CALL ME A DREAMER...
themissiondistrict
Feb 09, 2008
As I sit here and try to come up with an idea for my first blog, I find myself recapping my time spent with these guys for the past eight months, the strange course of events that led to the eventual joining of The Mission District and the 21 year long journey that brought me to this point.
Childhood dreams resurface of jetting to Australia to surf the east coast, backpacking through Europe, going to law school, maybe even becoming an astronaut (a boy can dream!) and, while all seeming like viable options at the time, none are as full of risk, uncertainty and potential world-wide recognition as the adventure I now find myself on.
It seems there is only one topic I could possibly write about to not only introduce myself to those who might find themselves inadvertently reading this or those who might be curious enough to see what I have to say, but to explain how I ended up in Montreal, nearly homeless, almost seven hours away from home and caught in this whirlwind of a tale with no guarantee of success but surrounded by those who have dreams just as big as I do.
Bare with me for a moment as I bring you up to speed on the past 21 years of my life. I was born in Toronto and grew up in Markham, which is just north east of the city. Subjected to a typical suburban environment I went to the local public school and had the usual experiences you would expect. I developed interests in music, skateboarding, reading "Animorphs" and "Goosebumps" (until I found out R.L. Stine had ghost writers) and pogs. It was in music though where I found my solace and from the time I started banging on my grandma's piano at an early age until I began playing the drums in grade six until now, I have always been drawn to the world of music because of it's ability to ease my mind and provide such a creative outlet that I crave. I went to high-school for a percussion program and did my thing there for four years. Again, typical high school experiences, girlfriend, pop-machines and sub-par chicken burgers and beef patties. I had a renewed interest though, throughout high-school, in playing piano and I would play almost every lunch period when I wasn't outside drinking pop being that annoying skateboarding kid outside with my buddy Andrew.
After my time there was over I ventured off to University for Philosophy of Science which I found interesting and because (and I think this is how many people view it) it seemed like the next step after high school. First year went by well enough. I met a lot of people including a crazy Australian dude and a tea-drinking Dutchman who I'm still in contact with. Second year, after having moved into a house with a couple of hilarious guys that I love to this day, was a little different. I had a keyboard, guitar, newly acquired Mac Powerbook, Shure sm57 and an M-audio fast-track pro. That's a fair description of second year. After intensive introspection (I was majoring in philosophy after all) I realized I needed to re-evaluate how I was spending my time. (My half of a philosophy degree gave me that much.)…. So I packed up my gear and went back to Markham. My future, however risky and uncertain, was in music.
The next few months of my life were a real eye opener. I still wasn't sure how I was going to fulfill this dream of having some sort of career revolving around music production and ended up needing a job to finance my developing home studio and halo 2 addiction. Without thinking it through or really knowing what else to do, I took a job at the mall near my house. If you ever have the urge to work full time in a retail clothing store for 6 months at the mall, please, whatever you do, don't. Tara, Ashley, Virginia, Alessandra, et al. you're all amazing people, but I was spending my days in a moisture-less mall, living on schedules, routines, procedures and A&W. For a dreamer like myself, I soon realized that this was comparable to something as spirit-crushing as the slow, debilitating drip of water torture. The steady income allowed me to understand how people can become locked in a job that they may not necessarily love but I was slowly going crazy, pestered by kids looking for "those shoes with wheels" while having to promote "these crazy new shoes with wheels" and telling everyone that walked in "if you buy 2 of these you can get 10% of off these!" … Needless to say I was continuing my quest to find a way into the music industry and escape my cotton confines. Those who knew me knew of my desire to write and produce music and one day a family friend let me tag along to a mastering facility downtown who passed me along to a local studio with the possibility of interning. Then, months later, after I hadn't really gained any ground on the studio scene, I was introduced to Bob Luhtala (TMD's manager) who in turn set me up to meet Matt DeMatteo. (TMD's producer). I happened to mention Bonham as being an influence and we seemed to get along pretty well after that. I started showing up the following day and helped out where I could.
