Music & Me: A Life of Song
During childhood, I used my skipping rope as a microphone
and performed for family and friends daily!
I dreamt of being a singer when I grew up, however, I was painfully shy.
When my parents asked me to sing solos in church,
I obliged until my nerves got the better of me!
I eventually expressed to my parents that I no longer wanted to sing. The congregation then asked one of my peers to sing instead and my jealousy made me realize...
I do want to sing ...
for anyone ...
ANYWHERE!
I spent the next few decades working hard to improve my self confidence and I pushed myself to step onto that stage.
There's no stopping me now!
You'll need one of those big hooks to pull me off the stage these days!
I joined multiple school choirs and was very proud when the
Sprucedale Public School choir won multiple awards at the
Stratford Kiwanis Music Festival.
During the mid 1990s, I was a member of the Stratford Chapter of
Sweet Adelines. We were known as
The Festival Sounds Chorus.
During the two years that I was a member, we did not compete but I was thrilled to be a part of our 40th birthday performance!
In the late 1990s, I answered an ad in
The Stratford Beacon Herald for a backup singer. I botched the audition but was warmly accepted into the fold based on my talent and winning personality!
I performed as lead and backup singer for the Classic Country duo called Touch Of Gold. We performed in the Stratford and
Goderich, Ontario areas for two years.
In the early 2000s, I rehearsed with a great bunch of fellows in the Waterloo, Ontario region for six months without performing. We were a Classic Rock and Blues Band called The Zoneians.
In 2010, I performed In My Daughter's Eyes, by Martina McBride, at my daughter's wedding.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house!
From 2015 to 2018, I collaborated with three bands at Taboo Music Studio in
Guelph, Ontario. The bands Blacklyte, Taboo Charlie, and Elusive Groove composed, arranged, recorded, wrote lyrics, produced, mixed, and performed in the home studio from a wide variety of musical genres.
Click Here to listen to some of our original songs recorded during our live rehearsals.
From 2018 to 2022, I was one of five members of a Guelph, Ontario-based, Classic Rock & Blues Band called Vinyl Revivyl. We performed in the Guelph and surrounding areas for 2 years.
Our final performance was at the
Cambridge Fall Fair Open Mic Night.
Click Here to listen to some of our cover songs.
In 2019, another project that never got off the ground was a Blues and R&B band called Stormi 2zdays.
Logo Credit - Mark Thompson
We adapted the name after a tornado blew through the
Elora, Ontario area while we were jamming in the garage on a Tuesday afternoon!
We were unaware that the sudden gust of wind was, in fact, a tornado and the weather cleared quickly so we continued to play. It wasn't until one of the players checked his phone that we realized what had just happened.
During the summer and fall of 2023, after many hours of show development, recording, and rehearsals, The Day Trippers, did not get off the ground.
This was a passion project that will remain forever in my heart!
Click Here to listen to some of the live recordings from the home studio rehearsals.
It's been a long hiatus from the music industry and I'm excited to see where the next adventure will take me!
You can read more about my on-again, off-again music career in an
article written by Xristopher Bland for the former Royal City Studios in Guelph.
*If you're interested in collaborating with me on a project,
Contact Me
I look forward to sharing ideas with you!