When you needed something printed in Owen Sound, you had a few options. I always chose Bryan Leckie’s Print Shop on 3rd Ave E. Every time Rrampt held an event (and we used to hold a lot!), I’d stop in to see Leckie with my memory stick in hand to print some posters. But when the printing was done, we’d always sit and chat about music history and pop culture. It was common for an hour to pass at his shop without a break in the conversation. It wasn’t long before I’d stop in without any printing to do, just for the conversation.
There were many names that came up regularly during our chats, many local musicians that were spoken of highly – one of which was a certain guitar player named Al Walker.
When I heard that this same Allan Walker was releasing a new book called The Philosophy of Volume that details 50 years of the local music scene, I knew it was something that I needed to see. I was lucky enough to secure a copy before his book launch, and instantly I loved the form – an epic coffee table sized photobook that resembled a vinyl cover on the front and back. In between, it held the lives of local musicians. The content of the book is a blend of words and photos, leaning more heavily on the visual aspect. After many conversations in Leckie’s Print Shop, felt like I already knew the characters in Walker’s book.
At the forefront, is Larry Jensen, who formed the other half of Jensen & Walker and fittingly has a chapter dedicated to him and their 50-year friendship. “Larry and I decided to give the music business a shot,” Walker writes. “For me, it meant moving to Toronto again, but for Larry, it was a huge leap. He quit his factory job and left behind everything familiar.”
Walker recounts how figures like Jensen and Bob Robins helped shape his musical career. “I first met Bob during the final days of the band Factory, he played a crucial role in my development as an electric guitarist. We constantly challenged each other in a productive way.”
There are many prominent places that are reflected upon in this book, such as Ron and Karen Hopper’s garage and the iconic Norma Jeans. “Bands squeezed in around the front window initially, but eventually moved their setup to the front of the bar, which became the permanent staging area. The restaurant early on featured local music and continued with the practice until it’s final days.”
This isn’t just a memoir, but an homage to the musicians who built the music scene in Owen Sound. The places they played, the songs they wrote, and the instruments they wrote them on:
“Walking by the Earl Georgas Ski Shop, I would see the white Winston guitar displayed with a tag ‘Sold to A. Walker’ hung on the guitar until I finally paid the $35.”
And behind all the stories, lies the history of Owen Sound. He recalls his band Factory practicing in the basement of the old post office, then owned by Eddie Sargent to store his promotional materials. They filled it with “PA Equipment, amps, drums, and the curious.” His band Oslo played their most memorable gig at the old OSCVI for a Friday night dance where they took a stab a jazz-rock fusion to mixed reception.
I can relay here some of the stories he tells, but what I can’t do here is showcase the photos – there are a lot of them, and a lot of fun to look through. I especially love the black and white prints hand coloured by Walker himself. If you’re local and a music fan, I’d say go buy this book from the Ginger Press Bookstore.
And lastly, there is one prominent figure in this book that I didn’t mention, and that is Walker’s wife, Paulette Hillier, “who was all eyes and smiles,” when he met her, he writes. “We made plans to meet again on Friday, and on Saturday she was moving to Toronto and needed a ride. We have been together ever since, but that’s another story.”
For that love story, you may need to ask Walker himself. But for his love affair with music, it’s all there in the pages of Philosophy of Volume.
Written by Jesse Wilkinson
