Discovering local music from my community is one of my biggest passions. I’m lucky to be surrounded by such talented musicians that share their love of music while bringing together the community. In late August I was able to catch local North Vancouver band Moodyville Park and this group definitely packs a punch and gets the crowd engaged the whole night.
However what I didn’t know while listening to this band is that there is a lot of history and passion behind it. From its conception to present day Moodyville Park has a super interesting back story, when I heard, I knew I’d have to share.
The story begins in the early 70s, around 1972. Growing up, Rod Thornton, lead vocals and electric guitar, and Greg Hanberry, lead vocals and drums, lived in the same North Vancouver neighbourhood, close to Moodyville Park ;). Both having older brothers and growing up in a time where they were exposed to music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s this sparked a passion and love for music.
In the late 80s Greg alongside other friends, Brian Lawry, Bryan Kraussar, and Darren O’toole formed Gonch. “We liked metal, prog, fusion, punk, new wave… so much good music, we just squished it all together.” This group did everything from covers of Fishbone and The Red Hot Chili Peppers to writing originals. However after band member Brian Lawry left to focus on his career the band fizzled out. But after some time they regained their momentum and came back as Gonch Messiah. These guys became a pretty big deal in Vancouver, selling out the Commodore and pretty much any room in Vancouver. They brought a high energy funk to the stage. Gonch Messiah was a five piece consisting of Greg Hanberry, vocals, percussion, and trumpet, Andy Milne, electric bass, Bob McMahon, electric guitar and back up vocals, Robert Mitchell, synthesizers, moog, and Brian Lawry came back on the drums! However eventually, Gonch Messiah fizzled out as well and everyone started their own families and music took more of a backseat.
Unfortunately on November 10th, 2021 Bob McMahon passed away. Bob was a huge part of Gonch Messiah and Greg and Rod’s life. From playing three decades of music together, thousands of rehearsals and hundreds of gigs and working on a project together that was unfortunately released just after his passing, Bob’s passing left a massive void in the band (I’ll link the song down below). Now the band was a four piece however around 2022 that took a change when Rod had his daughter Emma out to sing. Emma’s voice “brought a much needed youthful energy” and soon after Emma joined, Sloan, Greg’s daughter, came up to rehearsal. The two young girls bring an amazing new vibe to the ensemble.
Today the band consists of Rod, Greg, Andy, Robert, Sloan, and Emma and these six highly talented musicians make up Moodyville Park, named after where Rod and Greg grew up and now, Emma and Sloan and it’s close to where their studio, The Treatment Plant, is located. Very fitting name for these North Vancouver locals.
Moodyville Park plays at local pubs and clubs in North Vancouver like the Eagles Pub and The Sqaurerigger Pub bringing the community a night filled with good music, dancing, and fun. You can often catch the band playing their favourite cover – “Favourite Mistake” by Cheryl Crow.
From Rod and Greg being the best man at each other’s wedding to bringing in their daughters to the band, their love and passion for music runs deep and you can definitely hear and see it which goes a long way in the music world. So if ever stumble along the Eagles Pub or The Sqaurerigger Pub, keep an eye out for these guys and share in the love of music.