Music
I sing and make videos for Richard Duguay & The Beautiful Decline with
cinematographer and guitar maker, Tom Hejda.
I made a kids' album with Richard and actor/musician/filmmaker Tara Samuel called Be Who You Are - songs and spoken word teaching kids to think critically and question authority.
Back in the day I fronted Toronto bands Sticky Rice and Fuck Ya'll...
Music Video Gallery
Be Who You Are was born when my Dad sent me my old vinyl copy of the kids’ album Free To Be You & Me from the 1970s. Our daughter Violet was only about 5 years old so I thought she might get a kick out of hearing it. I thought, ‘This is going to be so outdated with all the themes of women’s rights and equality’ but what I found was that it was actually more relevant than ever. And it became the start of a conversation that needed to continue. How we inspire our children to live, create, and treat other is just as important as math and science. Our songs build self-esteem and introduce concepts like empathy and instinct - and they're rock-parent friendly.
Ron Reyes of Black Flag fame sings Question Everything, appropriately the most punk rock song on the album, which is about making the world a better place with your own ideas. Blues pro Dave Raven lends a Johnny Cash flavor to Your Toys Could Be Better, a rail-clacking number sung by 7-year-old Violet Duguay as a letter to a big movie company that she feels is missing the mark when it comes to merchandising. The saucy little song was written as a nod to Carol Channing’s narrated piece in the 1970’s kids’ album Free To Be You & Me where she informs kids that the women on TV commercials who love to mop and clean are actresses who get paid to look happy doing housework. You can get the album pretty much anywhere including our BandCamp page. We hosted a YouTube channel that had original content created by and for kids.