Richmond’s Shadowfax hits the high seas with its sights set on Ocean Sound

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 23, 1983

By Steve Newton

“I love ’em,” shouts Damon Karjala over the din of howling partiers and steady chug of the S.S. Britannia as it courses through Vancouver Harbour. The guitarist/vocalist for Richmond’s Shadowfax is talking about boat cruises–this being the band’s third.

“Casey and I got sick of doing hall parties,” he says, “so we decided to charter a boat. We scraped together enough cash to get the down payment, then we sold out and made a killing.”

At this point–about one hour after the vessel pulled out of the dock–that last remark of Karjala’s takes on literal meaning. If you’re not used to mixing beer and boats, the constant motion can mean slow death for the old tummy. But if it’s hard for some to just climb the stairs without tossing their cookies, isn’t it especially difficult to perform when the boat is doing its own rocking and rolling?

“A little,” admits Karjala, “you sometimes fall over. Just ask Tim–he should know more about it than me.”

Bassist Tim Ash may be more susceptible to the waves than Karjala, but he’s definitely steady when it comes to laying down the rhythm. He’s joined in Shadowfax by the Boynton brothers, keyboardist Ted and drummer/vocalist Casey.

“Its a good time though,” continues Karjala. “It’s a really confined audience, so everybody gets into it more so than at a bar.”

He’s right about that. Either you “get into it” or you’ve got a long, cool swim ahead of you. But enjoying the band’s selection of new cover tunes and old Beatles and Stones staples was never any problem for the passengers on the cruise I went on. The dance floor was constantly jammed with revellers, most of them in their early twenties. And Shadowfax have proven their popularity by winning three Battle of the Bands competitons: at Smugglers, Ziggy’s, and the North Burnaby Inn.

Of the group’s original tunes, Ash says, “They’re in the making. We’re more or less keeping them under our hat until the time’s right.”

But when the time is right, Shadowfax will have the recording location clearly in their sights.

“Actually,” explains Karjala, “we helped build Ocean Sound on Second Avenue. We saw an ad in the paper one day and decided to go down there and apply for the job. They gave us studio time in exchange for the construction work. So we’ve got about a week banked there, and we hope to take advantage of that fairly soon.”

Shadowfax first came together about two years ago, and according to Karjala it was a very informal project.

“A whole bunch of us friends were meeting down at the beach all the time. We just got together a bunch of guitarists, and one time this guy brought his bongo drums down. So we just decided it was time to form a band!”

Since that day at the beach Shadowfax lost their lead vocalist, who left to pursue a solo lounge act. “He’s right into the Neil Young trip,” says Karjala. But they also managed to “kinda steal” bassist Ash from the Johnny Faith Band, who were practicing just down the road from them. And Karjala feels that Ash’s “wild licks” are a definite plus for the band.

“I really get stimulated by the latest British thing that’s happened with the Police and the Clash,” responds Ash about his current musical influences. And he’s not alone in his preference for the new British sounds.

“I like the bands that are coming out right now too,” says Karjala. “Like U2, Duran Duran, the Fixx, and Flock of Seagulls.

“And I can see the band taking that direction,” adds Ash, “cleaning it up a lot and getting away from the old raunch-out solo guitar stuff. Keeping it a nice tight unit, and trying to get some sort of message across.”

On their most recent boat cruise, the message steaming out of Shadowfax’s newly-purchased amplifiers ($15,000 worth) was Let’s Dance. And though the response was ecstatic, the members of the band realize that “the whole general idea” is for them to first break into the Vancouver club circuit, and then see where they can go from there.

“We’ll keep on slugging at it,” promises Karjala, “’cause it’s a long road for everybody.”

To read over 100 of my other interviews with local Vancouver musicians since 1983, go here.