Birthdate: March 6th, 1989

Born: Hamilton, Ontario

Raised: Kelowna, British Columbia

 

From the moment I left the womb, I was bombarded with music. My father had been a drummer for at least 15 years, so he was my musical source. By the time I was two, I was listening to a variety of music: Black Flag, Nirvana, Tchaikovsky, Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, and various Celtic music.

 

By the age of 9, I was officially a Spice Girl. You would find Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Hanson in my CD player. I was still listening to the music my dad would play (ie. The Statler Brothers, Dick Dale, Everly Brothers) but I was pretty much a pop music lover. I managed to slide out of it by age 11, and I started listening to The Moffatts. This lead to my first Beatles encounter (which I knew of, anyway). I discovered that my favourite member of The Moffatts was a big Beatles fan, and his favourite song was Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da. I immediately found a copy of it and listened adoringly. I then found Twist and Shout and Norwegian Wood. Still, I didn't really understand about The Beatles and their influence.

 

When I hit middle school, I wanted to play clarinet in the school band. My mum nixed that idea instantly (thankfully!). So, I asked my band teacher if I could play guitar. Instead, she thrust a bass into my hand and asked me to play, because she was in need of a bassist. It looked interesting enough, so I agreed.

 

I started getting heavily into classic rock, mainly AC/DC. I couldn't get enough of the bluesy rock & roll that I was hearing. It blew me away. I became a hardcore fan and bought album after album. By the end of grade seven, I had discovered 80s hair metal and 50s rock&roll. The next year, my dad introduced me to the wonderful world of Led Zeppelin. I fell in love instantly. What were these strange rhythms, melodies, vocals? The musicality of the group was astounding. I wanted more.

 

When I was 14, I started listening to Van Halen and The Doors. I also went back to my roots and listened to Queen. Just after my 15th birthday, I was given a burned copy of The Beatles' red and blue albums. My life changed forever. I knew that I had never, and would never again, hear such vocals, instrumentation and lyrics. This was what I needed. My obsessive-compulsive nature took over and I became a superfan. I was immersed in a world of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. How I longed to be back in 1964, at the Ed Sullivan Theatre!

 

I was still playing bass, and I decided that I wanted to learn another instrument as well. For my 16th birthday, I was given piano lessons. I knew this would come in handy, because I had already started recording some Beatles songs with Cate, and I was fully aware that Paul could play piano. Yes! A tribute band! I embraced this idea with much enthusiasm.

 

Music is such an amazing experience. Whether you're listening, playing, whatever. It can take you anywhere. And luckily for me, it's taken me right here.