Pedal-powered bassist aims to strike a chord
Felipe Gomez is taking on Saskatchewan’s vast northern wilderness with little more than a bicycle, a bass guitar and some camping gear.
The Saskatoon musician is on a three-month journey that will take him to Uranium City and back during what promises to be a harsh winter. The trek is Gomez’s fourth tour, with previous runs taking him from B.C. to Saskatoon, Saskatoon to Newfoundland and Tuktoyaktuk to Whitehorse.
It’s a daunting adventure, but the ride is secondary for Gomez. His primary motivation is to inspire kids along the way.
“The main reason is to bring art to rural communities,” said Gomez as he was preparing to leave La Loche en route to Bear Creek.
Gomez is a solo bass guitarist. He always enjoyed playing, but three years ago he felt something was missing.
“I felt like I wasn’t doing enough for my community just being a musician,” Gomez said.
Having grown up in a musical household, he wanted to give children in more remote communities a chance to feel what music can do.
The idea for his first trip came to him on a bar stool. Unlike many alcohol-fuelled ambitions, this one came to fruition.
Gomez has played more than 100 shows on his tours. There have been workshops and festival performances, but his main focus is schools.
An average stop features a performance for the whole school followed by in-class speaking sessions where he tries to inspire the students in whatever way he can.
Some of the people he has met on previous tours have become some of his best friends. Others have reached out to him to say they’ve taken up guitar, or started bike treks of their own.
At the same time, Gomez said his trips are a learning experience for him.
“I never know what’s going to happen,” he said.
People are constantly taking him in, offering food and shelter. On this trip Gomez said he plans to focus on First Nation communities and the knowledge they can offer, particularly the elders.
“Everywhere I go I’ve been asking them, ‘Teach me something new.’ ” he said.
The tour has 19 scheduled stops, culminating in a show in Uranium City on Dec. 15.
Gomez admits the cold and the distance are challenges. He knows from previous tours that there will be moments of frustration.
“There’s days where I think this is a great thing and other days where everything breaks down.”
For Gomez, any hardships are an important part of the process. If the trip was easy it wouldn’t mean nearly as much.
“The bicycle is a metaphor for life. That’s my challenge, but for someone else it could be starting a new job, or starting a family.”