Indie Pool
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As a singer-songwriter and guitar player, I am self-taught, although I was heavily involved in an excellent music program in John Rennie High School, in my home town of Montreal, Canada. I played flute, alto saxophone and sang in the choirs. Private piano lessons and corresponding exams at McGill University in Montreal during my high school years were also part of my musical training. Although I had fantasies of being a performing singer and songwriter as a teenager, the most I managed to write was two lines of lyrics! Because I was by nature very shy, to satiate my creative yearnings, I composed original piano pieces, occasionally performing them at piano recitals . After high school, music faded out of my life until many years later. In 1996, after reading "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron, I excavated my old high school dream and made a conscious decision to start writing, singing and playing my own music. Surprisingly, the songs came easily.
I was 33 years old, but my teenage naiveness was still there. After a year of writing and learning to sing and play guitar, I hit local open stages in Edmonton, Vancouver and Montreal, Canada. Listener response was enthusiastic and soon I was performing in cafes, clubs and small festivals. I had stars in my eyes, but it slowly dawned on me how little I knew about all the possibilities that were open to me in the music world and how to reach them. After about 5 years of performing at basically the same level, I decided to step back and take some time to learn more and decide which direction I would take. The desire to create visual art again also made its way back into my life at this time.
Over the past five years, I've written and performed in spurts, giving equal time to both my musical and artistic endeavors. Playing and singing for my own enjoyment has been constant since I began writing. Recording my music has also been a priority. Two EPs of my original songs were recorded over the years and I'm excited to have released my first full-length CD "KALEIDOSCOPE" in September of 2006.
