The Broken Group story...

The Broken Group hails from Bamfield, British Columbia, which is about 80 km from the nearest town by logging road. Bamfield has a winter population of less than 200 people, so it is quite remarkable that the stars aligned to bring us together in this tiny place. Although we've jammed together on and off since 1995, we really came together in 2003 to play the Toadstool Stomp, as part of the first Bamfield Mushroom Festival. Jamming is what we love, playing for Bamfielders is what we do. We are a party band, a wedding band, and funeral band. We've rocked most of the patios, lawns, beaches, houses, and halls around here, and we are the soundtrack to good times in this town. Our instruments are salt-coated and crunchy with beach sand, but hey, it comes with the territory...

We jam in our studio on the hill, where the whole town can hear us practicing our new songs. To play a show in East Bamfield, we have to move our gear up the hill to the truck, drive to the dock, move the gear into our boats, drive across the inlet, load the gear into another truck, and drive to the firehall, the pub, or where ever. We sometimes play out of Bamfield, and have done shows in Port Renfrew, Port Alberni, Denman Island, and the Sunshine Coast. For the most part, we get what we need right here, and are sure glad that people come to check us out.

For booking info, contact us at: bookings{at}brokengroup.com

  
     
     
There are four of us in the Broken Group, although there are lots of people who sit in with us from time to time.

Darryl Milne John Hughes Colin Bates Dan Conarroe
       
       
Bass and vocals
Guitar and vocals
Drums and vocals
Keys and vocals
       
Darryl arrived in Bamfield in March of 2002 carryin` a big sack o` funk. He is a veteran of the Vancouver music scene, a published songwriter and a member of SOCAN.  

 
John came to Bamfield for a weekend 14 years ago! It has been a very long weekend. Music is what brought John here, he and some friends were brought in at the last minute to play at the Bamfield Arts fest...The weekend was magical, and he went back to Victoria and packed up all his stuff and came back two days later. Since being in Bamfield there have been many musical ensembles, such as "The Dirty White Boys", "The Raquetteers", "Honeywagon" and all the names the Broken Group called themselves before realizing who they were meant to be.

John has played in many bands in Brantford, and London Ontario, and has always enjoyed playing in high energy, dance/party bands.

When not rockin the village, John is a Rescue Specialist with the Canadian Coast Guard Station Bamfield, keeping our waters safe, and helping those who need it.		  

Colin first came to Bamfield in 1995, and, despite the sideways rain (or perhaps because of it), he knew that he was home.

Colin has been playing in bands since 1987, and spent time playing in Vancouver with the Dirtmitts, Ten Feet Tall, and Little Manfred. Colin jammed with Matthew Good back in the day, and tried out for Nickelback once but decided not to pursue that one (and has no regrets about it either...).

When not jamming with the Broken Group, Colin works on a ship in Antarctica and the Arctic, makes movies, teaches people about seaweeds, or tinkers in his home studio. Bamfield rocks!

 

Dan is Canadian born with Jamaican roots. Both his parents were working musicians, so his piano lessons began at age six. Way back when, Dan played percussion in an all drum African group “Village Drum & Mascquerade” as well as “Global Village Percussion Ensemble”. He gigged a few years on Maui in a progressive funk/reggae dance band “Artbeat” and the worldbeat band “Topical Spell”.

Upon his return to North America, Dan played in the Ganja Farmers, Boom Tali Posse. In BC, Dan has played with Roadhouse, The Nerve, Laughs Out Loud, Dub Central, and now, the Broken Group.

Dan lives in Nanoose Bay, and he doesn't like Bamfield, he loves it.