately, you've beenin the classical world, it's
employing you, it's paying a lotof bills, but and I want to sort
of pull that apart a little bitas we go.
But, um, maybe this is a partof, and we're already sort of

(32:19):
Digging into the question Iasked earlier about sort of how
you get into, like, what are theoptions for people who are
classically trained?
Um, because there's a certainset of options that I think

Okay.
Okay.

I don't, I don't know what the careers are, but.
It feels like they're a lotsmaller in the of composition.

Yeah, I mean, it's a composition is a pretty
competitive field.
I think like what's the problemis, is there's.
No, there's not the same kind offunding for composition as there
is for like, it's up to theorchestra.
And so like everyone's short ondollar bills.

(33:27):
and the commissions are thefirst thing to go.
And so it's like a supercompetitive field.
It's also like pretty niche.
There's no, there's not, youknow, there's not a,

things here, right?
Like there's compositions oflike commissioned, I think.
And like, how big a part is thatin, in the world of, you know,
symphonies around the differentcities or, or just the classical
community that's obviously sodistinct from the pop or even

(33:59):
indie world, right?
So how big a part does thatplay?
Cause you've.
Like, if I read your bio listand your Wikipedia, right, like,
it's littered with things that,you know, you were either
commissioned to play or a lot ofcomposition, a lot of writing
and full transparency, like.
I'm going to try to let you namethem.

(34:20):
Uh, I'd be so embarrassed tobutcher some of the words and
the names here,

yeah.

so yeah, tell me a little bit about that world of
either commissions andcompositions in the classical
world

Um, They are, like I said, like symphony ones are
just so hard to get.
I call them a unicorn gigsbecause they, there's just not a
lot of opportunities for them.
There's just not a lot of moneyfor it.
Um, so every time I get one,it's like, I'm doing real good.

was love is about a field.
One of those.

yep.
Love is a battlefield.
I've, there's a piece calledParkdale that's just three
minutes that TSO commissioned,Rebellion, the Thunder Bay
Symphony.
That was like a collab betweenThunder Bay Symphony and, uh,
DCMF, which is, uh, the, it's ahigh school in Thunder Bay that
brings in, uh, Indigenous kids.

(35:12):
remote communities that don'thave high schools.
So it's like the fly in school.
Um, so that's like pretty,pretty rough, uh, rough and
tumble school.
And, uh, they brought me in forfour days and I hung out with
some.
Very angsty teenagers, and, andtheir guitars.
And we wrote, um, a littlesymphony piece called Rebellion.

(35:33):
It's so cute.
It's, it is like, it's soangsty.
It is so 16 year old.
Um,

Nirvana ear training came in handy for you.

totally.
And then, uh, then the big one,which is Control Burn, um,
commissioned by Yannick, andit's against, um, All right,
zits again.
Uh, and then I have a new one,TSO for 2026.
I start writing it In 25.

that's part of a question I wanted to ask there.
Without you, I'm not asking youto divulge numbers, but I think
lot of people would be curious.
So if you land one of theseunicorn pieces, how big a chunk
is that taking out of your life?
To, to, to do it, um, and howlong does it usually span and
how, I guess an easier way toput it is like how big a part of

(36:27):
what you're, for lack of abetter term, annual income or
what you pull together, wheredoes that sit?
Is that a big piece?
Is it not as big as people wouldthink?
Okay.

league of composers has, uh, uh,
recommended things.
Yeah.
they have like a recommendednumber.
So it's like about a thousandbucks a minute that you get paid
for symphony, symphony gigs, andthen it like goes down.
So like chamber music is less,it goes out.
Like how many, how many parts doyou have to write is kind of how
you get paid.
so, and.

(37:02):
You know, pieces they come forme.
The actual writing is fasterthan the concept.
I think I like spend a lot oftime being like, what am I going
to say?
What is my concept?
What is like, what am I tryingto say?
What's the story here?
I'm not, I'm not just sittingdown and, you know, making

(37:22):
things pretty.

speak speaks to artistry, right?

yeah, yeah, like, uh, and I, I need the story to
know where I'm going to go withthe piece too.
So that part takes a long time,but then like the actual sitting
down with it, it's like, thatcan be like two weeks or
something, three weeks.
if I work at it like every dayand I kind of like for that kind
of work, I do like concentratedtime on it.
So like where it's like, I, thismonth is only this, um, which is

(37:49):
like rare in my world.
Cause I'm.
I do film and, uh, documentary,I do a lot of documentaries, um,
and then like podcasts and likerandom things come up.
Um, so I'm often working on morethan one thing at once, which
can get confusing for my brain,I guess, um, to be like, where's

(38:09):
my focus?
I prefer to like work onsomething like three, like for a
month or three weeks and thenmove on.

okay.
Let me, uh, I'm going to jumpback because I like going back
and staying on a timeline.
So would I, uh, pull a couple ofthings together?
So you're great.
Finishing up at UBC, you'reactually getting your degree.
You've spent a few years inthis.
I'm all in, this is the mostimportant thing phase, but you

(38:37):
want to be a rock star, you'reputting it out there in the
universe, you're gettingopportunities like touring with
Tanya Taggart, um, and you'redeveloping your own thing.
And this is really what you'reknown for.
Right.
And, uh, What I

Okay.

training yourself to Nirvana and others.
Um, and the desire to sort ofcompose your own version,
blending electronic instruments,looping a cello, which the first
time I heard you do that.
I was so blown away.
And, and I think a lot of peoplenow should continue to go and

(39:29):
check out all your works and beblown away because they just
don't see it anywhere else inany practice.
So when did that startdeveloping?
Like when did this version ofyour own artistic expression
start to develop

Yeah, I had a roommate, Bronwyn, in university
at UBC, and she had a loopstation and I borrowed it and
never gave it back.
and it, like, I took to it like,it was so fast, it was so easy.
I could like, write my own like,symphonies by myself, I, I just,
I fully understood it.
and again, like wanting to takethe cello and myself out of this

(40:06):
like high class stuffy, rulebased world to, I wanted to
bring the cello to street levelto, you know, make it relatable.
So yeah, it was like, uh, like20 years, 20, 22 years ago, I
think when I first got my firstloop, or when I stole my first
loop station.

your first loop station?

Yeah.
And then, uh, and then the, theother pedals came pretty quick
after it.
Like I, By the time I did thatgig with Tanya, I had already
moved loop and multi effect padum, with the cello.
And that's still like my basicsetup is like the loop, the
multi effect, the multi effectpad, and then like a drum
machine or something, somepercussion.

would imagine some people would maybe ask, or
you've been asked the questionof whether like just the desire
to use that sort of technicalequipment to sort of just,
expand what you could create.
Was the complete sort of modusoperandi or was there any
influence of electronic music,which uses these tools,

(41:12):
obviously, was there any of thatcoming in or were the tools just
a part of, um, An ends to ameans or means to an end.
I should say.

