Cherry Thief

My daughter Jasmine has a band called Cherry Thief. They have been together for about a year and have been working on covers and writing originals. Jasmine is actually moving to Ontario in September to study musical theatre at Sheridan College. She wanted to do one last show before leaving and she asked if I would play with them. 

 It was a real treat for me to get to play with them as they are all very talented young musicians. The show was so much fun. I loved every moment of it. I also really enjoyed the other bands on the bill: Rug Pull, Bubblegum Flavour, and The Hallways. Here is a short compilation of some of the songs Cherry Thief performed.

Echoic

 

My family spent this past summer in Penticton, B.C. My son James's friend Ivan came out to stay with us for two weeks. James and Ivan have been jamming and writing music together for most of the past year. Last year, I found a small recording studio in Penticton that I was able to rent by the hour for James and me to play together - he's a drummer. Since Ivan was coming out this year, I suggested that we once again do some jamming. We ended up working on four of their original songs. Ivan plays guitar and sings, so I suggested that I'd sit in on bass. 

By the beginning of the second week, the songs were sounding pretty good, so I suggested that we record them in the studio. We were supposed to record a day or two before Ivan was leaving. At the last minute, I found out that we couldn't record at the studio in Penticton, so I called around in the area and somehow managed to find a small studio in West Kelowna that we were able to book instead. We drove up and recorded everything live in about two hours. I had the engineer send me all the files so that I could edit and mix them when I got back to Montreal. 

I finally was able to dedicate some time to finishing everything the last week of August. I burnt the songs on a CD and gave it to James as a birthday present. Their band name is Echoic, and this is their first EP. 

20 Years Of Live From the Garage!

To help mark and celebrate the 20th anniversary of my Live From The Garage student showcase series, I created an interactive archive site that includes every performer and band that has taken part over the years. You can search by performer, by band or by show. In the archive, there are posters, band photos and videos from all twenty five shows, including two virtual shows that we held online during the pandemic. 

 English version

 French Version 

NOAH1

In 2019, I was inspired by a song I heard that was based on only one chord. A little while later, I wrote a song using this concept, and in March 2020, I went to Fast Forward Studio in NDG to demo it. Then the pandemic happened. I used some of the unexpected downtime to experiment with an electronic drum synthesizer called the Pearl Drum - X that I had inherited from my friend Denis many years before but never had the time to try. I really loved the sound and decided to rerecord the song I had demoed in the studio. 

Then I just kept on writing, and a concept of sorts began to materialize. It was electronic and sparse but with guitars and effected vocals. I recorded twelve songs under the name NOAH1. I finally finished the project in 2023. The material is, I think, raw and honest, and I am happy with the way it came together. The song that started it all is called Things and features a sax solo from my old friend Craig Hodgson. You can find all twelve songs here.

The NDG Music School Mash

 

If you’ve ever been to The Wheel Club on a Mash night, you know the vibe — guitars out, people chatting, someone testing a mic, a mix of excitement and nervous energy in the air. Then the first song starts, and the whole room lights up. 

That’s the NDG Music School Mash — a free, all-ages community jam that the NDG Music School started back in 2018. It’s a place for music learners and music lovers to play, sing, and connect. We put together a set list ahead of time and project the chord and lyric charts on a big screen that scrolls with each song, so everyone can follow along and jump in. It’s organized, but still totally unrehearsed — which means every Mash has its own surprises. 

Some of the best moments happen when things don’t go as planned: a student leads the band for the first time, a parent joins in for harmonies, the crowd starts clapping — and suddenly, it all just clicks.

We took a break during the pandemic (with a short-lived online version), but we brought the Mash back in September 2024, and it feels better than ever. Our house band of NDG Music School teachers and musician friends hold things down, giving new singers and players the support to shine. 

The Mash is about learning, growing, and being part of something real. It’s not about perfection — it’s about connection. 

Studio NDG

 As of the pandemic, the NDG Music School had lost it's space in NDG. We ended up in Verdun for two years but always had our hearts set on returning to NDG. At the end of 2023, we finally found a space in the basement of the building on Cavendish that the legendary Wheel Club is located in. We partnered with my long time friend and musical collaborator Bruce and built two rehearsal studios in the space. We called it Studio NDG and opened for May 1st, 2024. Studio NDG is a fully equipped music rehearsal studio for rent by the hour and now the NDG Music School is it''s main client. It's been a dream come true. To learn more about our new home, check out our website.

The Party Line

 

I have helped put together several benefit concerts with my very good friend and long time student Dr. Rob Drummond. This was inspired by his son Kenny, who started taking lessons with me when he was eight and is now in dental school at McGill. We had an absolute blast with this one, from the 90's dance pop repertoire down to the crazy costumes. It was particularly special for me as I got to perform with my daughter Jasmine, as well as my brother Doug and my close friends Mario, Bruce and John. And we are set to do it all again next year!

Street Spirit - Part 3

Street Spirit got to plays it's first post pandemic show on September 17th, 2022 at Porchfest NDG. This was also the first post pandemic occurrence of my favorite NDG music festival, which is usually held in May. We were invited to play in the driveway of a veteran's organization called Le Sentier and we lucked out with another beautiful day. Here is the band playing There There. 

