About the Band
Ashley Pearce
Ashley Pearce is a Vancouver based musician and founder of the Canadian band, The Out Seer. She holds a music diploma from Selkirk College's Contemporary Music and Technology Program, where she majored in performance and studied guitar. Her time at school in 2015 was noteworthy when she performed as a guitarist for the international pop star, Kiesza, during Selkirk College’s Gala. As well, she participated in a show with The Mighty Popo and his students from the Rwandan school, Ecole d’Art de Nyundo. Driven to succeed, Ashley continued her education in Capilano University's Jazz Studies program where she developed and improved her musical skills and knowledge. As a representative of the growing generation of female instrumentalists, Ashley has gotten the opportunity to perform as a big band guitarist with renowned bandleader, Jill Townsend, during the Cap U Leading Ladies Series in an all-women’s big band (also performing in the West Coast Big Band Festival, opening for the Sister Jazz Orchestra).
A dedicated and versatile musician, Ashley has invested her skills in a variety of bands, session work, shows, projects, and genres ranging from rock, folk, blues, pop, R&B, hard rock, heavy metal, funk, EDM, jazz, big band, and progressive rock. She's thankful to have her guitar playing featured alongside the talents of Baard Kolstad and Derek Sherinian on tracks for the Canadian prog-rock band, Pareidolon (who were nominated for a Kootenay Music Award in 2017). Ash makes her day-to-day living by gigging, teaching music, running Apricot Music Studios, and by taking music contracts for companies like Capilano Suspension Bridge, Richmond County Farms, and Netflix. She's happily at home on stage or in a recording studio, and has performed and done session work at several different venues and studios all over British Columbia. Excited to share her experiences and help music students enter the industry, Ash is currently serving as chair of the Program Advisory Committee for Douglas College's Music Technology Program.
Ashley's a skilled and technical guitarist whose abilities stemmed from years of refining her talents at music school, all while keeping a love of guitar gods such as Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Santana, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Slash.
Her sound is unique as she has grown up with a variety of different rock, hard rock, and heavy metal styles to draw influence from and has combined them with her vocal characteristics to create a unique blend that is entirely her own.
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Aybars Savat
Aybars Savat's journey from Turkey to Canada has been a symphony of diverse experiences, showcasing his passion for music and the auditory arts. With over a decade of freelancing as an audio engineer, Aybars has left his mark on numerous venues and studios across town. Graduating from Selkirk College's contemporary music and technology program with diplomas in audio engineering and composition laid the foundation for his versatile career.
Not just limited to the technical side of music, Aybars is also an accomplished drummer. His rhythm and groove journey began at the age of ten, and he's been drumming passionately ever since. Moving to Canada in 2012 with a backpack and a dream, Aybars completed two language schools and, currently, his third year in Selkirk’s contemporary music and technology program as a Production and Composition major.
Aybars' drumming skills have graced various genres, from Funk and Pop to R&B, Jazz, Rock, and Progressive Metal. As a session drummer, he has played for artists such as Nick Johnston, ZAYDA, Sophie D'Orleans, Torben Brown, The Out Seer, Friday Night Jams, 87" Moth, and The Sophistoracts. His diverse musical background extends to playing a variety of percussion instruments.
His professional journey includes freelancing as an audio engineer in venues like the Hard Rock Theatre and working in media, movies, and broadcasting. Alongside his spouse and talented friends, Aybars co-founded Apricot Studios, a hub where creativity flourishes, and projects come to life.
In addition to his role as an audio engineer, Aybars is a dedicated music instructor. His dual role has made him adept at working with individuals of different ages, backgrounds, personalities, and life circumstances. Aybars places a high value on empathy and patience, tailoring his approach to each individual's unique needs and strengths.
Balancing his love for drumming and engineering, Aybars has toured Canada, played in various venues, and contributed to numerous albums and songs. His skills have extended to working as a live sound engineer for concerts and TV.
Recently, Aybars embarked on a new venture with his company, Kaya Productions, specializing in independent film music and session drumming. Teaching in his free time, he shares his extensive knowledge of drums and the music industry, guiding aspiring musicians towards success. Aybars' story is one of determination, passion, and a commitment to bringing out the best in every musical project he undertakes.
Amanda Chan
Based in New Westminster, BC, Amanda Chan is a pianist, brass musician and graduate of the University of British Columbia School of Music. She has performed in various brass chamber ensembles, symphony orchestras, and is comfortable in many genres including classical, rock, indie, folk, pop, jazz and r&b. She enjoys composing, arranging and film scoring, and currently plays in various cover and original groups.
Lachlan Tocher
Hailing from Nelson, BC, Lachlan Tocher is a versatile multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer, and composer currently active in Vancouver. Lachlan began playing guitar at age 14 and set sights on attending music college, before deciding to switch focus to bass guitar two weeks before his audition while having next to no experience with the instrument. He was accepted, and worked over the course of four years of schooling to become proficient at bass, as well as continue guitar study and branch out into keyboards. Majoring in both composition and sound engineering, he has since done extensive work in the local scene.
Since moving to Vancouver, Lachlan has had the opportunity to perform bass, guitar, synthesizers, vocals, and sitar, as well as run recording sessions for dozens of singles/EPs/albums. Among the artists in his portfolio are Said The Whale, Sean Kingston, Carlos Joe Costa, Chaya Harvey, Yellow!, The Racket, Soular, Quark Aeon, Aza Nabuko, Stranci, and more - a variety of styles ranging from pop, to indie, metal, folk and jazz. He has also leant his live sound talents to multiple stage productions, concerts, and TV shows.
Currently, Lachlan works in two recording studios and performs/records with multiple bands. In 2015, he formed progressive rock band Pareidolon and has written the majority of material on their debut album, followup EP, and forthcoming second record which features guest performances from legendary musicians Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater, ex-Kiss, Billy Idol) and Baard Kolstad (Leprous, Rendezvous Point). He joined The Outseer upon its creation in 2019 as bassist and occasional keyboardist, off the heels of a successful tour with local artist Charlie PS for whom he has also produced three singles and played bass since 2018.
Davis Yates
Davis Yates is a guitarist from Cranbrook BC. In 2017 Davis graduated from the Selkirk College Contemporary Music and Technology Program. He majored in both Music Production and Performance. Since 2016 Davis has been the lead guitarist of several bands, including The Sophistocrats, The Out Seer, and 87 Inch Moth. In this time he has also played a variety of shows in solo, duo, and trio formats. You can hear Davis’ guitar playing on The Out Seer album "Ab Initio", the Sophistocrats EP “Together”, the Pareidolon EP “Lunar Sea” and on the Apricot Studio Youtube channel with Friday Night Jams. Davis has a passion for multiple genres of music and enjoys playing jazz, rock, country, blues, soul, pop and progressive rock. He is excited to be working on a new album with 87 Inch Moth expected to release in 2023.