Meanwhile… Dave, Antoine, Rob and Travis had been in Toronto working with Matt for the past few months and were finishing things up on Youth Games. I had only been coming around for a few weeks until Matt mentioned moving his whole studio up to Montreal. I began researching moving trucks and the day came where Matt asked if I would be interested in coming up to Montreal to work for him there. I would be separated from my family, my girlfriend and my dog but I was 20 and jumped at the opportunity to continue working with an experienced musician and producer. July 1st. Moving day had arrived and the convoy left from Toronto, friends and family waving 'so long'.
We had arrived in Montreal and the truck had been unloaded with lots of help. In the beginning the studio was an empty warehouse space with lots of boxes, a bed and dresser in one big room and an adjacent lounge/control room. While it's certainly coming along these days, at the time, it was my only place to stay and made for interesting evenings of being alone in a huge, nearly empty room on a bed with only the light from my cell phone and my own voice to convince myself that I wasn't in a sensory deprivation chamber surrounded by 50 feet of darkness on either side of the bed. Eventually I moved into my cousin's place. She goes to McGill and came back in September so I found another place until it finally clicked for Rob and I, months later, that he had an empty room the whole time at his place. I moved shortly after and plan to stay there as long as he'll let me.
The studio itself was slowly being built, brick by brick, wall by wall, but there wasn't too much for me to do aside from construction. The band was still working with Matt in Montreal and it so happened that they needed a drummer and a keyboard player for a more permanent line up and for an upcoming show. They knew I was a drummer and asked if I'd play for them at a rehearsal. The also had another guy (Mike) who was listening to the tracks. Mike is a solid drummer and I felt I was too rusty from not having a kit with me for 2 years so I mentioned that I was also pretty comfortable on piano. I showed up to a rehearsal and picked up the keyboard parts pretty quickly. Mike knew his stuff and the sound started to definitely come together. The Mission District was going to be a 6 piece. Over the next few weeks we had more and more rehearsals until it got to the point where there was the possibility of playing more shows with them. Matt had also passed along some advice, pushing me on to the path of being in a band while I was still young. So, after moving up to Montreal to assist Matt at his studio after knowing him and the other guys for only three months, I was now there for the band. (Following months can be traced back through other blogs on TMD's Myspace and all the pictures and videos that go along with them. We played at a festival in Montreal, played Toronto, Windsor, Oshawa, Cornwall, Sudbury, New York...and are heading to South by Southwest in a few weeks in Austin, Texas!!!)
At this point in the story I feel I need to apologize. My initial plan didn't involve writing such an in-depth account of my entire life. So I'm sorry if you've read all of this thinking. ``Ok, ok, blah, blah, where are you going with this?" Well, this is where I'm going: I went from having no idea what I wanted to do with my life to realizing at a Faber Drive/Mariana's trench show at the MOD club what I wanted to do. I was off to the side of the room beside several groups of parents chaperoning their 14 year old daughters and came to the conclusion that I wanted to do what those bands were doing- be on stage playing power pop to a crowd of screaming kids shouting the lyrics back at you, both the band and the kids feeding off each others energy in, what I interpreted as, a harmonious symbiotic exchange. I had this dream to play music for a living (at least while I'm young and can get away with it!), travel around, see the sights, `be on the open road' so to speak... and within a year I found myself in The Mission District, on the brink of self-proclaimed stardom just waiting for the opportunity to tour the world.
Even though the phrase ``don't push your luck" comes to mind now, I can't help but feel as though something great is about to happen. Fame and fortune are headed our way. Of course we're not in it specifically for the fame or the fortune but if touring the world and fame and fortune go hand in hand than I guess we'll just have to humbly and graciously accept it. We've already created alter-egos and disguises for when we need to make secret entrances and exits at shows. Call me crazy, or even absurdly overly optimistic about everything, but if my luck continues than things are looking up!
Well, now you know, for the most part, who I am and the events that have led to me sitting at my computer in Montreal, typing a blog about my life and the luck I have been fortunate enough to receive. All good things come to those who wait and patience is a virtue but fortune favours the bold so keep your eyes and ears open for The Mission District. Whether you like it or not, we're coming!
