The music community is reeling from the loss of Brendan Berg, bassist for indie band Royal Canoe, and his partner Olivia Michalczuk, a community organizer and music journalist.
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Berg and Michalczuk tragically lost their lives in a car accident on July 1. He was 42 years old, and she was 31.
The incident occurred at 3:30 p.m. on Highway 10 in Bowsman, Manitoba, Canada, according to CBC News. Investigators say a vehicle in the south lane crossed the center line and hit Berg’s parked vehicle on the eastern edge of the highway, causing it to roll into the ditch. Two passengers in the other vehicle were hospitalized with critical injuries.
“We are all in a state of shock trying to process this tragic news,” Royale Canoe wrote on Instagram. “Brendan was the kindest, sweetest man you could ever know, and his passing has left an enormous hole in the lives of everyone who knew him.”
The Winnipeg Free Press noted in its obituary that “the couple are being remembered for their respective creativity, compassion, and ability to form deep bonds with those around them.”
“Berg joined Royal Canoe in 2010 as a virtuosic bassist and quickly became an integral member of the group,” the paper added. “Bandmate Matt Peters recalls that ‘We needed someone who could play bass really well, who could also play keyboards, who could put up with all the neurotic energy in our band, and Brendan just fit the bill so, so perfectly. He just charmed us from day one.'”
“Not only musically, but just in our band organism, he was the one quietly holding it down, steadying us, showing up in really shitty moments with smiles and positive vibes,” another bandmate, Bucky Driedger, told the WFP.
The Couple’s Prolific Music Careers
Per Billboard, Royal Canoe has been a Winnipeg favourite for over a decade. In 2014, their album Today We’re Believers earned a Juno nomination for Alternative Album of the Year and won Best Independent Album at the Western Canadian Music Awards. The local favorites have performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, toured with Alt-J and Bombay Bicycle Club, and also played major festivals like Iceland Airwaves, Bonnaroo, and Osheaga.
“While her partner was widely known for his onstage career, Michalczuk made waves behind the scenes as an avid concert goer, music journalist, and general booster. A jewelry and visual artist, she wrote for The Manitoban and founded Paper Cut Winnipeg — a blog and podcast about the local music scene,” the WFP added.
Tributes From the Music Community Pour in for Brendan Berg and Olivia Michalczuk
Michalczuk also participated as a juror for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize. That organization also paid tribute to her in the wake of her passing.
“Polaris is incredibly saddened to hear of the tragic passing of juror Olivia Michalczuk and their partner, Brendan Berg of the band Royal Canoe. Michalczuk was a former editor at The Manitoban before cofounding the Paper Cut Winnipeg Podcast with Jared Gauthier and was a strong voice in the Polaris community, having served on the jury since 2019. She was a member of the 2022 Polaris Grand Jury who selected Pierre Kwenders’ José Louis And The Paradox Of Love that year’s winner. Polaris extends our deepest sympathies to both Olivia and Brendan’s family, friends, and the music lovers they touched with their enthusiasm and care.”
“Sending big love to Royal Canoe and the entire Manitoba music community, we are all struggling with this terrible tragedy,” singer-songwriter Scott Nolan wrote on Facebook. “What an inspiration their young lives have been to so many of us, I am in awe of the love and impact they have both had on us.”