Yeah.
I mean, there's a, there's a fewfolks like Joran, she's Quebec,
uh, cellist.
She was using some stuff, uh, onthe cello that I really liked.
And then, you know,Apoctalyptica is like, they're
like a heavy metal cello band,uh, that were influential.
And then, but, uh, It was likeme just finding the things and

(41:44):
then finding people afterwards.
So like, I, I was alreadylooping and then I, you know,
heard about Owen Pellett and,uh, Final Fantasy at the time.
And like,

Yeah.

yeah.
Uh, so it was like, I wasalready doing it and then I was
seeking out other folks thatwere also doing it, I guess.
Um, but I, I now famously do notlisten to music, uh, anymore.
Cause it's like, you know, mynine to five.
Um, is

Yeah.
I mean, that's pretty common,right?
So, well, let me just before Ijump back to something else,
just sidebar that comment.
I think that's an interestingcomment that people would be
curious about, where.
Your inspirations now come from.
I think it's very common.
All of us, regardless of whichdiscipline in music, you know,
our teens to our twenties, we'retrying to recreate everything

(42:37):
that meant something so deeplyand passionately to us.
Right.
And we just want to, we wantnothing more than two things to
recreate one of those things andmake somebody else feel it.
The way we felt it.
Right.
And we want to be kind of partof the fabric of

mm-hmm

that were big stars to us were.
Well, now.
So now you're Cris Derksen, youknow, 20 years later, who's part
of the fabric.
So what, what's inspiring youinfluencing if you're not
listening to music the same way,which is completely normal.
I

I always look at it as like, I am a jeweler.
Like, um, so I take little bitsand pieces of, of things I like.
I like.
It's impossible not to listen tomusic, you know, it's impossible
to close our ears.
So, you know, my wife listens tolots of music and I therefore
listen to whatever she islistening to.

(43:31):
Um, and I just try to not getoverly influenced, but, I'll
take little bits and pieces of,of sounds that I like and blend
it together to make my ownbracelet.
You know, it's like, I, OftenI'm like, it's like braiding for
me, like braiding the past andthe present and the future
together.
braiding things that I like intothe work that I'm doing.

(43:54):
bringing in my indigenousheritage along with like the
classical training, but adding alittle bit of hip hop beats.
Cause I like the 808, you know?
yeah,

talked about this to someone recently as well, um,
because I'm somebody who even atmy age, I only really to new
music still.
I, I never go back and dig upold things.
I have my classic rock, likeeverybody, uh, of what I will
keep playing.
That meant something to me for30 years, but, but I have a

(44:24):
friend who like, Is a musicianwho said the same, essentially
the same thing, right?
Like I don't really listen toanything.
So of course I'm curious and Iask, and they similarly, but the
way they sort of described it,it was like all those
soundtracks are playing in myhead.
It's just math.
I've got years of soundtracks.
I don't need to, you know,

Yeah.

have room for more, or I've got so many things
to pull from the way you

Yeah.

Rating or making a bracelet,

Mm hmm.
Mm

music between 2010 and 2015.
So.
What was happening during thatphase was your mind, looking
back on it now, do you feel likethere was sort of a very narrow,
like blinders of what you wantedto come out of that in releasing
original music and CDs like thatand, developing a very great

(45:33):
performance, I think at thetime, right, which was, I'm sure
you were experiencing people's,I don't want to say shock or
awe, but a lot of people hadn'tseen what you were doing,
period.
Yeah.

hmm.

So you had to have been feeling that even in
the moment on the stage or whenyou talk to people after.
So what, what's happening inthat phase of making CDs like a
rock star or a regular aspiringmedian

Canadian.
Canadian, India artist.
Um, you know, like, yeah, I've.
I think the goal back then, likeI said before, the goal only was
just folk fest.
I just, I just wanted to likeparty.
Like I want to party all summerlong.
Um, and I want to get paid.

(46:19):
I, I love the folk fest becausethey also have that
improvisation, uh, moment withthe, this shared stages of when
all these different artists arejust thrown on the same stage
and You never know what's goingto happen.
I love those moments.
Those are like, I live for thosemoments.
Those like moments of connectingwith somebody that you don't

(46:39):
know at all, or maybe don't evenspeak the same language with,
and like creating somethingtogether.
I think that's so beautiful andso magical.
And like, And such a gift to beable to do it.
I think like, yeah, the firsttwo albums were very similar
and, um, it's great.
Like, and I was definitely likedefining my own sound, I think
is how they say it.
Um, um,

sure.
It's very obvious.

yeah.
And.
And, you know, those, those twoalbums still get licensed so
much.
Like, I can't even tell you howmany requests we get to license
the first two, or the firstalbum.
Like, it just, it's wild.
and it's amazing that it's livedthat long too, like 20, 10,

do you mean?
Are it like various or are youtalking to

like TV shows.

in productions and TV and

Yeah.

music things?
Yeah.
Okay.

Yeah.
Yeah.
TV shows.

kind of sync stuff that's

Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Um,

powwow is a different step.
You were trying something veryintentional with

yeah.

that develop for you?

Well, that came out of like sitting on so many
different art juries and, uh,realizing there's so much
classical music that was quasiindigenous, but they didn't have
an indigenous lead in it.
They didn't have an indigenouscomposer.
The story was indigenous, butlike, like there's like this one
going homestead that the.
It's a ballet, and the ballet,the choreographer wasn't

(48:05):
Indigenous, and like, it turnsout that the storyteller, Joseph
Boyden, was also non Indigenous.
So like, uh, I was sitting, andthere's like all these huge
projects going through, andlike, getting white men to, To
compose it.
And I'm like, no, man, like wecan, we can do that.
I can do that.
Let, let me do that.
And so that's how OrchestralPowwow came to be.

(48:28):
And, um, I was like friends withthe Hulus Nation tribe called
Red Boys.
Um, so, um, I met the, so I'musing the same for that project.
I was using the same library asa tribe called Red.
And instead of cutting it all upas they do, uh, I kept those,
uh, powwow pieces.

(48:49):
intact and then wrote symphonicmusic around it.
And that was, it was alwayslike, um, meant to be, it was
just meant to be like a, aconcept project.
but we do tour it now.
It's crazy.
It does get toured.
Um, Um, but it's, yeah, for methat it was just about like, no,

(49:10):
it's like lay off, hands offindigenous stories, like let the
indigenous people tell their ownstories.
So,

timely.
I think in Canada, don't youthink like 2015 and then 2016,
if you start touring it, yougave it legs, right?
It got a lot more life than justa normal album release cycle,
quote unquote,

yeah.
Yeah.

after that, that you have Gordon Downey trying to
like publicly shed some morelight on you What you talked
about before, like the watersituation that was still
happening on reserves aroundCanada, that ridiculousness the
way the government had ignoredpromises.
So I felt like a lot of that wasblowing up in Canada.