Hi Mom!
Evan
Childhood dreams resurface of jetting to Australia to surf the east coast, backpacking through Europe, going to law school, maybe even becoming an astronaut (a boy can dream!) and, while all seeming like viable options at the time, none are as full of risk, uncertainty and potential world-wide recognition as the adventure I now find myself on.
It seems there is only one topic I could possibly write about to not only introduce myself to those who might find themselves inadvertently reading this or those who might be curious enough to see what I have to say, but to explain how I ended up in Montreal, nearly homeless, almost seven hours away from home and caught in this whirlwind of a tale with no guarantee of success but surrounded by those who have dreams just as big as I do.
Bare with me for a moment as I bring you up to speed on the past 21 years of my life. I was born in Toronto and grew up in Markham, which is just north east of the city. Subjected to a typical suburban environment I went to the local public school and had the usual experiences you would expect. I developed interests in music, skateboarding, reading "Animorphs" and "Goosebumps" (until I found out R.L. Stine had ghost writers) and pogs. It was in music though where I found my solace and from the time I started banging on my grandma's piano at an early age until I began playing the drums in grade six until now, I have always been drawn to the world of music because of it's ability to ease my mind and provide such a creative outlet that I crave. I went to high-school for a percussion program and did my thing there for four years. Again, typical high school experiences, girlfriend, pop-machines and sub-par chicken burgers and beef patties. I had a renewed interest though, throughout high-school, in playing piano and I would play almost every lunch period when I wasn't outside drinking pop being that annoying skateboarding kid outside with my buddy Andrew.
After my time there was over I ventured off to University for Philosophy of Science which I found interesting and because (and I think this is how many people view it) it seemed like the next step after high school. First year went by well enough. I met a lot of people including a crazy Australian dude and a tea-drinking Dutchman who I'm still in contact with. Second year, after having moved into a house with a couple of hilarious guys that I love to this day, was a little different. I had a keyboard, guitar, newly acquired Mac Powerbook, Shure sm57 and an M-audio fast-track pro. That's a fair description of second year. After intensive introspection (I was majoring in philosophy after all) I realized I needed to re-evaluate how I was spending my time. (My half of a philosophy degree gave me that much.)…. So I packed up my gear and went back to Markham. My future, however risky and uncertain, was in music.
The next few months of my life were a real eye opener. I still wasn't sure how I was going to fulfill this dream of having some sort of career revolving around music production and ended up needing a job to finance my developing home studio and halo 2 addiction. Without thinking it through or really knowing what else to do, I took a job at the mall near my house. If you ever have the urge to work full time in a retail clothing store for 6 months at the mall, please, whatever you do, don't. Tara, Ashley, Virginia, Alessandra, et al. you're all amazing people, but I was spending my days in a moisture-less mall, living on schedules, routines, procedures and A&W. For a dreamer like myself, I soon realized that this was comparable to something as spirit-crushing as the slow, debilitating drip of water torture. The steady income allowed me to understand how people can become locked in a job that they may not necessarily love but I was slowly going crazy, pestered by kids looking for "those shoes with wheels" while having to promote "these crazy new shoes with wheels" and telling everyone that walked in "if you buy 2 of these you can get 10% of off these!" … Needless to say I was continuing my quest to find a way into the music industry and escape my cotton confines. Those who knew me knew of my desire to write and produce music and one day a family friend let me tag along to a mastering facility downtown who passed me along to a local studio with the possibility of interning. Then, months later, after I hadn't really gained any ground on the studio scene, I was introduced to Bob Luhtala (TMD's manager) who in turn set me up to meet Matt DeMatteo. (TMD's producer). I happened to mention Bonham as being an influence and we seemed to get along pretty well after that. I started showing up the following day and helped out where I could.
