Canadian Music Trade - October / November 2019 | Page 12

Intellimix Names Greg Hansen as New Ontario Sales Rep NEWS DAVE ROWE O’Brien’s Music Marks 80 Years as a Newfoundland Institution This year marked the 80 th anniversary of O’Brien’s Music, making it one of Canada’s oldest music shops and an institution in downtown St. John’s, NL. “The family has actually been in business in this same location since 1906, but didn’t start selling musical goods until 1939. Originally my great, great aunt was here, and then when my grandfather, Roy O’Brien, inherited the building, he started to sell musical goods because he was pretty obsessed with music and had a strong passion for it,” says Dave Rowe, the owner of O’Brien’s Music. That family legacy kept going through the decade, as Roy’s sons, Gordon and Roy Jr., grew up working in the shop and became owners in the 1990s. Eventually Roy Jr. left for another career and when Gordon retired, he turned over ownership to Rowe. Because his maternal grandparents lived above the shop, Rowe says there was no separa- tion between visiting his grandparents and visiting the store. By the time he was 11, Rowe was helping to tune instruments and restring guitars. “My dad is a musician, too, but my mom’s side of the family has always been musical and when we’d have family get-togethers, there’s always a jam session or sing-along component to that, and so the music store was really essential to the whole family culture and experience,” Rowe recalls. “When you go to a party at your grandparents’ who live above a music store, you have a lot of options of what you want to try out!” Rowe notes that, after 80 years, O’Brien’s Music has become a cultural landmark for St. John’s and taken on a role of cultural ambassador for Newfoundland as it draws a lot of out-of-province visitors and is a go-to stop for recordings and songbooks of traditional Newfoundland music. For more information, contact O’Brien’s Music: 709-753-8135, [email protected], www.obriensmusic.ca. Levy’s Leathers Names New Quebec Sales Rep Levy’s Leathers has announced the appointment of Guillaume Da Sylva as its new sales representative for Quebec. Guillaume worked for 12 years with his father, Gerard Da Sylva, who was a veteran of the Quebec MI industry, representing many significant lines in his 30-plus years of sales service. After Gerard decided to retire, Guillaume then joined Quebec manufacturer Boucher Guitars. “We are very excited to have Guillaume as part of our Levy’s team,” says Glen Booth, Levy’s Canadian sales manager. “His knowl- edge, work ethic, personality, and unparalleled customer service will continue to provide our Quebec customers the level of high standards they’ve come to expect from Levy’s.” GUILLAUME DA SYLVA He can be reached at [email protected] or 514-966-2355. For more information, contact Levy’s Leathers: 800-565-0203, [email protected], www.levysleathers.com. 12 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE Intellimix has announced the appointment of Greg Hansen as its Ontario sales GREG HANSEN representative. Hansen has over 25 years of experience in pro- fessional audio and lighting, broadcast audio and intercom, production, sales, and installations. “Before joining Intellimix, Greg has been a consultant, administrator, manufacturer’s repre- sentative, technical sales specialist, key account manager, as well as an audio and lighting sys- tems technician. Greg’s experience at the dealer, distributor, and manufacturer levels make him an ideal candidate to service our clients and faithful- ly represent our product lines,” says Intellimix CEO Stephen Kosters. Hansen can be reached at 647-330-0360 or [email protected]. For more information, contact Intellimix Corp.: 514-457-9663, [email protected], www.intellimix.com. PRS Guitars Opens New Dedicated Manufacturing Facility Overseas PRS Guitars has opened a new guitar manufac- turing facility in Surabaya, Indonesia for its line of PRS SE Series instruments. The facility, which is part of the PT Cort campus, features custom-de- signed machinery and a dedicated staff of engi- neers and guitar builders who are solely focused on making PRS SE guitars. The SE line began development in 1999 in response to a request from long-time PRS endors- er Carlos Santana, who wanted a signature guitar at a more accessible price point. The series has grown exponentially over the years, and while PRS partnered with several manufacturers overseas to create the line, the company says this new facility at PT Cort comes from its desire to work more closely with manufacturing partners on process and quality controls. For more information, contact PRS Guitars: 410-643-9970, [email protected], www.prsguitars.com.