Listen to Blue.
About
Brian England Music
Brian England is a singer-songwriter based in Antigonish, Nova Scotia...a small university town on the east coast of Canada. He sings songs about life and living. His voice and strong songwriting is heavily influenced by the music and culture of Atlantic Canada. Brian has performed at concerts across Canada and the US, performed on National Television and his music has been featured in film and radio. Brian has done studio work for many East Coast performers...playing piano, guitar, and backing vocals. His debut solo album, Blue, was released in 2014 and showcases the depth of his songwriting. Several songs were featured on Satellite radio, and his music continues to be played on terrestrial radio stations around the world. You can find his music on spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you stream music.
The history
Before I could walk, music moved me. My parents...in particular my very good mother...were music lovers. The radio in the kitchen was always on, and my mom told me that whenever John Allan Cameron would come on the radio....I'd clap my hands and dance. At the age of 6, I started taking piano lessons under the care of Antigonish born Ed Rogers. Ed taught me to play piano, and focused the book Kerr's Caledonia Collection.....but a lot of time would be spent talking about ghost stories and the his fascination with the royal family. Right from the start, music was more than just notes and performing. It was about sharing stories and things we are passionate about. My first gig was at aged 12...playing a 100 year old pump organ for the wedding of a family friend. It was high school that I figured out I could sing. I played in a few bands in highschool....mostly in preparation for the glory of rocking it out at the high school winter carnival variety show. Glory days indeed.
My first recording was with a band called Unity. We would play high school aged dances at our local parish center. It was a band that played electronic music of the time....New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure. My bandmate was a DJ, and we'd mix his music with our music. We had a guitar player, samplers, drum machines, and even 2 male dancers as part of our show. We recorded two songs....Raise the Fire (written by bandmate Charife Douine) and Jenny. Jenny was a song I created from a poem written my my great friend, Patrick Gough. We spent a whole day at SoundMarket Studios...which was the birthplace of Sloan and the Halifax "grunge" scene. It was awesome.
When I turned legal drinking age, I joined a band of univerisity friends called Wyngspan. We were the rock like an eagle supergroup the name implied. I cut my bar band teeth performing all over Nova Scotia and pretty much every rock club we could find. One night we opened for Spirit of the West. I knew music was always going to be a part of my life.
After university, I moved to Edmonton. One of my Wyngspan bandmates, Jon Carmichael, had gone out there. I stayed on his couch for months. Jon and I formed a duo called NorthWest Passage (an obvious play on the great Stan Rogers song) and quickly made a name for ourselves in the Edmonton music scene. It was on Jon's couch that we wrote the song "Nova Scotia". I think the lyrics were originally written on a pizza box. The time came for me to move home to Nova Scotia to work in the family business....and I left Alberta behind.
When I got home, some friends of mine had a band called Jug in Hand. They had just recorded a CD called Dunmore Road and had a gig they needed a soundman for. I did sound for them, and we all hung out...and shortly thereafter joined the band. 25 years later, Jug in Hand (with a different lineup) is still performing. We recorded 2 more albums, Skulduggery and Prose, and then Delirium.
My great friend, Danny Sutherland...encouraged me to write and record my own music. His brilliance is all over my album and I learned more about music from that guy than anyone else I've every played with. With his help and encouragement, I recorded my debut solo album with another great friend and mentor, Jon Matthews, in his award winning Sound Mill Studios in PEI. Blue is an album I'm still very proud of, and even today, listening to it is a way for me to connect with my dear friend Danny. You can find Blue on all the streaming sites, and I still have copies available on CD for those who like that format.
Today, I perform regularly at concerts and pubs around NS. I have a few groups that I'm currently working on projects with, and I anticipate more recording in the near future. Check out my Facebook page to keep up on where I'm playing.
Gigs
SEPT 3 - PRIVATE EVENT THE MAPLES
SEPT 11 - GRAN FONDO GUYSBOROUGH. 10A - 2PM
SEPT 18 - TAPASANDTRAILS.CA
SEPT 25 - DUNDEE RESORT 8PM - 12PM
I will endevor to keep this current. As Covid19 restrictions are opening up....my schedule is filling up. You can always check in to my Facebook page. www.facebook.com/brianenglandmusic
Make your event stand out
Brian offers lots of options to make your event stand out. From intimate solo shows and house concerts to full band with multimedia..contact me to discuss.
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