(49:55):
Were you feeling you weregetting pulled up in to that
based on what you were trying todo?

definitely.
I definitely like, you know,I've known Jeremy Dutcher since
before Jeremy Dutcher was JeremyDutcher, you know, there's like
a,

Okay.
You've already, you've droppedtwo Polaris winners now already
in the interview.
So

Yeah.
Like, like the indigenouscommunity is small, right?
Like we know, we kind of knoweverybody, uh, that's in the
arts.
And so I think all of us, um,got busy.
Got busier and then, uh, withthe release of the Orchestral
Pow Wow, that's, that led meback to classical music.

(50:37):
So it was like that thing thatproved that I could compose nice
things, that led me back intogetting commissions.

Yeah.
I mean, and yeah, so I, I'm gladyou said that, uh, my outside
again, observation, right, isthat you had this timeline of
you were creating your own soundand you, you took a pretty
standard Canadian indie artistroute for somebody who wanted to
be a rock star of.
Recording albums and releasingthem.
And in a sense, trying someversion of a touring cycle and

(51:08):
performance cycle and albumcycles.
And then that's the last albumreleased technically like that,
that you've had.
Right.
So, um, but in that time, you'remaking those aspirations, coming
at it from a different way thanthe typical Canadian indie
artist, uh, who's, you know, uh,I, you talking to people or
thinking in your mind, I need toget a manager and then I need to

(51:32):
get a, a booking agent like thetypical way and, and land a
publicist and is there a labelthat puts this out and I have to
secure all these and then do Ineed a lawyer?
Are you going through those sametypical Canadian indie artist

Yeah, a little, yeah, a little bit, um, but not
really see.
Um, I had, I was just workingwith one manager for, um, I
think we worked here for like 12years, um, and she got
Parkinson's and had to retire.
so I, I am.
I've been always just kind oflike insular in that way.
Um, I don't F with labels,because I own all of my music a

(52:11):
hundred percent on both sidesand I really value that.
I am I am the producer of thealbum.
It is my, it is my baby.
It is nobody else's baby.
Um, I want all of the pie.
So, uh, I have, I've alwaysstepped away from label
conversations.
I now currently have, I have twopeople now.

(52:31):
This is kind of funny.
Like I've got one person, uh,Kim, uh, from high priestess,
um, publishing.
And so she does all of my, allmy TV and licensing things.
So, uh, this year, I've done onefeature film score, a Nat Geo
documentary, and I'm about tostart another documentary.
So she takes.

(52:52):
All of those contracts, like allof the TV film contracts, as
well as all of the sync stuff.
And then I've got Nikki fromAIM, agency as my person, like
my, my performer agent.
And then she's, but she's alsodoing the commissions, which I'm
basically telling her what todo.

(53:13):
Yeah, yeah,

all your performance bookings

yeah,

touring and doing arrangements and all that kind
of stuff.
So yeah, so at this point yousort of have a bit of a team and
you've figured out

yeah.

need along the way.
Obviously, I think that's a bigpart of it.
I think it's interesting youmentioned earlier, early on, you
know, nobody teaches thebusiness.
of it.
Like it's not until 14, I'm in arole with Alberta music.
The, the provincial industryassociations in Canada are

(53:46):
figuring out that they need tostep in and fill this gap of
development of artists.
Cause there is none of that kindof stuff.
So we're building programs thatdo that kind of thing.
But you in your self confidenceand self awareness all along
have probably just decided to.
Take those reigns and figurethem out yourself, for

it's, it's all relationships, right?
It's all about making friendsand like, I don't, it's not,

sure.

it is not networking.
It is making friends.
You actually have to makefriends and it's about that,
like building thoserelationships that are like, you
know, and keeping them andkeeping them and like, don't not
burning any, any bridges, like,you know, All right.

I I'll be really honest with you.
So the reason I'm doing apodcast is because I'm sitting
on 20 plus years of touchingevery part of the music
business.
I've had people say, well, youshould.
Or I'm like, I don't read books,so why would I do that or write
a blog and nobody reads blogs?
But, but I, I would love to.

(55:00):
So that's why I'm here, right?
I'm like, I, I would

Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.

then I want to try to translate it for myself.
So that development part.
You had to become, know, thebusiness manager of Of your
business and figure out how tokind of do these things.
What were to you personally,what were the hardest aspects of
the music business to figureout, like to learn?

I think like, the actual, like not over touring
and not.
Overhanging out with yourbandmates is so important.
And I think like, and it's likeabout how do you, how do we have
these like beautifulrelationships with those that we
play music with without itgetting too personal and too
intense and too volatile, um, Ithink, you know, like,

(56:14):
Especially when you're startingand you're going, you're just
going so hard.
You're just like saying yes tolike absolutely everything that
comes your way.
And like, that can be dangerous.
You get like, I hung out withTanya too much, man.
She's like my sister, like, no,like I, like

Yeah.

you know, I think for me, like, it was like those
lessons were the harder ones tofigure out is like the, How to
tour properly, how to like,maybe I can only do three weeks
on the road without losing mymind.
So maybe I can't do six weeks onthe road.
Like let's go home.
Um, and so like, and trying tokeep that practice, you know,

(56:54):
going, I mean, after the pandy,my things definitely shifted for
me.
So I'm doing so much morecomposition, which is great.
so I'm not having to like, Fightanyone to stay home for, or go
home after three weeks.
But I think that's reallyimportant.
I think that we forget that wedo have to go home.

Well, I, that's a great point.
I mean, I mean, that's a greatexample of self awareness as
well that I think most peoplelearn the hard way over a much
longer span of time in thisbusiness of feeling like I can't
say no to any opportunities,right?
Or you don't know or believe thenext one might be around the
corner.

(57:32):
Um, and so people will burnthemselves out.
People burn themselves out onthe industry side and getting
jaded.
And I don't know how youpersonally feel.
You don't.
And you've never come across asjaded, despite how much, uh,
you've had to learn and be apart of the business, like even
reading a little bit about you,Cris, and, and of you've stepped

(57:56):
into for leadership things whereyou've sat on boards, or you've
been the advisory person toPhilharmonic, right, in Calgary,
or the, the things you'vecreated with the BAMF, uh, Arts
Centre, um, Like thoseleadership things mean that
you're now having to mingle withpeople who look like me,
probably most of the time.
Right?
And people of privilege whodon't understand it all where

(58:18):
you've come from, where theboardroom, although I don't feel
comfortable in boardrooms, butfeel more comfortable them to
maybe what you do.
You know, because if the goldenrule, know, if the first chapter
of the book, if I ever wrote itin the music businesses, don't
be a dick,

Yeah,

which you've sort of already hinted that, that
you've, you've figured out andyou've,

Yeah.

rule and it's part of your success.
Um, I guess I'm curious becauseyou've done a lot of things and
stepped into a lot of roles likethat with everything you've
learned.
What's that part of theexperience been like you, were
you treated like, you know, youget 15 years past high school,
20 years past high school andyou start doing these things.

(59:02):
I guess I have to ask, were youmade to feel like the other,

Um,

in those situations ever or was that not?

