Victorious Combinations

We will be performing live at The Reef, 4172 Main St, Vancouver, this coming Sunday, November 9th and the second Sunday of each month following.  We're going to be trying out new songs, as well as reworking tracks from our last releases.  Come in out of the rain and warm up at with us as we prepare songs for our next album.  It's a great vibe.

This past week we had the pleasure of Don Harrison (guitarist of Sons of Freedom ) join us in the studio to lay down some tracks for two Combine songs.  One is a reworking of a favorite that sounds dramatically different from its prior incarnation, the other is a new song that we'd kinda pulled off the stove in the summer to regain a little objectivity. For those who may not know Sons of Freedom, or Don Harrison, I feel duty bound to sing their praises!  (here's a link to an early single "Criminal" - perhaps you'll remember?)  SOF was one of the coolest and most important rock bands in Canada back in their day.  Though never a popular as some of the contemporaries, Sons of Freedom were a seminal act with a powerful rhythm section and precise dual guitar sound that could melt your face live (as they just did at their reunion show this past October) but still allow you to have a bit of a dance while they did it!  Don is a brilliant guitarist with chops and sty...

This Sunday morning  (october 26th) we will be a part of the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Marathon here in Vancouver.  The Rn R Marathon is a half marathon that has the distinction of having a live music soundtrack!  All along the marathon course will be several bands, each performing as the majority of the runners goes by. Combine the Victorious will be playing at one of the early stages, we're on from 8:15 to around 9 Am this Sunday morning.  (for anyone who knows us, this is ridiculously early for either of us, but we've got the gig and we're doing it!) So, if you're running in the race give us a wave as you go by.  We've got some new tunes ready to perform and they should provide the perfect soundtrack for a rainy Sunday morning!   Read more about the marathon here Cheers! Mark and Isabelle

Our new track - It's Still On - has a long history.  We initially wrote and recorded a version for our second release, the Disagreements EP.   It was an ok recording but really in retrospect I always heard it as a demo rather than a finished record.  We'd shared the writing with our pals Barry Flynn and Ingrid Schroeder and it was an exciting moment.  However, the years rolled by and the song started to feel forgotten. We were considering tunes to play for Isabelle's parents Golden Anniversary, and, because there was going to be a piano at the party, I recalled our old song Please .  It was written around a completely free form piano part, with wildly varying tempos and time signatures, very romantic.  Isabelle and I began rehearsing for Scotland and after the first time we tried it just with piano for accompaniment we both felt the excitement again. While over in Scotland, we had the pleasure of driving up through the Highlands and had a brilliant vis...

We are very pleased to share our song It's Still On .   Our good friend Paul Schroeder (Stone Roses, Campag Velocet) has gifted us with this new mix.  Let us know what you think, leave a message here or follow us on Facebook  / Twitter . It's Still On - produced and performed by Combine the Victorious Written by Mark R Henning, Isabelle Dunlop, Ingrid Schroeder and Barry Flynn Mixed by Paul Schroeder Mastered at The Valt Studio by Jordy Birch and MRH Vocals: Isabelle Dunlop, Mark R Henning Backing Vocals: Ingid Schroeder, Barry Flynn Drums: Kevin Jones all other instruments: MRH

I know it's been a while since we'e posted anything on this blog, and I apologize for the delay.  After we got back from Scotland things have just been constantly busy! However, we have a the first of the new material finishing up and we've just completed a reworking of an old favourite of ours.  A song we wrote with our friends Barry Flynn and Ingrid Schroeder back in 2008 called Please, now re-titled It's Still On , will soon be up online.  Just putting some finishing touches on the mix.  We 've even approached the mysterious Paul Schroeder (Stones Roses, Verve, Campag Velocet) to do a mix - still waiting on that one! Tomorrow I we'll start letting a few glimpses of the music out again.  It's been a long time and it'll be great to have our new music out there. Thanks for reading. M

We just got back from a fantastic trip around Scotland.  It flew by and we had a brilliant time.  From visiting pals Ingrid Schroeder and Barry Flynn up in Cromarty to attending Isabelle's parents Golden anniversary party in Kilmarnock, to concluding with a riotous time in the Golf Tavern in Edinburgh, it was a hectic pile of adventures. We arrived at around 10AM in Glasgow, after a movie filled but sleepless flight.  We then rented a little Fiat 500 to drive five hours north up to Cromarty.  We took the A82 and drove a gorgeous route through some of the loveliest countryside I've ever seen.  Loch Lomond is stunning, and we both felt doubly impressed because it was an absolutely perfect day, sunny, warm, and completely rainless!  I confess that the drive took a little more effort than I expected, but driving on the left and having to shift gears on the opposite hand didn't allow a lot of grace that first day.  (sorry to the clutch!)  That first ...