We got to play again at Porchfest on May 21, 2023. This time we weren't as lucky with the weather but we managed to get in an hour set without getting wet! It was a special show because Bruce, our original bass player, rejoined the band on keyboards, drums and backing vocals. Here is the band performing a B-side  entitled Killer Cars. Photo courtesy of Philippe Desmarais.

Live From The Garage - Virtual Editions

The pandemic forced us to get very creative, especially in the online domain. I switched from one week to the next from in person lessons to 100% online lessons. It was a challenging transition but in a relatively short time I was able to figure out a stable and fun way to teach online. When it came time for my end of year show (now also the NDG Music School's year end show), We decided that we wanted to try to to hold some kind of online event, something that students could participate in and that friends and family could also enjoy. Mike and I decided to try to produce a series of collaborative music videos with my private students and bands. We picked a song for each band, one that students had been working on all year. We recorded an audio guide track and sent it to each member who then had to play along to it while listening in headphones and filming their performance on a phone or tablet. Students would then send us their video. The audio tracks were all edited and mixed together and then synced to the video. In all, we produced 25 videos for LFTG 19 and LFGT 191/2, mostly of cover songs but also of a few originals.  We were super pleased with the results. Our students and bands did an amazing job! Here are the full playlists of both shows:

LFTG 19

LFTG 19 1/2

Hersko

My friend Steve and I have been playing music together on occasion for many years. He is a singer/songwriter and doctor! I have been involved in a few of his original projects. The album Monks At The Bellagio is his latest release. He contacted me in June to ask if I would help him with the song Poisoned Shadow. I was on my way to B.C. when he reached me. When I arrived, I rented a guitar and got to work using my iPad and a simple iOs audio interface. I recorded a whole bunch of things and shared them with Steve and his producer not thinking that the recordings would be usable for the final track. As it turned out, some of them were! Another fun fact about this song is that Steve was able to hire Pete Thomas, the drummer for Elvis Costello And The Attractions, who also recorded remotely from his studio in L.A., so we are playing together virtually on this recording! You can listen to the song here.

ampground - Part 5

 

This is a re imagined version of the 1969 classic by Norman Greenbaum. It wasn't necessarily my intention but it ended up being a much darker version. A reflection of the times? Listen to it here.

(Do The) Monster Mash

My friend  Bruce challenged me to write the original Monster Mash - the song that the song Monster Mash is about (think about that for a sec...). This is what I came up with. It's called (Do The) Monster Mash.

ampground - Part 4

In the past, I had never listened to much SNFU but when I heard that Ken Chinn had passed away in July, I felt like revisiting their music. The song Painful Reminder spoke to me for some reason. I learned it and then started to fool around with it. The song proceeded to turn into something else altogether. This is the result. (click here to listen).

ultra sonic weapons - Part 7

Not long after the global pandemic began, I found that I was extremely affected by the rhetoric coming out of the U.S. at the time. I set out to create an audio documentation of it. It came out as a somewhat retro/industrial/electronic track called "Antiviral"(click here to listen).

Pandemic Blues

2020 has been a year like no other. Music has definitely been a saving grace for me. In our second month of confinement, my son set out to write a song that encapsulated his experience. After the song came together, we alkso decided to try to create a video for it. With some very primitive green screen magic, we came up with "Pandemic Blues" It was a lot of fun to do and something I'm sure we will never forget!  (click here to listen).

GB Create Theme

In 2018, I was inspired by the updated version of GarageBand for iOS to design a course for students of all ages that would teach all aspects of music, with a particular focus on creativity, through the app. I created a website for the course and then decided to write and record a theme song using only the app to do it (click here to listen).

ampground - Part 3

I have been a long time fan of Nick Cave and have listened to The Birthday Party but was not familiar at all with Rowland S. Howard. I recently came across a documentary about him called Autoluminescent: Rowland S. Howard by Rowland S. Howard. In it, I discovered what an incredibly creative and talented artist he was. I also heard this song, called "Shivers", for the first time. It is said to be the first song he ever wrote at age sixteen. This is my interpretation of it (click here to listen).

ampground - Part 2

In 2002, I began writing and recording a new batch of songs. These songs felt like they could be the beginnings of a new ampground album but unlike the first album, the songs would have fuller arrangements. I began working in my parents basement then continued in my new studio in my apartment on the Plateau. By 2004, I had finished twelve songs. I decided to call the album "Divided We Stand, United We Fall". (click here to listen). I was very fortunate to have the participation of my friends Keane and Sophie who contributed back up vocals to many of the songs.

Where It All Began...

 

    
This is my parent's basement. This picture was taken about 40 years ago or so. This basement played host to dozens of musicians and bands, hundreds of rehearsals and hundreds of hours of recording. Part of a video was shot in it (more info to follow...). I had my studio there for a couple of years. A lot of music was played and created in this basement. A lot of good memories... I'd like to thank my parents for making it all possible and putting up with it! So, let's go back to where it all started...1984.

NDG Music School

After two years of hard work and planning, Michael Fitch and I finally got this project off the ground. Our mission was to create our own 'School Of Rock" in N.D.G.. We offer group classes for kids, teens and adults. Our focus is bringing people together to play music. 

www.ndgmusicschool.com

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