Music throughout my life...
Since I was a small boy, I was encouraged by my mother to sing. We did not have a radio in our car and we would sing as a family when we travelled.
My mother moved us to Brandon from the small town of Boissevain where she enrolled us three boys into the army cadets (to learn discipline). Each of us were to pick an instrument to learn and play. I picked the guitar.
I took guitar lessons at Brandon University for a year, then soon after enrolled in the music program at Crocus Plains Regional School. Shortly after I joined the Crocus Plains Rock Band (CP Express) and became their lead male vocalist.
I sang beside Angela Callamine, now known as one of the Farmer's daughters.Singing in the band was a great experience as I loved to perform.
I hung up my music for a few years to focus on my career, and it wasn't until I was well established in my sales career before I decided to write music. I would listen to music for hours while I travelled Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northern Ontario, until it became too repetitive, so I turned off the radio... that is when I started writing my own music.
I would play the songs I wrote to my relatives in the Turtle Mountains during campfires, wagon trains and Metis Days. I was involved with a BBC Scotland film, "A Highland Empire", when they had rented my hunting cabin "Fredy's Fur Shak" for a buffalo hunt feast. I played my song "Metis Pride" for my Metis community, and they included it in their film.
While at a campfire one time, my cousin's fiancee Doug Lavalee (from the Lavalee Brothers music group) was there, and commented on my songs and my vocal style. Doug told me I should consider recording my music, so I made the decision to join MARIA. At MARIA I took every course they offered so I could learn more about the recording industry. I also enrolled in some guitar classes once again to bring my playing up to a higher level.
For the next two years, I continued to improve more and more while attending song writing circles to better understand the craft. I also took vocal coaching seminars from Ray St. Germaine and a local opera singer. When I felt I was ready to take my next step, I started to look around as to which producer would be best to work with to record my Metis-influenced country music. Craig Fotheringham's name came up several times (Dreamland Studios), so I decided to contact Craig to arrange to work together.
For the next 22 months we worked on the project, using the best studio musicians to achieve the highest quality, radio-friendly music product we could. I had spoken with Ray Martin from Razor Productions a number of years earlier at a MARIA gathering, that's when Craig suggested that I use him for production of the hardware - I agreed. Ray put me in contact with Rick Roschuk (CIMNetwork) for the layout. Through meeting Rick, we decided that he would handle the photo shoot, as well as the digital marketing kit.
I am very excited with the outcome of this project as well as the great reviews and feedback I have received. I am very proud of my journey - the education, the fun and the rewards that this project has brought to my life has made my future look very bright.