Not really, not really.
One thing about the tokenismthing that my perception of it
is that it has only allowed meto have a wider audience.
so like, People be like, Oh, butyou don't fit in the box.
And I'm like, no, but I fit inevery box.
Like, so I, it allows me to likeperform in so many more areas

(59:34):
and even newer, uh, invited toperform in.
I think me being in, in all ofthese different boxes allows me
to.
my career to be so varied and sowide.
And so it's always been like apositive for me.
I think like, yeah, for sure.
I get awkward in, in boardroomsand like at schmoozy things.

(59:55):
And like, I also, to be honest,I don't really feel like I'm
like necessarily like, A part ofthe industry, quote unquote, um,
I know that I work in theindustry, but I'm like, I'm
doing my own, I'm on my ownpath, man.
I got my own stuff.
I'm like, you know,

Glen Erickson (01:00:10):
Almost every artist I know feels that way,
interestingly, I

cris derksen (01:00:15):
Yeah.

they, they always feel like they're, I mean, and
to some people, maybe it'sbecause they express more desire
to get a seat at the table thanothers,

Yeah.
And I feel like, you know what,if, if I'm the one getting the
seat at the table, cause I'mindigenous right now, then
great.
Then hallelujah.
You know, like, let's, Open upthose doors.
Let's keep those doors open.
Let's like for the, for theclassical world.
I'm like, all right, like, howdo you, how do we make

(01:00:48):
orchestras look and sound morelike Canada?
How do we make this open?
How do we make this a warm andaccepting place?
Cause it's kind of not,

Yeah,

yeah.

that's really interesting.
I think, yeah, just being ableto express that confidently has
to be, I don't know if you lookat it this way, but part of the
secret of your success, I thinkso many opportunities along the
way to take.
The glass half empty of thosethings I, and I guess I partly

(01:01:20):
bring that up or maybe it's aquestion underneath this
because, um, I, I mean, I'vetalked to people.
I'm in a position now where I'vedone hiring.
you know, this.
version that is a very genericversion of diversity and
collusion in corporate, inworkplace, in the music
industry, uh, in, in how grantsare handed out or, you know, so

(01:01:46):
it's part of that.
And there's a generic version,which sometimes feels off, but I
feel unqualified to say thatbecause I'm a person of
privilege, but it feels likethat versus what you hope would
be a more authentic version.
version of that and, you know,full transparency.
Like I, I need to hear what yourside of that looks like to

(01:02:10):
understand.
Cause I wouldn't understandotherwise.

Yeah.
Like for me, I'm like, I thinkit's amazing that Canada Council
has its own Indigenous fun thatI go to, you know, I think
that's so great.
and I hope they never take itaway.
And like, for me, it's like, weall have an important story to
tell.
We all have important stories totell.
and I feel like just very, Ifeel privileged to To be able to

(01:02:35):
tell the stories, like, I don't,I don't know how to get half the
gigs I get.
And like, some of them are likemind blowingly difficult and
some of them are just gorgeous.
And like, I, I, yeah, it's like,kind of like

with talent, right?
Like, it starts and ends withlike, you don't get that foot in
the door just because you checka box,

you have to be good.

to believe, they have to believe you're not going
to shit the bed.

Yeah.
You have to be good and you haveto like, yeah, you have to give
a good track record.
You have to get your things inon time.
Um, you know, you have to.

along the way.
Yeah.

Don't be a dick, um, do your job, uh, yeah.
you know, make people feel thatthey are also loved and welcome.
Like, I think,

gigs or any of these along the way where you
were like, Oh, I think I justshit the bed there and I'm never
going to get a call again.
Did you have any of those happenalong

I mean, for sure.
I recently, like I brought upNat Geo.
Um, and, uh, so I just scored a90 minute documentary for Nat
National Geographic and, uh,Holy cow.
It was so hard.
It was the hardest thing I'veever done.
Like, because, um, Nat Geo hasthis beautiful library of music,

(01:04:03):
symphonic music that they are,that the director is allowed to
use whenever they want.
Um, I don't know why, but he waslike, no, I want Cris Derksen.
And, uh, the music that I waslike, the temp music that I was
listening to, to try and composeagainst, I was like, Oh my God,
this is brilliant.
What do you want me to do?
Like, I don't, I don't know.

(01:04:24):
I don't know what to do here.
he was very kind.
He was very kind.
Um, but yeah, for that one, Ilike, And it was also summer and
so hot up here.
I'm on the third floor, inToronto.
And, uh, so to record, you know,I have to turn all my fans off
and it was like plus 40 andlike, it was, yeah, I was like,

(01:04:45):
I definitely, that gig, I waslike, I am never going to get
called by Nat Geo and that mightbe okay.
I might be also done.
Um, but we got it done.

Geo, National Geographic we're talking about.
Yeah.

Yeah.

Just in case anybody listening doesn't know
what Nat Geo is.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah,

and culture.
Um, you, you bump around inthose discovery years after high
school, land at UBC inVancouver, which gives you a lot
of opportunity.
You get connections toVancouver, Folk Festival and
then Tanya, and you start downthis trajectory of recording
albums, making your own creativemusic.
And you'll, you end up inToronto, which, you know, in the

(01:05:44):
Canadian music.
landscape, right?
There's could if you keepbacking out far enough, you'll
start to look at it and see it'sToronto.
And then it's the rest of thecountry.
And it's Toronto tellingeverybody you need to move to
Toronto and everyone else tryingto decide part of their career,

(01:06:05):
whether they need to do that ornot.
That's what Canadian music lookslike, you know, like in the
States, you have it.
Nashville or you have L.
A,

LA, yeah.

the world.
But, you know, Canadianpopulation and everything being
down on the trans Canada.
What it is, um, that's sort ofwhat it often looks like at the
500 ft view.
So was that a part of yourchoice to Toronto?
Was it an industry choice?
And what?
When did that happen?

Um, it was not an industry choice.
It was a bad love choice.
Um, I, I moved here for a girland then she broke up with me.
I think like two months after Imoved.
Um, but.
There's also a, there was a bitof an industry to it.
So Toronto has a beautifulIndigenous art scene.

(01:06:53):
and I found like most of myfriends in Vancouver, uh, you
know, most of them are like harmreduction workers and, and, and
doing the good work.
You know, doing the hard, hardand dirty work.
Um, of, of Indigenous art.
keeping people safe.
but not a lot of my friends weremusicians or artists.
and here in Toronto, you know,the majority of my friends are
artists and are musicians andare not musicians, but like are

(01:07:16):
in indigenous arts.
and I, I think that support isreally important.
yeah, so, I originally movedhere for love and then It worked
out.
Um,

Has Toronto contributed since then?
Do you feel

yeah,

able to like two things, I guess one is just, is
that we're closer vicinity to alot of these opportunities for
either these unicorn requests,you know, and those sorts of
things being centric to Toronto,as well as access to other
musicians and things like that,that you cross with, is that
been a part of shaping?
Probably since

Yeah.
Like Toronto has given me likeso many opportunities, so many
great opportunities that arelike pretty wild.
Like, you know, like being theband leader for the cavalcade of
lights or for new year's beingthe band leader for like the new
year's thing at Nathan Phillipssquare for like, you know, 80,
000, whatever people, those arebig Huge opportunities.
and like being the musicianshere are fantastic.

