Every once in awhile a strong friendship is born, and from that bond can come extraordinary artistry, too.
Take Robert Shaw and Dorian Medd, who are both accomplished musicians in their own right.
The two have known each other since their early teens, but are still going strong even though Medd lives in the U.S. while Shaw is Wetaskiwin-based.
"I was born in Wetaskiwin, and lived here as a child," said Shaw, who now lives a few miles east of Millet in Wetaskiwin County.
After his folks separated in the early 1970s, Shaw along with his mother and sister moved to Penticton. And this is where an exciting venture would be launched as he befriended Medd at school.
Both guys had a passion for music and were already honing their skills as artists and performers.
"I wasn't in a band at the time, but I did have some nice guitars," Shaw said with a chuckle. "Dorian was in a band, and it was a more rock-oriented. We just kind of hit it off as young teenagers."
Shaw would stay in the Okanagan for about nine years. And towards the end of that time, the guys wrapped several recording projects together.
Later on, in the early 1980s, Shaw returned to Wetaskiwin.
And through the years, both men made headway in their respective careers - Shaw as a high school teacher and Medd, who is originally from California but now calls Chicago home, as a financial consultant.
"So we did take a major break in our music career (together), but we never stopped playing individually," said Shaw.
"I was always playing, and he was, too. But that last album we recorded in 1982 was really the last thing we did until 2022.
"We are both now 68 years old, and we have still been in touch. We are both retired as well, and Dorian, said, 'Hey, why don't we do something?' So we started sending songs back and forth over the internet that we were writing. I guess it was in about 2019 we made up our minds to do an album."
After All That We've Been Through was released in 2022.
"Our whole career is about connections to the past, because we did those original vinyl recordings in Vancouver at Ocean Sound Studio."
Medd was still in touch with engineer Dave Thomas from those early days. Thomas had gone on to create a hugely successful microphone company called Advanced Audio, which has served such legendary bands as Hall and Oates.
"Dave said, 'I have a deal for you guys. If you want to do an album, I'll do it all for free. No studio time costs, no wages for me.' It was all because he had worked with us way back in 1982. And of course, we said, hey yes!"
Thomas also requested that the duo use his microphones exclusively for the project, which they were more than happy to do, added Shaw.
So it was all looking very promising as the plans took shape.
And then COVID hit.
But the shutdown opened unexpected doors.
"We decided we were going to do a remote album."
Shaw headed to Summerland, B.C. to record his contributions, while Medd wrapped his sessions in Chicago.
"We also brought in musicians, most of whom were from B.C. and who we had connections with from before," said Shaw. "We couldn't be together, because of COVID. But we brought all of these guys in, and they all did their parts."
And then an old friend by the name of Patrick Card, who played saxophone for the guys back in 1982, and was living in Los Angeles doing soundtracks for Netflix films, offered to take care of the string arrangements for the new tunes.
It proved a rich learning experience, as so much can be crafted online these days in terms of turning out polished, professional recordings.
"We liked that format so much, we've talked about doing another album rather than getting all of the musicians in the same room type-of-thing," Shaw said.
Listeners can hear the compelling results for themselves, as both albums overflow with a warmth and a raw authenticity, from the melodies to the lyrics which virtually 'paint pictures' in one's imagination.
"I'm more the classic rock and folk guy. My major influences when I got a little older included Neil Young, the Eagles, and groups like that. Dorian is more the rock guy, and he's also really into Latin."
As to style, they've certainly carved out a niche on the local soundscape and beyond as their music has landed a load of accolades as well.
"We used to be called folk, or classic rock," said Shaw.
"Now, we have been labelled as Americana. Basically, it covers a collection of everything in the American tradition. There is folk, country, rock, Latin, jazz, and the blues. And over the years, I would say we have collected a bunch of different tastes as well."
For more about the band and their music, visit www.meddandshaw.com.
