Mike Locken
Mike was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. He began playing guitar at the age of 12 and began writing songs soon thereafter. He played in various hometown bands, and won a spot on the Regina FM radio station Z99's Street Rock homegrown album twice in a row. Critics hailed his songs "The One and only" and "Will you come home with me" as "Clearly the best selection of the album..." He started a Video Production company called "VideoMan Productions" and produced commercials for television, including his own jingles.
He also produced a video for his song "Will you come home with me" and it was aired on MuchMusic. He moved the production company to Vancouver, British Columbia, and began playing with a band called "The Bushmen". They played local clubs with some success, untill it disbanded in 1995.
While in Vancouver, he entered various songwriting competitions, and won many of them. Most notably, the "Write On" songwriting competition netted him first place, and received a Fender Stratocaster Vintage release guitar. Being an accomplished vocalist and guitar player, He moved to Nashville, where he wrote and produced the "Diamonds" album. He entered his song "Picture of my dreams" in GarageBand.com's contest, where it ranked #1 in Country and #4 in all generes, from thousands of entries. The "Nashville Music Guide" gave "Diamonds" a five star rating. He returned to Vancouver in 2001 and spent several years working in various clubs in Vancouver, under the name of "DockSpiders", and currently works in Vancouver with Rachael as one half of "S.O.L.".
Awards & Achievements
CD "Diamonds" received a 5 star rating from The Nashville Music Guide.
Song "Picture of My Dreams" from "Diamonds" ranked #1 on GarageBand.com, competing with entries that numbered in the thousands.
Song "One of Those Days" from the "Diamonds" CD included in the peoples choice "Best of Independent Country 2002" released by Garageband.com.
"Picture of My Dreams", also from the Diamonds CD, was selected for the Evolved Series CDs issued by GarageBand.com.
After submitting two original songs, he placed First and Fourth in Vancouvers Write On songwriting competition.
The independently produced video "Will You Come Home With Me" aired on MuchMusic.
Twice represented on Regina FM radio station Z99 s "Street Rock" annual homegrown CD, songs "The One and Only" and "Will You Come Home With Me" hailed as clearly the best selection by Reginas Leader Post daily newspaper.
Rachael Chatoor
Rachael Chatoor is a native of Vancouver and has been part of the bustling music scene here since the early 90s, working as a solo artist as well as in collaboration with other musicians.
She spent several years participating in the indy music scene, both as part of a band and as one half of a duo who played at venues such as the UBC Sonic Cafe, and in festivals such as the 1992 Music West festival. As a solo artist she entered the 1994 BCCMA Country Music singing competition and won several knockout events to become a finalist, having the opportunity to perform in the final competition for the annual BCCMA awards show.
She enjoyed the opportunity over the years to work as a back up singer for some of the Legends of Rock and Roll shows, and also did back ups and opening spots for the late Buddy Knox. In that capacity she had the chance to meet and share the stage with other true legends such as the Everly Brothers, BJ Thomas, Bobby Curtola, The Coasters, Randy Bachman, and Albert Lee ( to name a few).
She successfully made a living working and touring in and around BC for several years with her cover duo, the Forget Me Nots. The girls were featured on local cable doing a half hour showcase of their gig, and were filmed twice as themselves for two commercials, once as spokespeople for the Crimestoppers campaign, and also for the BCTV, TV for me campaign.
The Forget Me Nots also regularly enjoyed playing Whistler and Blackcomb, sometimes six shows per weekend, and at Merrit Mountain Music Festival two years in a row. The pair were regularly asked to participate in local festivals, celebrations and special events such as the Vancouver Sun Run, and womens walk for Breast Cancer. In 1996, the pair hired some more players and took them overseas for an international tour.
Rachael spent the next 7-8 years traveling abroad. She lived on 4 different continents and virtually everywhere she lived, she found venues to play, or radio stations to sing jingles for. She returned to Canada three years ago and took a short break while she cared for her young children and started a business in Vancouver.
Never content to be far from a stage, she found herself out playing again last year. It was during this time she met Mike Locken, the pair knew they had something from the first time they played together, and shortly after, S.O.L. was born. Their mix of vocals and musical styles are rich and memorable, and their easy going demeanor on and off stage make for a great feeling in any room.
