The music scene in Bathurst is showing tremendous growth since the pandemic and it’s great to see a lot of newer bands out there making some noise.
One of these bands is the three piece, BLEACH, featuring Christopher Picot on drums, Rene Legacy on guitar and vocals, and James Keddie on bass. And for this week’s edition of The Northern Heat Report, we were able to speak with both Christopher and Rene.
Rene and James were acquainted first, as Christopher was the last to join the trio. However, through jam nights at Southside Lounge and word of mouth, the band formed and now they’re closing in on a year of playing together as the Nirvana tribute band, BLEACH.
“From the first jam we had, it seemed like we’d always played together,” says Rene, and Christopher agrees. There was magic right from the get-go.
They currently have two gigs under their belt, but there are more to come. Some even outside of the Bathurst area. This led to a discussion about the music scene in Bathurst, where both Rene and Chris agreed that it’s been great, and the support has been immense, but a larger indoor facility would certainly help get some more gigs.
The band also mentioned that although they are a raw and heavy sounding three-piece band, that they aren’t opposed to softening up the set in order to allow them more chances to gig within the region. They can do that and still play Nirvana covers, because like Rene says, there’s an MTV Unplugged Nirvana album, featuring acoustic versions of their songs as well as a few covers.
We asked them how often the band got together to jam, and whether it is difficult to find the time where everyone is free.
“We’ve been playing weekly for the past year. It’s like a weekly gig for us,” says Chris.
“We’ve built it into the routine,” adds Rene. “But it’s a sacrifice that each guy has to make. It’s a little easier with three guys, but if someone needs to pick someone up, we do it. We make sure to make it happen.”
The three members are happy to be jamming and excited about the future. It’s safe to say that music is in their blood.
“Growing up, my father was in many bands,” says Christopher. “I got exposure to bands playing different instruments. And drums were always something I admired.”
For Christopher, music was always in the family and Rene has been hammering away at the guitar for nearly twenty years now.
Although bass player James Keddie wasn’t able to make it for the interview, his bandmates have assured us he’s well taken care of, and he’s a great musician.
For any updates on future gigs, you can follow BLEACH on Facebook and other social media platforms here: BLEACH
We want to thank Rene and Christopher for taking the time to speak with us. We wish them all the best. That’s it for another edition of The Northern Heat Report. The place you come to listen to the stories that have not yet been discovered.