(01:08:18):
So like when I, you know, when Idropped orchestral powwow, we
did it at the WestJet stage atthe Harborfront center.
it's outside, outside freestage, beautiful.
And I had like, I think I hadlike 30 players on stage with
me.
Like, it was just like, it hasgiven me so much and it's given
me so much responsibility thatI've had to like, stand up to,

(01:08:39):
you know?
so I, it was definitely theright move.
and like, yeah, it's true.
Like being close to Ottawa andMontreal is in New York is like
actually really good.
Yeah.
And, and BC, I felt like.
And near the end of my timethere that I was, I hit that
glass ceiling and it was justlike, you know, there's only

(01:08:59):
enough room for like three weirdcellists in Vancouver, you know,
like there just like, wasn'tenough.

more than one.

Yeah.
Um, so it just, it didn't reallyfeel like it was, I felt
stagnant there.
So I did move for love, but Ialso moved because I needed to
get out of Vancouver.
It was like

What year was that?

10 years ago now.

Yeah.
Okay.

Yeah.
Yeah.

did you meet your now wife in Toronto?

Yeah.
Totally.

Was that through music scene connections?
Cause you brought her out onthat.
Love is a battlefield.
She got to stay, which was

Yeah.

by the way.
And I can't imagine how greatand wonderful that for you to
probably blend those things.
But yeah.
So did you meet through.
Music or was it just, uh,

Yeah.
She came.

Was it?
I don't know.

No, no, no.
I've never rapped.
Um, it was, I'm a rock star.
What do you mean?
Yeah.
It was at a show that I played.
Um, Is when I first met her andI introduced myself.

She attended your show.
Okay, this is a perfect rockstar story.

Yeah.
And I, I introduced myself and Iwas like, Hey, I'm Cris.
And she's like, I know.
And she turned around and walkedaway.
I was like, who's that?
And then I chased her.
Yeah.
And then I chased her for likemonths.

And so how long have you been together now?

uh, it'll be like.
Eight years, we're going on nineyears.
Yeah.
We're we're the 21st is ourseven year wedding anniversary.

Oh, that's great.
That's great.

Yeah.
It's the copper year.

it's the copper year.
There you go.
So In this like trajectory ofyour career, and I just first
off, I want to say, I reallyappreciate to lot of the little
insights are what I hope to pullout of our conversation, which
is, uh, you didn't take a normalpath, right?
Like you, you had normalaspirations that I think a lot

(01:10:55):
of people had, but you had Ithink what a lot of people on
the outside would consider likea whole bunch of roadblocks and
setbacks to that normal or thoseset of aspirations, which you've
clearly overcome with a lot ofenthusiasm, which is amazing.
And so when I look back at it.

Okay,

over that timeline, like getting to where
you are right now.
what do you feel has been thething that's really been able to
give you a career

I think like, because I am so there's only one
Derksen, you know, like there's,there's only one of me, like, I
think my perception of the worldaround me is, um, and I think
the way that I creatively dothat with the cello and all of
the different things that I addto it, you know, I think.
I am unique, and I think peoplelike that want more of that, I'm

(01:11:49):
guessing, kind of.
But like, yeah, I think it'slike my perception of the world
is what they want.

Yeah.
Do you think, um, do you feellike as an artist, do you feel
Uh, how do I want to phrasethis?
I don't like the current word,but I'll say it because everyone
uses it and knows what I mean.
Do you feel seen for all theparts of yourself that you want
to be seen for?

(01:12:15):
Like, a lot of artists feel likeI mean, there's different
versions of this where theydon't, right?
It's either like, I made thatone song 15 years ago and that's
all people want to hear, orthat's all they think I do, or
maybe they got involved in someother way.
Thing or some advocacy and theyonly become known for one thing
or or they were in a band andthey can't seem to break out of

(01:12:37):
a thing.
I'm curious what because of allthese different things you've
touched on like, your Junonominated, like you, like your
compositions, yoursoundtracking, your personal,
your own versions of likecreative original.
You're bringing your culture tothe front and collaborating with
so many people, like all thesedifferent things.

(01:12:59):
Do you feel like that hasscratched whatever that itches
inside of like Cris?
or do you, do you feel like it'sjust the way it out?

I mean, half the time I'm like, I just have a
weird job.
But I am so grateful to havethis weird job.
do I feel seen?
Yeah, I'm, I'm way too busy allthe time.
For sure.
I feel, uh, privileged.
And I also like going back tolike, don't be a dick thing.
the other day I posted, cause,Calgary, I'm doing a performance

(01:13:30):
with Calgary Phil and they, Putmy show as like, buy this gift
and it was like a photo of meand I was like, look, literal
gift and like got all thesegreat compliments, but like the
best compliment in there waslike, yeah, I was talking to
somebody the other day andsaying that I knew you and they
responded.
Yeah, Cris knows everybody.
And I think that's cool.

(01:13:52):
Like, I think I'm like, I like,I work in so many different
worlds that I do meet so many,so many people across our
country.
And I'm like, I'm very based outof here, you know, like I do
tour internationally, but it'sI'm, my work is here and I,
that's important to me, youknow?

(01:14:12):
Um, yeah.

great.
I feel like is, Is a version ofadvocacy ingrained in you think
everything you do?
I think when we're young,there's a version of it that's
just really a little unbridledpassion, right?
Like the way we think that weare, have something to say,
which is very different thanwhen we get a little bit older

(01:14:35):
and we decide that.
Or we just see that somebody'smaybe gonna, because of our
experience and time, give usopportunities to sit at desks
and around tables where we getto have a voice.
Uh, I'm wondering what thatplays for you, because you have
so many things you could be anadvocate

Yeah, I definitely like, Because I'm doing so much
in the classical world right nowand definitely I run, the
indigenous classical gatheringand that is a, a beautiful thing
that like, What I was finding isI knew so many indigenous
musicians across Canada, but,and I knew that there was like
indigenous composers, but I justdidn't know them.

(01:15:16):
I didn't have that relationshipwith them.
And so I realized like classicalmusic gets so styled and you're,
you're, you know, you're justwith your orchestra or you're
just with your people.
More often than not, you're theonly indigenous person.
So, it was, I was like, we needto build that community and we
need to build that relationshipbecause once we build that,
build those networks, we canopen the doors for so many more

(01:15:37):
people.
It's about, yeah.
Like always, you know, buildingup people around you.
So everyone is successful, youknow?

you made a reference at the very start of
our conversation about andagain, this, this goes back to
this obviously good selfawareness and awareness of your
spaces that you're in andpeople, which I think is a
fantastic point.
personal trait of you said, youknow, I don't, I don't, you
know, people don't all sign upto hear the real intense stories

(01:16:07):
that you could tell.
Right.
Um, and I get that awarenesslike personally, since we know
each other, right.
when I stopped working in achurch and, and went away from
that with my own personal.
unraveling of everything Ineeded to unravel there.
Um, I learned very quickly howto start to pick and choose my

(01:16:28):
words because I was acting inthe sense of protecting others
for a long time of like, I don'tneed to blow their world up
because I'm changing.
And that was specificallyrelated to religion and and
religious upbringing and all thethings that go with that and,
um, but learned that sense.

