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Alberni Teens Can Rock band Stranger Than Fiction releases first single

Port Alberni group has been performing since 2016

The Alberni Teens Can Rock band Stranger Than Fiction took over the Alberni Valley Multiplex on Monday in order to film their very first music video.

The video will go along with the band’s first single, “Minutemen,” which was released on iTunes and Spotify last week. The single is one of three originals that was recorded by the band in early spring.

Teens Can Rock organizer Todd Flaro said the band is hoping to work with some of the momentum of what he calls the “Madi Duncan fame.”

“Madi wrote the song,” Flaro explained. “That’s kind of why we chose it.”

READ: Young Port Alberni musician sings with the Foo Fighters

16-year-old Duncan made headlines last month when she was invited up on stage to perform with the Foo Fighters during a concert in Vancouver.

“It’s been pretty fun,” said Duncan of her newfound fame. “The Foo Fighters are my favourite band, so it’s been quite incredible.”

While Duncan didn’t have any trouble performing in front of 18,000 people in Vancouver, she’s still getting used to being on camera for a music video.

“It’s weird,” she admitted. “I’m not actually singing, just mouthing the words, so it’s a little bit awkward.”

The camera follows the band as they enter the Alberni Valley Multiplex for a hockey game, then jump on the ice and start performing.

“We’re all coming in for a hockey game, dressed in our hockey gear,” Duncan explained. “Then we walk out onto the ice, and we’re ready to rock. We were just looking for a fun video, because it’s a fun song.”

Flaro said the concept is based on Bryan Adams’ music video for “Cuts Like A Knife,” a low-budget production that was filmed in an old swimming pool.

“You don’t always have to have big production and big dollars to have success,” said Flaro.

Duncan’s 18-year-old brother Lachlan, who will be attending BCIT for film editing, is acting as the director, videographer and editor for the video.

“It is mostly the kids taking the majority of the control,” said Flaro. “We try and let the kids have as much freedom of expression as possible. We just provide direction.”

The band will be going back into recording in December and January, while a second single will be released at the end of October.

“This whole thing has been kind of off the cuff,” Flaro admitted. “We got together in 2016 and came up with a concept. Three practices later, we did a show for the Bulldogs.”

READ: Alberni Teens Can Rock gives young musicians a place to perform

Stranger Than Fiction works underneath the “umbrella” of Alberni Teens Can Rock, which currently has two bands and two unplugged groups performing regularly. Stranger Than Fiction is what Flaro calls “the premier band” that has been running since the beginning.

“We don’t teach kids how to play, we teach them how to perform,” he explained. “This project is my love for working with kids and my love for music combined.”

For more information on Alberni Teens Can Rock, visit their Facebook page or call Flaro at 250-735-0784 or Greg Alkerton at 250-735-3356. There is no cost to join, but prospective members must have experience playing their chosen instrument.

elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.com

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Members of Stranger Than Fiction (from left to right: Ryan Bennett, Sean O’Neill and Madi Duncan) film the music video for their new single “Minutemen” at the Alberni Valley Multiplex. ELENA RARDON PHOTO
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Stranger Than Fiction’s Madi Duncan and her bandmates Noel Dufour and Phoenix Gates film the music video for their new single “Minutemen” at the Alberni Valley Multiplex. ELENA RARDON PHOTO


Elena Rardon

About the Author: Elena Rardon

I have worked with the Alberni Valley News since 2016.
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