How it started
How it started:
A collection of various acoustic / soft rock / country compositions I have written with help from friends and featuring various artists who have helped me get my musical message across. Thanks a bunch to all of them. Album produced at Studio 11-77 (Laval, Quebec, Canada) Almost ten years ago, just after my divorce, I began playing guitar. With the help of an old friend I was soon strumming up a storm with buddies and pals around the picnic table in their backyard, playing everything from the Beatles to the Eagles. During the course of this time I met a woman (it always happens that way, doesn't it?). She inspired me to start writing lyrics and soon I had a few verses jotted down and was working on the melodies for them. It was through her inspiration and love that I was able to put these words across to those who would listen. Many of these songs are about her. I formed a small band with a few of my friends and together we started working the songs into something resembling music. Many of the songs on this album were originally created within that group, "Midlife Crisis". That group soon ended, as did the relationship with the woman and my songs were put on the back shelf for some time. It was almost a year later when I was fortunate enough to listen to a young woman playing at a local club. She was doing a solo acoustic show, playing hits and old favourites, but it was her voice that caught my attention. We soon began to talk about music together after her shows (I went to see her play often), and we developed a close friendship during our time together. It was this woman who pushed me to work on the songs again and she helped me with many of the melodies you will hear on this album. Many of the songs completed here are directly due to her and her talented voice. She also came up with many of the arrangements and is therefore included on the songwriting credits for those songs....that woman was Rachel Kapasi. Rachel and I were soon working together on both of our songwriting projects and formed a small trio, along with bassist Ron Poole, which we called "Anna's Dare". Out of this trio were formed the melodies for "All of the Moments", "Little White Boxes" and the more recently worked "Rainbows." But social obligations, work and distance became a problem for the band and we went our separate ways. Although Rachel and I still kept in touch, she pursued her solo career and also a lead vocal spot with the group "Darling Nikki", Ron Poole ended up working on a horse ranch (one of his passions) and I went back to the everyday life I enjoyed before the music. Recently a friend of mine, who was also a musician, encouraged me to come and use his studio if I needed to and I began planning to record some of the music I had always wanted to put out there. The big problem was that I am not a singer (hell, I'm not even very much of a guitar player for that matter), so I needed to find other musicians to help me out. Vocals was the big issue, especially a male lead vocal. But I have found someone who enjoys the music style I write in and his voice fits my writing to a tee. Enter Garry Couture (Rainbows). With the addition of Rachel (who sings many of the songs on this album) and Ralf Muller (Producer, guitarist and good friend) the album was resurrected from the drawer where I had put all the lyrics. I am now in the studio regularly, trying to finish songs like Rainbows and working on the arrangements for the other 9 songs on the album. When it is finished you will hear many voices singing my lyrics and a gang of musician friends of mine playing the instruments. If it wasn't for them, this album would not exist and the present version of this "group" would be only a dream. With the hope that this would be the third and final time I try to get this done, there was only one name that could have fit........I give you "Third Time's A Charm."