Meanwhile… Dave, Antoine, Rob and Travis had been in Toronto working with Matt for the past few months and were finishing things up on Youth Games. I had only been coming around for a few weeks until Matt mentioned moving his whole studio up to Montreal. I began researching moving trucks and the day came where Matt asked if I would be interested in coming up to Montreal to work for him there. I would be separated from my family, my girlfriend and my dog but I was 20 and jumped at the opportunity to continue working with an experienced musician and producer. July 1st. Moving day had arrived and the convoy left from Toronto, friends and family waving 'so long'.
We had arrived in Montreal and the truck had been unloaded with lots of help. In the beginning the studio was an empty warehouse space with lots of boxes, a bed and dresser in one big room and an adjacent lounge/control room. While it's certainly coming along these days, at the time, it was my only place to stay and made for interesting evenings of being alone in a huge, nearly empty room on a bed with only the light from my cell phone and my own voice to convince myself that I wasn't in a sensory deprivation chamber surrounded by 50 feet of darkness on either side of the bed. Eventually I moved into my cousin's place. She goes to McGill and came back in September so I found another place until it finally clicked for Rob and I, months later, that he had an empty room the whole time at his place. I moved shortly after and plan to stay there as long as he'll let me.
The studio itself was slowly being built, brick by brick, wall by wall, but there wasn't too much for me to do aside from construction. The band was still working with Matt in Montreal and it so happened that they needed a drummer and a keyboard player for a more permanent line up and for an upcoming show. They knew I was a drummer and asked if I'd play for them at a rehearsal. The also had another guy (Mike) who was listening to the tracks. Mike is a solid drummer and I felt I was too rusty from not having a kit with me for 2 years so I mentioned that I was also pretty comfortable on piano. I showed up to a rehearsal and picked up the keyboard parts pretty quickly. Mike knew his stuff and the sound started to definitely come together. The Mission District was going to be a 6 piece. Over the next few weeks we had more and more rehearsals until it got to the point where there was the possibility of playing more shows with them. Matt had also passed along some advice, pushing me on to the path of being in a band while I was still young. So, after moving up to Montreal to assist Matt at his studio after knowing him and the other guys for only three months, I was now there for the band. (Following months can be traced back through other blogs on TMD's Myspace and all the pictures and videos that go along with them. We played at a festival in Montreal, played Toronto, Windsor, Oshawa, Cornwall, Sudbury, New York...and are heading to South by Southwest in a few weeks in Austin, Texas!!!)
At this point in the story I feel I need to apologize. My initial plan didn't involve writing such an in-depth account of my entire life. So I'm sorry if you've read all of this thinking. ``Ok, ok, blah, blah, where are you going with this?" Well, this is where I'm going: I went from having no idea what I wanted to do with my life to realizing at a Faber Drive/Mariana's trench show at the MOD club what I wanted to do. I was off to the side of the room beside several groups of parents chaperoning their 14 year old daughters and came to the conclusion that I wanted to do what those bands were doing- be on stage playing power pop to a crowd of screaming kids shouting the lyrics back at you, both the band and the kids feeding off each others energy in, what I interpreted as, a harmonious symbiotic exchange. I had this dream to play music for a living (at least while I'm young and can get away with it!), travel around, see the sights, `be on the open road' so to speak... and within a year I found myself in The Mission District, on the brink of self-proclaimed stardom just waiting for the opportunity to tour the world.
Even though the phrase ``don't push your luck" comes to mind now, I can't help but feel as though something great is about to happen. Fame and fortune are headed our way. Of course we're not in it specifically for the fame or the fortune but if touring the world and fame and fortune go hand in hand than I guess we'll just have to humbly and graciously accept it. We've already created alter-egos and disguises for when we need to make secret entrances and exits at shows. Call me crazy, or even absurdly overly optimistic about everything, but if my luck continues than things are looking up!
Well, now you know, for the most part, who I am and the events that have led to me sitting at my computer in Montreal, typing a blog about my life and the luck I have been fortunate enough to receive. All good things come to those who wait and patience is a virtue but fortune favours the bold so keep your eyes and ears open for The Mission District. Whether you like it or not, we're coming!
Hi Mom!
Evan
