He is a proud father of four and a member of Katch 22”. Born and raised in Nanaimo, British Columbia, he found himself at the age of 13 addicted to drugs. Despite his best efforts his addiction ran his life for many years. Coming from a loving and supporting family he struggled throughout his life trying to discover what was “wrong” with him. He was determined to find the why of his addiction. After multiple stays in treatment centers and jail he was at a crossroads which seemed unsurpassable. He soon realized the why was not as important as the what. The “what am I going to do about my problem”. He realized that personal responsibility, accountability, and most importantly, purpose was the antidote for his disease.
Together, with Andrew Pahl, they founded Katch 22”. They started taking our message of strength, support, unity, and recovery to the public through a shared artistic outlet. Through his struggles of mental health, and addiction he found his purpose. To inspire, encourage, and emotionally connect with his fellows through his music. Katch 22” and the projects they undertake is more than just a good time to him. It’s survival, it’s truth, it’s who he is. He will never stop, and he will never be stopped in his pursuit to make a difference in the lives of his children, himself, and others, through providing the best entertainment that can be offered.
Being on stage is where he comes alive. Its where he tells his fears and doubts exactly where they can go. It is what he craved his whole life, and now having the opportunity to engage the community on an international basis there is only one thing left to do – show the world, and his addiction exactly who he is.
Lead axe Greg Weller is a Vancouver Island based guitar player, composer and luthier. One of his first jobs was at a music store which he greatly enjoyed. From there he moved on to study classical composition at Vancouver Community College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was blessed to have many musical friends growing up.
In particular, he spent a large amount of time focusing on and playing the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He’s also spent much time playing and recording finger-style guitar and producing modular synth based ambient electronic music. Inspired by a range of influences he now brings that to the music of Katch 22″
“But there’s more to music than just trying to punch a hole into the next dimension with a Strat plugged into a stack.”
An island native, Kathryn Chaudet was born and raised on Vancouver Island. In Grade 4 she started playing the clarinet in music class. Then, in Grade 6, she was introduced to the bass clarinet which instantly stole her heart away. From then on she played it throughout the rest of elementary school on through high school. It is really her favorite instrument.
She has also tried different instruments like the trombone, drums, baritone sax and the flute, but even with trying out different instruments her heart was still always with the bass clarinet. After high school she played in a community band for about year. It would be some time before the opportunity arose again. Music has always been a passion of hers so she is very grateful to be playing again and with such amazing band members.
Rocking the keys is one Gordon Sanrud. He has been playing music in varying degrees, on and off, for almost 25 years. It first started with Royal Conservatory piano instruction when he was quite young. After high school he then attended Selkirk College to study music, composition in particular. This has given him a strong foundation that continues to serve his musical endeavors.
He is incredibly happy to be working on music with Katch 22″. It was a blessing to him when his brother Nelson got him involved with the project during 2022. Not everyone gets the privilege of making music with their family!
“It has been an amazing experience so far. I look forward to making a bunch more music for all of you. Cheers!”
Now with many years of experience, Darren MacDonald started playing drums at a young age and started touring Canada at age 20. Considering himself fortunate to be able to sit in with so many talented players, open mics were often a source of much valuable experience and joy. This inspiration has kept him engaged in music to this day.
Earlier in 2022, after attending a live performance of Katch 22″, he connected with the band and one thing lead to another until he ended up playing bass. He quickly found a place in the band and continues to find inspiration with his friends in “A Band in Mint Issues”.
Having first started playing drums in 4th grade band class, when he was about 9 or 10 years old, he then spent several years away from the drum kit and live music. So, when his long-time friend and member of Katch 22″, Jesse, offered him the position on the throne at the beginning of 2022, he was super pumped. It was a great opportunity to get back behind the kit and on to the stage.
He ended up getting his brother, Gordon, in on the deal too. He really loves what they are doing with the band, the music they are creating, and the shows they put on stage. For him, it’s a blast working with old friends and family on new music and making new friends in the process. “We are the functionally dysfunctional; we are Aband-Inmint-Issues, and we are ready to rock! [Please don’t leave].”
“Go live your best life!”
Vocalist Kaurbyn Reilea Pahl was born and raised in Nanaimo, British Columbia, the eldest daughter of the Pahl family. Throughout elementary school she went to Quarterway E’cole where she learned French as a second language. She had a lot of fun during her elementary years playing sports and being involved in band class. She remembers singing in front of the school and all the parents for a talent show. That was her first time on stage and although she was nervous she felt very at home. She sang the song ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy. She and her Dad, Andrew, would sing together as far back as she can remember. She’s always been around a lot of very stable, sober people since her Dad is a big part of the recovery community in Nanaimo; they were always adventuring and having fun.
“For the most part my childhood seemed alright, I guess.”
She loved playing baseball and hanging out with her friends, enjoying the finer things in life, ya know. She struggled too though, with her mental health and other things. She got bullied a lot in both elementary school and in high school. It got hard to want to show up, sometimes it would get so bad she would tell her Dad excuses why she didn’t want to go just to avoid being picked on at school. People can be really mean in this world but she chose to be kind instead – she has a big heart and she wears it on her sleeve.