(01:16:48):
And I, and I'm wondering in yourown evolution of having such a
strong sense of, um.
You know, what room I in, what,what people am I, you know,
entertaining with these storiesright now are, you know, the act
of picking and choosing is thatfeel burdensome or does it all
is just still very natural toyou at this stage of life to,

(01:17:12):
to, to tell the stories at thetime and, and just sort of
improvise.

Yeah, it feels like, um, it's just part of my
job, just kind of like what Ido.
Yeah.
Yeah.

Well, that's a pretty, like, Cris, that's a
really positive, like, I mean,don't get me wrong.
Like I'm going to walk away fromthis conversation and feel very
impacted by the level ofpositivity.
you have for the whole thing andwhere you are and what you've
been able to do because I just Ican't help but assume that

(01:17:44):
there's a underside to the coinof lot of closed doors and a lot
of opposition, a lot ofchallenges that you've probably
had to also work through andface and industry is two things.
You've said one of them already.
It's relationship.
It's not business.
Most of the time.
it's also, pretty cleanly splitbetween jaded people and

(01:18:07):
optimistic.
I don't know if you agree withthat, but you are clearly on the
optimistic side.
Is,

I think, I just,

that been a choice?
Is that

I,

you made?

I think it's also like, yeah, like, I just try and
keep my nose clean, you know,like just try and keep, keep to
my path and like, not, um, Likeput blinders a little bit on to
like the noise going around inme because it's like, everyone
has their own version of successand success also changes and

(01:18:42):
it's, it's a movable thing.
And like, I can't be worriedabout, you know, the competition
around me.
I just, I have to just try anddo my best job

Yeah.

and like keep it to me, you know, it's about,

Yeah, I agree.
Uh, well, I mean, that'srefreshing also to hear and, uh,
definitely goes along with theincredible positivity that you
put out just when you talkabout.
your experiences and youropportunities, that have gone
along the way.
And, you know, I thinkunderlying, like, this is why,
this is what, go ahead.

Yeah.
I mean, it's also like, it's,it's a heartbreaking industry
and like, for sure you gottahave like thick skin, um, to a
degree.
But, uh, I feel like if I gotjaded, that would affect the
music, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.

I mean, you listen to people who will sit
and go over an artist'sdiscography and you can start to
pick apart their personal lifebased on the albums at a long
timeline.
Right.
When we know, when we know whatwas going on in retrospect quite
often, and you can see how thataffect it.
So I think that's alsorefreshing to hear.

(01:19:55):
What are the things right now,like you said, you're mostly,
you know, working in classicalmusic.
So what are the things thatyou're working on?
I know you mentioned one of themthat you're going to be working
on through 2025 2026.
Are there other sort ofopportunities on the horizon
that feel like a highlight

Yeah.
Um, I mean, this whole, thiswhole year has been a highlight,
like playing Carnegie Hall was ahighlight.
I did my first ballet.
Nat Geo was a highlight.
Um, I'm the composer.
This is so weird.
Uh, I am the composer for theCanadian Pavilion for the World
Expo.
So, uh, the World Expo happensevery two years.

(01:20:33):
I was in fact the Canadiancomposer.
for the last one as well, inDubai.
so, but in this one, it's, thisone's more of an installation
piece.
Uh, so when you walk through thebuilding, you'll hear cello,
you'll hear, and like, also alot of other noises, but like,
you'll hear, um, it'll be methat you'll hear as you walk
through the building.

(01:20:53):
So that's pretty cool.
Um, and then the TSO thing isworking with CAMH, which is a
mental health and addictions,uh, hospital here in Toronto.
Um, so working with, clientsthat, want to join for two
months, uh, eight, Eightsessions, like every Monday, and

(01:21:14):
creating a piece together and wehave no idea what that looks
like yet because we don't knowwho's going to be there.
But, um, I am so stoked for thatone.
yeah.
And then also my summer's kindof shaping up.
I have this album that I've beensitting on for like way too
long.
Um,

that's

That's gotta come out.
Um, yeah, I've, every day it's,it's basically done.
I just need to do now.
I mean the mastering and theartwork and stuff, but, um,

space where it's like taking up a whole bunch of
room in your head and you'relike, let's, we need to get this
thing finished and done.

No, I think that's the problem.
I think I've forgotten about it.
And then every time, every timeI'm like, Oh yeah.
And then I got to get that thingdone.
But there's like, I'm currentlyin like the end of year kind of
vibe where I'm trying to writelike five pieces really fast.
cause somehow things got shiftedand moved and.
Now we got three weeks left andI'm like, okay, go

Has anyone used the word prolific with you
before?

Yeah.
Yeah.
Amen.

an amazing amount of volume that you're, you're
pushing out.
Um, well, I want to say, Cris,first of all, I super appreciate
you taking the time to just talkabout your story, like walk,
walk through your history I, I'minterested in that with every
artist.
I'm particularly interested withyou because we have some history

Mm-hmm

and I guess when I said earlier, I think one of
the most

Yeah.

uh, all these pieces together and you call it
your job is, amazing.
And in the middle of it all, notonly are you not a dick, you're
to people like me who got itwrong for so long, who didn't
see you for who you were.
And, uh, I mean, personally.
Uh, that's why I love you somuch because you showed me grace

(01:23:27):
when I was not the person Ishould be.
So, I am so excited and proud.
Isn't the right word?
Cause I don't have any stakes inyour career, but proud because I
feel some version of stakes for

Yeah.

you matter me, you're part of my life and
history.
So I just wanted to communicateto you that like,

Uh,

the better version that you taught me in my
life, and I think an impact Ithink you're probably having
around the world.
And I hope, I don't know whetherthat resonates, whether you feel
that

know

your efforts in your career.

I think like the, the takeaway for me, like when I
left the church and like, Y'allaren't acting with love, I
guess.
And I'm like, that's theopposite.
Like, and our church was verysnotty too, like very, very
snotty.
And I'm like, you, you don'thave, like, you are not acting
like, like Jesus would, youknow, you, there's no love here.

(01:24:31):
Um, and yeah.

catchphrase when I left was, they're more
concerned with being right thanthere are with being good.

Mm, mm-hmm

that can't change, it's not what it says it
is.
And,

Exactly.
Mm-hmm

and I've found, and I just said that and 24
years later, I still hang my haton that

Yeah.

said

Totally.

time, which is exactly what you're saying.
Uh, your resiliency, though,despite things that a lot of
other people might treat asroadblocks or, or things that
are preventing them is, isincredible.
And I'm so happy that you'd bewilling to sort of tell the
whole story

Mm-hmm

with me here.
So, um, just want to say, thankyou so much for being a guest
and, and telling your story andtalking about it.
And I look forward to seeing andhearing what comes next.

