So, picture growing up in a remote northern mining town, late 60’s, getting turned on by his brothers record collection and the pop music show on the one local CBC station until he saw his first real guitar player and then he really had to play! At 16, he was adopted by the local players twice his age, playing in the bars and going to high school, buying his first Fender Bass amp and an Upright from a sweet Danish player. Studied music performance on String Bass at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton for 3 years, lasted all of 8 months down on the coast and then back to the north in the mid 80s to start a family. About that time, got introduced to the Chapman Stick--, started writing songs, playing Bass at nights with the house band at the infamous “Cave Club” for a few years, going through blues 101, 202 and 303 all the way to 666 with the numerous gracious, sometimes grumpy Iconic Canadian blues men. He also did other backing gigs for northern artists and shows and composed and produced TV and radio themes and film scores for northern broadcasters and film makers. Over the years, he cranked out 3 independent releases, “Debut” , Listen to your Heart” and “Now and Then” , and one of stories, well, actually northern fables titled “From the Fire” which unbeknownst to himself, introduced him into the storytelling circle. That project and re-acquainting and working with another old time Yellowknife family friend, took him further into the story telling community. A few trips to the nurturing artistic community of Whitehorse, Yukon later and the result:
“A one man live show, weaving spoken word with textual accompaniment and songs written on the Chapman Stick--. He looks back to earlier days growing up in a northern mining town; the men and women, friends and family, characters and icons who worked and played hard, carving a community and a home out of the rock and ice. He reflects on the continued dynamic interaction of the peoples, developments and governments in the present day, in a way that brings focus and meaning to his life in the north and the place he calls home.” |
