I have played music all my life: I started piano lessons at age 7, got my Grade 9 RCM, played trumpet in high school, picked up guitar around the same age, sang in school and church choirs, and even performed in student bars in two groups at McMaster.

While raising kids, my performances were limited to bedtime lullabies, playing at church on Sunday mornings and doing some tunes at a few coffee houses that I organized.

(Oh, there was that time that we sang OC Transpo-hemian Rhapsody on the bus…. but that recording might be best forgotten…)

But more recently, I’ve been up to a bit more…..

My Tunes

I have also written songs for as long as I can remember, but most of these tunes have stayed safely inside my mind. But during the past few years, I’ve decided to take a risk and sing a few out loud. I also made a few demo tracks on Garage Band for fun. Not all of these tunes are necessarily “done” or objectively “good”, so you’ll have to ask me for the links to the full recordings. But as my sister says, “If you don’t like them, they’re free”. dh

Bandz I’m In

In 2023, my son stopped playing competitive soccer and suddenly, I had four nights a week with nothing to do. So I started looking for a band to play with. I got a bit carried away though, and ended up playing with, um….well,… a few bands.

Two of the bands are cover bands, which is a great way to learn how to play in a band and to master some new keyboards.

Two of the bands perform original songs, which provides a bit more scope for creativity.

It has all been a bit of a steep learning curve — I’ve had to learn something like 80 new songs this year — but it has been lots of fun. Playing in a band is so different from anything I’ve done in years. It is not so much that the parts are technically difficult, so much as remembering how to play your parts at the right time to enhance the sound, to play amplified, and to perform well as a group.

All of these guys have been super supportive as I figure it out on the fly, and I am happy to make up for my non-misspent youth.

Here is a quick intro to the bands-i’m-in….

Les Mozus

A former French teacher connected me with a group over in Gatineau who invited me to come play. So I rented a portable keyboard and walked into their studio one winter’s night. With no chord charts or lyrics, my badly Anglicized French, and often no idea what the hell was going on, I sat down and played as best I could. It worked out well: a few months later I played keys on the first five tracks on the album. The music is jazz-flavoured-Quebecois-Acadian-bossa-rock-fusion…. well, let’s just say it is “unique”. Take a listen….

The Hoarsemen

I found these guys on Kiji… Most of them have played together for years and they have a huge set list of rock favourites. We do a great party set. Here is a video compilation from our last outing in September 2024.

Reboot

Reboot are a bunch of really kind gars playing English Classic Rock tunes. They are all great players and super patient with my noodling. Here is a video from our first outing at Pub Notre Dame in July 2024.