Totally.

and if you bring another touring show Edmonton, I
sure hope that you'll let usknow in advance like you did
before.
Okay.

come to Calgary.
I'm going to do the Carnegiepiece in Calgary, the Carnegie
piece in Calgary in March.
I'll send you the deets.

ask you like is playing Carnegie Hall like up at
the top of for you like was thatlike

I mean, it wasn't even on my list, man.
It was too, it was too high forme to be on my list.
Um, yeah, it was really, reallycool.
Like the, The conductor,Yannick, he's like, he taught
Bradley Cooper how to conduct.
He's like famous.
Like

wow.

one of the top five in the world.
So for him to like, for him toeven know who I was to
commission me, that blew mymind.
and then the Carnegie bit on topof that, it was just like

Yeah.

super mind blowing.
I did have a freak out like twoweeks before I had a full melty
and being like, I didn't, Ididn't ask for this.
I don't deserve this.
Like,

Oh

this is too much.
And, uh, but then it was justglorious.
And my mom

That's incredible.

got a cut.
It was very cute.

Oh really.
Oh, that's great.
Oh, that's beautiful.
Well, what a great wrap up.
We started talking about yourmom.
So,

Yeah.

okay, well, I really appreciate you, Cris and
thanks for giving me your timeand opening yourself up and uh I
look forward to what's comingout and I wish you all the best.

Awesome.
Say hi to Arlene for me.

Bye bye.
I don't know why every time it'slike the worst connection of all
of our guests is you and mebeing in the same house or
something.
So, that's okay.
We'll figure it out.
Episode five.
Cris Derksen.

(01:27:18):
Um,

alexi (01:27:18):
Yeah.

this is a really old friend who, Yeah.
A name I've heard lots inpassing.
yeah, let's talk about, Cris andthat episode for me, it was
interesting to have Cris,obviously a really old
connection, which I mean, mostof the old connections I would
have on the podcast would beones, you know, that were sort

(01:27:40):
of either connected while doingmusic or in growing music or in
some.
Version of that if I'm bringingon an old friend, but this
wasn't like that Like this was aconnection that I never ever
knew would end up in the placenow uh, you know the two careers
and the two paths and Being ableto have a chance to talk to her

(01:28:02):
about all the things that she'sdone in her life and career uh,
and I know like you said you'veheard the name before but what
um, you know, what sort ofthings Stood out like

alexi (01:28:14):
There was a lot, like, there were so many things that
weren't, like, resounding, butwere just like, it was just new
information.
Like when she went into, like,the whole symphony, um, I don't
know, it's just like a sectionof, like, the music scene.

(01:28:35):
That I've just never even giventhought to, because, like, I
don't know, kind of, why wouldI?

Well, me too, yeah,

alexi (01:28:44):
even, like, pinpoint.
It was, like, everything thatwas said was, like, Oh, like
just like new like it was justnew and cool information,
especially from someone likethat's in her shoes and then
like additionally when she wassaying how like Uh, and it's a
point i'll get to in a second islike the main thing But when she
said no to the sector soleilwhen she was still quite young,

(01:29:07):
I just thought that was like,I'm just like, what are like,
what are interesting?
Like, Oh yeah.
I said no to the Cirque duSoleil.
Cause I wanted to like work onmy own things and like do the
symphony and did it, and I wasjust like, what a life, like to
live, like that's just so uniqueto her, I think.

yeah, I mean, it really is like who I guess first
reaction is everybody would belike, who would do that,
particularly for somebody who'sstill up and coming,

alexi (01:29:32):
Yeah.

I guess it sort of speaks to what I felt was the
underlying story for her, whichis she's always just followed
exactly what she thinks shewants to do and needs to do.
And there's no version of.
Being persuaded either bysomething glamorous or whatever
it is, you know, the things thatshe wanted.

(01:29:54):
Yeah.
I think that was pretty coolYeah,

alexi (01:30:01):
pickup is like, usually when I listen to the episodes,
there's a couple of things, um,kind of like unrelated.
All, all the points I put downwere the same.
And it was that she was liketalking about like, I mean, like
to quote her, she had like nofive year plan.
Like she didn't believe increating a five year plan for
herself.
and like, kind of, as you justsaid, it was more about like
putting herself out there.

(01:30:22):
And it was like exactly as shephrased it was like, Yeah, I
just like put myself out there,put myself out there like in the
world and also like those kindof affirmations like into my own
mind, and like, that's how shekind of planned on getting her
name out there.
And I just think it's sointeresting because like, you're
doing the podcast to see allthese different perspectives of
people who are in and around,like the music industry and

(01:30:43):
scene and cetera, et cetera.
and I feel like a lot ofstories.
Although so unique, have like,of foundational factors that are
similar.
And one is kind of like, thatyou plan and like, you know,
everyone that you've talked tolike, has had like a plan and
followed this plan and workedreally hard.
And she's done the workingreally hard, but the like,

(01:31:03):
foundational, just like solidplanning of like, this is the
point I want to get to, and thisis how I get there, like, that's
not for her.
And it isn't for everybody, butyou just don't hear that often
from people like that.
It's like when you're trying tobe successful in something that
you don't just like create alike plan and a goal and like
try to reach it.
That she just wants kind of takeit as

yeah

alexi (01:31:26):
I just thought that was super interesting.

so I like that observation cause that's exactly
how I felt.
And to be completely honest,that's quite really, I guess
that's the underlying Parsh,part Parsh.
That's the underlying part of,The story that I hoped would
come out when I want, when Iknew I wanted to interview her
on the podcast because, well,not that I knew all of that, but

(01:31:49):
just, it was a different path.
Like, it would be easy for me toget people and their story, as
you sort of said, might soundfamiliar or predictable about
how they make those plans andfollow them through and, and
hers is a different thing.
So she's.
symphony cello

alexi (01:32:09):
Yeah,

She's really as much a rock star in every way as
anybody I can think of that Iwould get on the show.
So, I mean, that's a pretty badass choice to turn down Cirque
du Soleil.
So,

alexi (01:32:22):
especially when you want to like so many people would see
that as like, oh, this is mychance to like break through
like that's the term I alwaysuse is like when you're up and
coming in her position, it'slike that's the breakthrough.
Like that's like

yeah.

alexi (01:32:34):
how to get yourself out there.
And she was just like, this is abreakthrough, but not mine pass.
I

That's the thing.

alexi (01:32:42):
so cool.

Yeah, it's punk rock for sure.
yeah, so that is, I'm glad youbrought that up because I felt
it's the same for me while I wastalking to her and even doing
the edits, doing, doing theedits right now, um, that I'm
just sort of struck by,primarily her optimism all the
way through, both that thingswere going to work out for her

(01:33:03):
and that the way they worked outweren't, Some version of like
you said, breakthrough that fitsome model, but she's so
optimistic and she's sopleasantly well pleased with a
lot of the things she's got todo and the opportunities she
have and she just treats it likeher job and it's her job.

