I've always been fascinated with audio engineering. I am definitely an audiophile. I was a studio and jingle singer in the early 90's and worked in different studios a lot. In 2003 I went to school and became a certified audio engineer. I was trained by a Grammy nominated producer and Canadian legend Darryl Neudorf ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darryl_Neudorf ). Darryl was a founding member of 54:40 and help launch Sarah McLaughlin. He is also the Father of digital audio in Canada and very well known around the world. I'd love to say he taught me everything he knows but it just would be possible. Darryl and I have become good friends and he's an important person in my life.
I got to work on a session at Metal Works in Mississauga with the Tea Party and I've spent time with some absolute Canadian Icons like Don Kerr, Jeff Healey, Pat Rush, Bruce Gordon, Bazil Donavon and others. But perhaps the greatest privilege was working as the assistant engineer and ProTools Op at Escarpment Sound in Acton, ON. In addition to many full projects, I spent two solid weeks working closely with Stompin' Tom Connors and his band. We recorded Hockey Mom Tribute for EMI Records, his last full studio album before his death in 2013. I remember during the session he was scheduled to perform on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". The show was being filmed live in Toronto and Tom invited me to join him and his entourage and then to an event afterward. I couldn't go because I was playing that night with the Practically Hip. We'd become friendly and I hung off his every word. We talked about every little town in Canada I could think of and amazingly he had a story about each one. He remembered names and details and it was incredible. We talked about Dave Bidini and the Rheostatics and I told him I was recording a separate project with a good friend of Gord Downey's. Tom was a gentleman and as they say...I'm richer for having known him.
I've obviously enjoyed recording my own music as well, and I've been absolutely blessed to have had some pretty magical people work on it with me. One of the first things I did was a version of a 1940's song by Woody Gutherie. Darrly Neudorf introduced me to Bazil Donavon from Blue Rodeo who sat in on bass. Michelle Joseph (Etta James, Prairie Oyster and Albert King) played drums and an incredibly dear friend from my earliest days in music, Brian Cober played double slide. We nailed it in three takes live off the floor and I'll never forget that day. Its here ( https://soundcloud.com/pat-riel/vigilante-man ) if anyone would like to check it out. I'm incredibly fortunate for all of these experiences and I'm so grateful to all the mentors that have taken the time to hold my hand along the way. I am obligated to do the same for my children and other young musicians.
