Photo credit: Lisa MacIntosh
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
I’ve used a lot of touring vehicles over the past two decades. My favourite, however, was my friend Dan’s Ford F-Series 150. Before my first band got signed, we used to pack everything in the back of his big black truck and head to gigs. One of my fondest memories was taking it out to Newfoundland. We met a family of musicians there and had a good ole kitchen party in their basement. There was literally a tiny creek running through their basement, which is where people went to use the bathroom. Number one, of course, not number two.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I usually head to the local health food store near my place and stock up on granola bars and little snacks that I keep in my knapsack. If I’m on the road, I source out the local health food store in the town that I’m in.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I honestly don’t break a lot of strings. I used to, but that stopped years ago for some reason. I strum a lot lighter than I used to, I guess. I’m very fortunate to have a string sponsorship with D’Addario. They send me most of my strings.
Where do you rehearse?
I rehearse in a little basement underneath an indie record label in Toronto. We’ve hosted a few parties there but nothing crazy. In fact, my daughter had her 7th and 8th birthday parties there. That was fun. You can see the space if you watch the video for a song called “Back Again”.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
I think it was “Streets of Fire.” The lyric was pretty simple. Something like: “Back out on the streets of fire, living wild on those streets of fire.” I wasn’t aware at the time that The Boss had a song of the same title.
Describe your first gig.
My first gig was in Toronto at the legendary Elmo. My band was called The Weeds, and we were participating in a Battle Of The Bands. I think it was 1994. We won, and that was really exciting for us. I got to see Keith Richards’s signature in the green room, and that was a highlight, too.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
The last day job that I had was actually as an afternoon drive host for a radio station in Toronto called ELMNT FM, and my favourite day job was working as a bartender at Dora Keogh Irish Pub.
How has your music-related income changed over the past 5-10 years? What do you expect it to look like 5-10 years from now?
I’ve worked hard to try and sustain myself and my family. Ten years ago, most of my living was made from playing cover gigs and working as a bartender. I’ve been extremely fortunate over the last few years where now I am focusing on writing and producing my own songs. So far, they’ve been getting good radio airplay around the world, which has helped a lot. My streaming has gone up on DSPs like Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music, which has helped as well. Support from organizations like FACTOR, Ontario Creates, and Radio Starmaker has helped out a lot too, and, of course, I make most of my income performing live shows.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
That there’s literally hundreds of dollars to be made in the music business. I wish I had known that when I started. LOL.