PROFILE
James Bundy
By Andrew King
James Bundy is one of the lucky ones .
Since the COVID-19 pandemic forced live events to a near-standstill in mid-March , Bundy and his colleagues on country star Brett Kissel ’ s crew have been among those leading the charge with staging successful drive-in concerts , and now , he ’ s getting calls from other high-profile acts looking to carry on with the concept . Of course , that can ’ t entirely be attributed to fortune ; as they say , you ’ ve got to be lucky to be good and good to be lucky , and despite his relative youth , Bundy has proven himself to be both .
Bundy was born and raised in Calgary , AB , and still calls the city home . His path to a career in audio began behind the drum kit as a teenager , jamming in the basement with friends while also performing at his church and with the school concert and jazz bands .
“ My first memory of doing anything audio-related was when my junior high band teacher asked if anyone knew how to set up a single speaker and microphone ,” he recalls for Professional Sound . “ I remember trying to figure out how to make it go together and work despite not having a clue !”
Realizing he was interested in AV – and that it was an easy way to get out of class – he started taking on more such work through his high-school years . Then , while attending Calgary ’ s Mount Royal University for jazz performance , he met an engineer named Pat Palardy who started including him on the crew for concerts and events that came through the student union .
“ That became my first glimpse into what the touring world looked like ,” recalls Bundy .“ Those shows gave me opportunities to work with larger PAs , meet more techs , and see how working with vendors , tours , and production providers came together .”
Out of university , he became the house tech at a small but storied venue called Wine-Ohs and spent a few years there , but told himself he wanted to be a touring technician by the time he was 23 .
A major step to making good on that was meeting Spencer Cheyne – a fellow Mount Royal grad with a similar career arc . Cheyne invited Bundy to assist him in the recording studio , first at his own spot , The Station , and then at OCL Studios just outside of the city . Bundy spent three years at OCL , which , in addition to tracking wellknown Canadian acts , would often serve as a rehearsal space for those readying to hit the road .
“ I used to offer to mix their in-ears for rehearsals in the hopes that one of them would ask me to ‘ come out with them .’ A bit naïve , but worth a shot ,” he chuckles in hindsight .
One day , it actually panned out and Bundy was invited to mix monitors for a festival date with Mackenzie Porter . A short time later , thanks to his OCL connection with Kissel ’ s go-to bassist , Justin Kudding , he was invited to join Kissel ’ s crew . “ On May 19 , 2016 , I had my first gig with Brett , and he ’ s been my main touring act ever since ,” Bundy enthuses .
Following one of their shows on March 12 th of this year , Kissel brought his band and crew together on a conference call and told them virtually everything on their calendar for 2020 was likely to disappear . “ Another thing he said on that call was , ‘ I ’ ll figure it out ,”
Bundy remembers . “ Then , in mid-May , we found out that he was self-promoting a drive-in show in Edmonton .”
That turned into eight shows over two days , then six more over two subsequent weekends . Now , they ’ ve got 23 in the bag across three provinces . “ To say I ’ m thankful to work for an artist like Brett would be an understatement ,” Bundy says with obvious conviction . And thanks to those experiences , he was invited to join the crew for George Canyon and Aaron Pritchett ’ s drive-in dates in early October .
Looking back on his relatively short stint in the business thus far , Bundy calls Kissel ’ s 2018 We Were That Song Tour a standout memory . “ That brought us all over Canada for over 100 shows across six months – sometimes taking our fly gear to remote Northern communities , or joining a 30-piece orchestra for one show ,” he shares . “ It was a really special way to see our country , with great experiences and people along the way .”
Other highlights thus far include mixing Michael Bernard Fitzgerald years after inviting him to play at his high school as a flourishing AV tech . “ One of my early shows with him included a 10-piece band , 40-piece orchestra , and 150-person choir ,” Bundy recalls , “ and that was just the tip of the iceberg of the fun we had over the years .” He also looks back fondly on a show with The Tenors overlooking the Vatican – his first time in Italy and “ definitely a good introduction !”
The most recent and maybe most significant of those highlights , though , was the downbeat of the first drive-in show in June – and that ’ s a bit of good fortune that he ’ s hoping to share with his peers in the live production world as soon as possible .
“ The absolute number one thing I ’ m looking forward to is seeing all of my friends and colleagues back at work ,” Bundy asserts . “ The relief I felt on that downbeat of the first show back is a feeling I can ’ t wait for them to feel . I can ’ t wait to see all those tours that were postponed – including our own – go into prep , load into some trucks , and start rolling !”
PHOTO : DALE MACMILLAN , @ DALEMPHOTO
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound .
20 PROFESSIONAL SOUND