(01:33:23):
And so, um, the, uh, one of thethings.
About the podcast.
The only thing I was going tosay was what was a little
unfortunate is I had two, uh,audio glitches in pieces that,
having to edit them out, liketake little sections out like
small, but,

alexi (01:33:43):
Yeah.

uh, one of them, you would never know, like the
conversation ends up beingseamless without the way I had
to remove it,

alexi (01:33:50):
Silence.

it was a little bit more, it felt like it was a
little more conversation for herand I, so it's probably not the
worst part to have lost, but italso, it also had a couple of
glitches and I wasn't sure howthat is going to seem together.
Cause then we reference thatconversation later about her
mom.
And I always hate it if apodcast sat and then I'm like, I

(01:34:18):
don't remember them talkingabout that.
So.
We'll see.
We'll see.
Right.

alexi (01:34:23):
Yeah.

Uh, but I'm really happy that she was on.
I was really happy.
We could talk about somebodyreally from a different life and
a different path

alexi (01:34:37):
Mm

talk about it with so much optimism, like I
said, and, um, just a lot ofgratitude and pride in what
she's been able to do in herlife.
was very refreshing andencouraging.
So pretty special for me.
She's so great.
Yeah.
So I also quickly, uh, wanted tojust talk to you about some

(01:35:01):
music things, um, as we alwayslike to do.
But in particular I was justgoing to ask you about you get
to go to a show in Vancouver, Iguess next week.
It's right at the end of themonth, right?
So I guess that's the end.

alexi (01:35:14):
a week.

Very soon end of February.

alexi (01:35:17):
Mm hmm.
Yeah.

because the story is and I was talking to you
about this earlier And I don'tknow why when I bought you those
tickets on ticket master Ihadn't even thought about the
connection to when I took youand your brother to day in
vegas, which was I think 20192019.
Yeah, it was pre pandemic.
It was

alexi (01:35:44):
like grade nine ish?
Yeah.

in like April of that and the Vegas, there was
two days and we went to one dayand we weren't going the day
that Tyler, the creator wassupposed to be there, but all
you wanted to do was stand inthe ridiculous line to buy his
merch.
Anyhow, so we stood for over anhour.

alexi (01:36:06):
yeah.

the

alexi (01:36:07):
Like,

line.

alexi (01:36:08):
shows too, like, got there early.

Yeah,

alexi (01:36:11):
didn't know who, like, other artists or merch would be
there, or if there was gonna beguest artists or not.
I was like, seen him or not,like, I need to get in that line

but you

alexi (01:36:22):
shirts.

got the shirt.
Did you get one or did you gettwo things, but

alexi (01:36:26):
got two, I have two now.

you didn't get the posters there.
You ordered those online, right?
The ones that you have, yeah.

alexi (01:36:33):
No, I ordered that online.
Yeah,

but you got the shirts.

alexi (01:36:37):
got the

of them, which is a great story of a mustard
stain.
And a shirtless boy.
So we won't tell that storyhere, but it's, it's, uh, it's a
great story.
Yeah.
So that, that all came back tome when we were talking about
you going to Tyler, the creatornext week.
Uh, and I thought it'd be afunny, quick story to tell
because, uh, that day in Vegasis maybe, The first time I was

(01:37:03):
going to a show where I had nobusiness being at, it was like
two days,

alexi (01:37:07):
said.

it was two days of hip hop and wasn't even as
much old.
I mean, there was a bit of that,but,

alexi (01:37:15):
Yeah.

I, I don't, I just don't usually feel
irrelevant in any music scenethat I'm around until I'm at the
point where I knew two names, Iknew Doja Cat and, and Post
Malone and who a huge fan of, sothat was.
And the Doja Cat show wasabsolutely, I said, then it

(01:37:39):
looked like a Grammy performanceand that was 19.
And I did discover some peoplethere that was really cool, but
the most fun for me was actuallygoing to a show where it wasn't
for me anymore.
And, um, and you and yourbrother, having an incredible
time on this massive fairgroundsand you were

alexi (01:38:00):
Mm hmm.

from one end to the other because they were
eating the main artists from onestage to the other.
And so finally your cousin and Ijust plopped in the middle and

alexi (01:38:11):
You guys were

got drinks and watched you go back and forth
running to each

alexi (01:38:16):
Yeah.

which was pretty cool.
But the, the other fun tie infor you and I to that is when we
started playing Spottle.
A little while ago, right?
When we started playing Spottlelast fall, and your brother And
you couldn't realize why I couldget a bunch of the answers that
I shouldn't I think it's that'swhere it all started I think

(01:38:40):
from that moment on I startedbeing more familiar and paying
attention to

alexi (01:38:45):
hmm.

What was going on in hip hop and stuff?
Uh,

alexi (01:38:49):
That's so funny.

not actively but a little bit any all these
little tie ins for me, but whatare you?
Uh, are you looking for you saidyou maybe aren't going to get in
the merch line What are you mostexcited for the show

alexi (01:39:03):
I think if it was in Edmonton, I'd definitely be
tempted for a merch line.
Mm hmm.
I mean, when am I not, but Ithink because, um, my friend and
I one backpack each for two daysand plan on hitting up the
Granville market and whatnot.

(01:39:25):
yeah, I don't know if I want tospend like 120 plus on a

price?

alexi (01:39:31):
for

Yeah,

alexi (01:39:31):
up half of my backpack and be a struggle.
Um,

that's a good point.
And it's already an extrainvestment to be going overnight
on a plane to Vancouver to seethe show.
So I totally can respect that.
And I didn't know you were goingto hit up Granville market, but
that's mostly, you'll probablyjust eat a bunch of fresh food
and enjoy it.

alexi (01:39:55):
yeah, this is true,

hopefully the weather will be great.

alexi (01:39:59):
things to buy.
We know this.

We do know this.
Well, my light just went out.
The battery finally died.
This is a funny episode.

alexi (01:40:09):
that would happen to one of us.

That's fine.
It doesn't really matter.
Um, I haven't used any video forclips yet.
Anyhow, um, all these things I'mgoing to have to decide what to
keep or not.
Anyhow, um, that's all.
That's all I had to chat abouttoday.
Is that all we have to chatabout?

alexi (01:40:27):
I feel like sometimes we just spend so much time with
each other that we chat

Ramble

alexi (01:40:32):
Yeah.
Well, no, we just, we chat inthe car and we chat in the house
and then we come to here andwe're like.

what's left.

alexi (01:40:38):
our list, yeah.

So, okay.
I'll have to start savingthings.
I'm going to start savingsomething in my head and that'll
be hard, but it'll be fine.
It

alexi (01:40:48):
Write

doesn't matter.
Okay.
Well, I really enjoyed Cris andas always, I really enjoyed
talking to you.
So thank you.

alexi (01:40:57):
Yeah.

bye.

alexi (01:40:59):
Bye.

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