by | February 28, 2012 · 4:17 pm

Your Incredible Brother

Hi Nikki,

I am so sorry for the loss that you, Rena, your parents and family, and Chris’ friends (myself included) have suffered. Chris was a truly wonderful person–human to the core, a trait that I can imagine brought him as much pain as it did success.


Chris (and those close to him) was and continues to be a major inspiration to me. As a child, I was very musical, but lost my affinity for playing as other priorities took hold in my teenage years. I was finally tempted back into music upon seeing Chris, Mike, the Flegels and their cohort performing during my high school years. I owe much of my current happiness to them.


I rose early the morning after hearing of Chris’ passing, and began writing a poem to help myself wrap my head around it. I finished it today. I have included it for you because it represents my best effort to begin to repay Chris for his incredibly positive influence on my life.


Finally, thank you for setting up the memorial website. I am sure that its visitors are deriving comfort in knowing both their pain and fond memories are shared by so many others, as I am.


Euan Thomson


Bequest

When last words ablate and death is exhumed
When harmony collapses on a lifetime in tune
In the closing climax, mind and body quiver
Into one final shudder plunges rhythm’s red river
      Tremulous yet unshakably benign
And the celestial dance resumes.


From rhythm’s black hole, a wave breaks away
Sound become matter in physical dismay
But the wave propagates, oblivious to Law
A duality of functions: an aide memoire
      Or an agent of change
And often synchronically grey.


In grief’s trough our eyes lose the peak of the wave
Confusing the now with the days gone away
In a subconscious effort to sever the tie
Neurons decay while at synapses vie
      For the road to the substantia nigra
By amnesia the road is unpaved.


But at times we are dowsed by a torrent unseen
Just moments before, now revived as a dream
By memory’s lapses retracing synapses
Awake now as rhythm, the memory elapses
      A wave weighing nothing and all:
Our matter bequest is our rhythm sublime
      Which, as harmony betrays us at the brink of our time
      And collapses on the medley of body and mind,
      Persists as a wave in a squall.

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by | February 28, 2012 · 4:12 pm

Love From Kingston, Ontario

Dear Nikki, Rena, Chris’ parents and friends,
I’m a member of Kingston, Ont.’s campus and community radio station at Queen’s University, CFRC 101.9 FM.  Ever since we received Women’s first record, and then Public Strain, I have loved their music so very much.  In reading the outpouring of love and grief, I too feel great sorrow over losing Chris, one of our best Canadian musicians of all time.  I am buoyed by seeing so much love on the memorial website, and such beautifully kind words from people touched by Chris and his music.
I send you love and strength and my promise that Chris will never be forgotten in Kingston and the Thousand Islands.
Sincerely,
Melissa Salsbury
host of “Under the Radar”
Queen’s Radio-CFRC 101.9 FM

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by | February 28, 2012 · 10:27 am

Michael Halls

I have only briefly spoken to Chris on two occasions, but I feel compelled nevertheless to share two memories I have of him.

Firstly is of seeing him recently at Weeds. Before starting, he announced that he was drunk and proceeded to play an otherworldy, powerful and downright impossible set. Part way through my friend told me that it was “transcendental”, and it was true. The fact that it was improv and that he was drunk made the kind of sounds he was creating all the more insane. Jordan is right in saying that Chris is the kind of person who would simultaneously inspire you and make you want to quit music forever.

Another is of seeing Women play at Comrad Sound maybe two years ago. It was the first show to be held there and was billed as a secret. I was set to play my first show ever there at Comrad about a month later and through working out the details of this show I found out about the secret show. Needless to say, Women floored me. While I was maybe 15 and just beginning to get into the scene, I knew at the time that this would have a profound impact on me. This show was my first all ages concert experience and it seems fitting then that Women are now my favorite band.

I can already see Chris’ influence come up in many places and I know that it will only extend further as time goes on. It is clear that we’ve lost not only an incredible musician but a deeply loved person.

I am extremely lucky to have seen him in my lifetime.

Michael

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by | February 28, 2012 · 1:16 am

February 27, 2012

Dear Chris,

You left us approximately one week ago, right now, give or take a few hours. We don’t know exactly what time you left, but our neighbour Sandeep tells us that a meteor crossed the sky at about midnight or one o’clock that night. Apparently there was lightning. We can only assume it was you.

This guy from your Sea Vegetable series now graces my arm. I think you’d dig it; dude did a great job. Jonathon thinks it looks like a turnip, and Mom said it looks like a heart. I just see my brother.

Miss you so much.

Nikki

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by | February 28, 2012 · 12:44 am

What more can one say? (one more story)

Hello Nikki,

I am sure you have your hands full at the moment, but I thought I would contribute yet another memory to this touching collection, and maybe you will find the time to post it. Regardless, it meant a lot to me to take the time to do it.

My name is Daniel, and I met Chris through Mike Wallace in my second year of high school. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I had never had friends like that before. Chris was always so passionate about whatever subject he chose to rave about, and he had a delightful and wicked sense of humor I have not encountered again since.