“That’s how my Dad is”, she says, “he has a big heart and helps lots of people in addiction and he taught me to be kind and loving especially to those who suffer from mental health and drug issues.” He would always tell her that the meanest people are the ones who need the most love and she feels it is true. Her outlet for the bullying, and mental health issues she was suffering through, was piano and singing lessons. She loved it. She always loved singing but was really scared of what people would think and has a hard time believing in herself sometimes. Yet, she has always had a deep connection to music.
As high school went on she started hanging out with the “cool kids“, then getting into drinking and the party scene a little bit too heavily. She was experimenting with harder things as my Dad was getting more into his music. Her mental health was declining and her anxiety was so harsh that she couldn’t take it at times. She took a bunch of pills mixed with alcohol a couple times and ended up in the hospital. “I didn’t want to be here anymore, the heavy stuff was too heavy. Lots of kids do, way more than any of the parents think. They start so young too.”
Despite all that, she feels so blessed. She started to take music more seriously with her Dad because she was encouraged by Jesse, who is practically her uncle and the other half of Katch 22“. Music takes her away from the negative things she was doing. Something about it woke her up and helped her gain the courage to talk to her Dad and strive for change. He had always taught her to ask for help.
So, that’s what she did. She put her focus on music, her close friends and her Dad’s new group called Katch 22“. Now she is the lead singer and while life isn’t perfect, she feels so much better now that she is redirecting her ways. She lost a friend to drugs, he mattered a lot to her and he was young.
“Our message is that we all matter, because we do. Music is my therapy and class is in session.”
Born and raised in a little town called Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Andrew David Richard Pahl was born to his father Henry Robert Pahl and Mother Bonny Ethel DeLorey. Andrew’s father is a full blood Tsimshian Raven from the Gitgaa’t Nation. As such, Andrew is also part of the Tsimshian tribe via the Raven clan. His upbringing and childhood were quite traumatic in many ways, including going to a roman catholic private school throughout elementary called Annunciation.
Andrew was abused – physically, sexually, mentally, and emotionally, for many years starting at the age of 4 and it carried on until he was 15. However, he was always involved in his indigenous roots of cultural and traditional ways of living off the land and being connected spiritually to animals and mother nature. Much of his knowledge was passed down to him by his grandfather John Pahl (Eagle Clan) and late grandmother Maise Pahl (Raven Clan). From making homemade fry bread, jarring sockeye to hunting, fishing, and picking medicine. His grandparents played a massive role in his upbringing.
He has always been a fun loving, outgoing, caring person as his parents and family taught him strong morals and values. He started in the work force at a young age at an Italian restaurant in his hometown where he was a dishwasher after school, and during the day, where his dad would drop him off. Andrew was in Glee Club and spent a lot of his time singing in a church choir and playing sports such as hockey, golf, and tennis. Yet, while masking with drugs and alcohol to hide the pain and anguish of the abuse both physically and sexually, Andrew went through some very dark times in his life. At 13 he was already playing with the idea of taking his own life and suicide loomed over him, most days.
Andrew found himself in trouble with the law and in with the wrong crowd, so he decided to move to Vancouver Island at the age of 19 to pursue and continue in the work force. He ended up spending many years on Vancouver Island, not really keeping friends or jobs as his addiction got worse and worse, never better. The “wrong crowd” became an affiliation with a well-known gang, drugs and organized criminal activity. He also spent some time in prison due to his accelerated addiction and the choices that he made. 
Since then, Andrew has decided to take the reins in his life. Thus, at 32 years old, with a 4-year-old daughter and a recent release from prison, he decided to change the trajectory of his story and got sober. Andrew spent 90 days in a treatment facility on Vancouver Island. He got sober on March 7th of 2011 and has not looked back since. Through his trials and tribulations of building a great foundation to work with he has since healed from his very traumatic upbringing and now works to help others do the same.
Having recovered from his addiction to alcohol and drugs he now puts all his passion into his daughters (15 and 10) and his love of helping others. Kaurbyn Pahl, his eldest daughter, is one of the lead singers in Katch 22″ and is a very talented, aspiring artist. His youngest daughter Jorja Grace is also beginning her connection to his group and will one day also sing in Katch 22″. Andrew is a wonderful father and a positive role model to our future generations and hopes to spread a message of connection, hope and unity through his music and culture.
He wants to carry the message about the importance of mental health, healing from trauma and one’s connection to self. “I’m just happy I made it out alive, every day above ground is a good day”, claims Andrew, “I just want to spread our message to those in need, especially our youth”. Andrew has big plans to keep bringing awareness to our youth about active drug addiction and ways to mitigate the risk. He plans to use cultural and traditional ways of healing and mentorship programs in high schools across the nation to replace the addiction with connection to oneself, love, and unity.
Andrew’s personal music is all original. It has a blues-hop vibe with an engaging energy. It’s written and performed by him and his band mates Jesse DeWispelaere (Nameless), Sarah Tomei (Sally Singer) and daughter Kaurbyn Pahl (Lil Taurbs). He prides himself on giving everyone a chance to blossom in their own creative way, both as individuals and in the advancement of Katch 22″. “We must let our youth blossom on their own and help guide them when they need it.” Andrew realizes that for there to be lasting change he must continue to break the cycle of trauma by teaching his children how to heal, so they in turn will teach the future generations the same. Openly involving his daughters in the creation of music, as it brings them together, they share the same passion and it helps them heal together.
“We all love music so much; we always jive out and keep it classy”.