.: My Musical Story
My first musical memory is of wanting to play the synthesizer after listening to what was likely a Michael Jackson record... I can't be sure, it was a while ago after all... I badgered my parents for a synth and lessons, but to my dismay, I was forced to take piano lessons. It seemed like an injustice at the time.
It ended up being alright... I had private lessons, had music classes at school and before I knew it I was playing at all kinds of recitals and school functions. Everything turned out ok in the long run.
I had made it up to the Grade 8 level in my piano when I decided I had to play the guitar. So, for my 16th birthday, my parents got me a used electric guitar and amp and I was off to the races. I started lessons almost right away, my first guitar teacher being a guy named Al Morier who played in a band called The Barstool Prophets, who were a big deal in Canada at the time. He only lasted a handful of lessons before he was gone on tour, and I moved on to other teachers, Pat Allain, who didn't last much longer, and Mike Foucault, who I was with for a couple years and who taught me alot.
About 3 years into my lessons, I was also at the age where I was finally getting out of high school and going to university, and Al, who was a classical guitarist by training, was back in town, so I put two and two together. Why not play classical guitar at school and get credits for it? So, Al whipped me into classical shape, I got through all my auditions and 4 years later (in 2002) I graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Music.
Now, while all this was happening, I was also playing in a band and figured out that the rock and roll world is where I belong. The Prototype went through a few mutations before becoming pretty serious. We did pretty well for ourselves, selling over 1200 cd's independently, opening for Nickelback, doing the Vans Warped Tour, placing a song in a Pontiac commercial, getting some commercial radio action, etc... even flirted with a couple labels along the way. Not too bad at all, but like most good things, it came to an end (in early 2003). A couple years later, some of us got together again and started another band called Order of the Day, which is what takes up my time when I'm not on the road doing sound for other bands. We put out a cd in the summer of 2006 called "Truth Be Told", and already two songs have been in Budweiser ad campaigns. You can pick up the CD on iTunes or CD Baby. You know you want to... | |
.: How I Started Making Noise...
I think it was meant as a joke. You know, one of those off the
cuff remarks that no one takes too seriously? I was loading out
at a Barstool Prophets show, one of their last, and I was
working as a guitar tech. Our front of house tech, Ken Stone,
came up to me and said: "Guitar techs are pussies. Real men
do sound." Being young and stupid, I thought I'd better get
my shit together, cause I don't want to be a pussy. Whether he
was serious or not, I still don't know. Didn't really matter.
The next week I starting helping out at Ken's house gig, Barrymore's
Music Hall in Ottawa, to start learning all his little tricks.
Soon enough, I was helping to mix the locals and reading all the
magazines and manuals. I had the bug. After a few months of that,
Ken decided it was time for him to move on. Not sure what to do
with myself, I asked the new house tech, Andy Zeitz, if he wanted
any help. He figured: "If you're gonna hang around, you may
as well hang out in monitor world." He didn't really like
running back and forth all night, so it seemed to make sense.
After a couple weeks of that, Barrymore's decided to hire me on
as the house monitor tech. I essentially created a job for myself.
I thought that was pretty wild. I figured I must know a hell
of a lot, 'cause I just got hired by one of the countries top
clubs. Did I mention young and stupid? Before I knew it, artists
like Finger Eleven, Nickelback, Eve 6, Treble
Charger, etc... were starting to show up in the listings.
That's some serious pressure on a pretty new, pretty green monitor
guy. The positive side is that is forces you to get your shit
together real fast. Having received my wakeup call, I put in all
the effort I could muster. My logic was what I lack in skill,
I'll make up in effort, and thanfully, it worked. All the bands
I worked with left happy and my confidence and skill grew as a
result. Over 4 and half years at Barrymore's, I mixed all
styles of music and every band that came through the doors, from
the regular locals to John Mayer, Andrew W.K., Sam
Roberts, Train and more. I learned a lot not only about
sound, but also about the aspects of putting on professional shows.
These are things you can only learn by being in a top notch venue,
and I'm grateful for all my experiences there.
Despite all the positive aspects, being at any job can get tiring
after a long period of time and I started to feel the need to
explore different areas. I started working with all the local
companies and worked the festival circuit, from blues to folk
to bagpipes, I saw it all and had the chance to mix amazing artists,
like Emmylou Harris, Etta James and Daniel Lanois. I also started to work on the road.
My first tour took me around Ontario and out to the East Coast
as a PA tech with I Mother Earth, Theory Of A Deadman
and Big Sugar. I got home just in time for opening day
at my new house monitor gig, the Capital Music Hall in
Ottawa.
The Capital was a big venue, and as such bigger bands came along
and there was a bigger responsibility to ensure a quality show.
I would always do my best to make sure all the bands were happy, and
my efforts soon started to pay off. After a few months, I started
to get more touring offers and I've since worked with
Sam Roberts, Thornley, The Stills and
Sean Lennon. Now, I work almost exclusively on the touring side of things, and my bedroom is but a faded memory of the distant past...
I'm always looking for offers to keep me on the road. Though
there are a lot of hard and unusual experiences that come with
this lifestyle, I can't complain; I've had a lot of opportunities
that are hard to come by for most. I never take it for granted
and try to make the most of it. It's not bad for something that
started out as a joke...
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