Chris introduced me to so much music. We even made a bit of our own together from time to time. In the summer after graduation, us and a few ol’ boys went on a road trip (my first) to see Radiohead in Vancouver. Some of my fondest memories date back to those days. There was one night at a random campground where everyone fell asleep way too early, and him and I spent hours until daybreak smoking drum cigarettes and talking. I will remember that night for the rest of my life.

Continue reading →

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by | February 27, 2012 · 3:24 pm

Chad Van Gaalen

Hello Nikki.

My name is Chad Van Gaalen and I have some words to say about your beautiful brother.
I started hanging out with a group of feral newborns in 2006, introduced to me through matt flegel when we started recording the first Women record. Chris was by far the shyest of the bunch, but this didn’t last long. We soon realized we shared a common interest of listening to what most people would consider to be total noise. Soon after realizing this, we swapped CDR’s of nonsense and that is when I discovered Chris was a sonic motherfucker. I couldn’t believe he had so much beautiful music that he had shared with so few people. This made more sense to me as I got to know Chris better over the years.

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by | February 27, 2012 · 3:17 pm

A Memory of Chris

Hi Nikki,

On behalf of everyone from Welcome to the West, we are so deeply sorry for your family’s loss – Chris was an integral part of Calgary music and his contribution to Women made them quite possibly our city’s finest export. I also wanted the chance to thank you for this memorial website – every post and every memory shared is a beacon of strength for the many, many people your brother inspired throughout his life.
After reading every post over the past week, I thought I should send you a raw video our crew shot in Edmonton a couple of years back. We had previously never posted this because the vocals weren’t up to snuff. Nevertheless, the more memories the better in times like these – even if you heard it from under water, Chris’s guitar would still sound better than most.
Calgary will never forget Chris Reimer.
We send you our love,
Brendan Kane

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by | February 26, 2012 · 8:06 pm

Jeff MacLeod

Nikki,

My deepest condolences to you and your family.  Chris was one of the most unaffected, kind-hearted and sincere people I have ever known.

I met Chris in Lethbridge in Feb. of 2004, when my band, Ian’s band and Veritas played a show together––a show we would all mention many times over the years as “The Night.”  It was legendary to us, because it was the night that started so many great friendships, so much support for each others music, and sparked so many nights like it.

Chris has been a great friend to me.  He was genuine in his art, and in his life, and I don’t think I could ask more of anyone.

This picture was taken on “The Night.”

Love,
Jeff    Image

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by | February 26, 2012 · 1:35 pm

Eric Rumble

Hi Nikki,

Sorry doesn’t cut it, but I’ll offer my condolences nonetheless. My thoughts are with you and your family, and I hope you’re all finding some comfort in the fact that Chris made so many people love him so much.
I’ve strung together some words about Chris that I am hoping you could please post on the blog when you have a chance.
Thanks,
Eric
****

Becoming friends with Chris was one of the easiest and most natural things I’ve ever done. I met him at an ugly time in my life when I was resisting new relationships and self-isolating in order to deal with frailties and idiosyncrasies. He didn’t really give a shit that I was being such a reluctant grump. He was wonderful and generous to me in spite of it, without even trying. His presence made me feel so much better about myself.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard a song that Chris recorded called Benelux. I listened to it while on a train, leaving downtown Montreal, the glinting sun dulled by the window shades and the ones on my face, the city gradually frittering into farmland. Beneath my headphones, my mind was wrestling with some heavy emotions, but that song broke up the scuffle in no time. I thought of a microbial underwater orchestra, of alien machinery being unraveled in slo-mo, of wide open spaces and strange energies percolating. And then I stopped thinking altogether. Dumbstruck, I simply enjoyed the texture of that moment, inhaled its serendipitous beauty, and held it inside my body. I felt clarity, an undercurrent of solace, the tug of a halucyonic thread of life. I remembered to just be, and to appreciate everything I have.

I don’t know why or how Chris and I started using military ranks to address one another. But I do know that I’ll forever be saluting you, Commandant Reimer.

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by | February 26, 2012 · 1:25 pm

A Stronger More Agile Hunter

Hi Nikki,

I have known Chris since I was 18, he would have been 21 then. When I first started writing music with my friends and playing shows in a band, it was always awkward and nerve wracking. It wasn’t until I saw Azeda Booth play that I realized how amazing a group of friends can really be. Chris was one of those amazing people. He was also an amazing mentor too. I always thought he was mysterious, with his blue eyes and insanely intuitive guitar playing… I couldn’t help but idolize him. Perhaps that was why it was difficult to speak to him when I lived in Calgary; still growing out of my awkward teenage years and my uncontrolled excitement for everything inspiring. My band would end up playing shows with WOMEN on my birthday two years in a row, and I remember it being some of the best shows we have ever played. I remember him telling me at one of those shows, how much he loved our music and to never stop doing what we do.
Perhaps at that point, I was able to see Chris on the same level. He was so humble and genuinely honest, that I couldn’t help but feel like he was shaking my hand. I no longer saw him as the brilliant musician but rather the beautiful person behind that musician.
We started to exchange e-mails, and I would continue to run into him in different cities across north america. He would still continue to give me advice, always masked by his wit and humor.

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