Name of Artist:
Kirk Armstrong - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Drum Programmer and Producer/Engineer
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Cheryl: What genre of artist are you?
Kirk: Soft atmospheric electronic rock with an emphasis on songwriting and guitars
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Cheryl: Tell us a brief history of your musical career and background.
Kirk: Music came naturally to me. I was influenced by everything I heard. My main influences in my teens were Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. I learned to play guitar with the help of some friends, my record player and my ears. I started writing songs as soon as I learned to play. When punk and new wave hit in the late 70’s some friends and I started a collection of bands which evolved into my first professional band, Manikin. Manikin played around the area for a couple of years but was unviable financially. I started to teach guitar around this time in order to supplement my income.
In the 80’s I took an electronics course offered by Algonquin. This helped me come to grips with the music synthesizers which were just becoming affordable for the average person at this time. I started a new band, AKA, which played locally. When AKA folded I sold all my sound reinforcement equipment and bought a Portastudio, a synthesizer and a drum machine. I started to concentrate upon my own original material. I was working in the high tech field at this time and was introduced to computer programming.
In the mid 80’s I left the high tech industry and joined the Murray Reid Group, a popular Valley band, as the lead guitarist. We played constantly for a couple of years and then I decided to go solo. I have been playing solo now for close to 20 years with the aid of computer assisted backing tracks that I have created myself.
I have been teaching guitar privately now for 25 years. I also run a project studio and have produced and performed on CD’s released by GASM and Freddy Dixon, among others. I also worked with the late Terry Carisse for ten years helping him record demos for his songs. Terry Carisse was a six-time recipient of the Canadian Country Music Association's Male Vocalist of the Year, dominating the category from 1980-1986, and still holding the record for the most ever wins as the CCMA's Male Vocalist of the Year. He also earned the CCMA's Songwriter of the Year award in 1985 for his song Counting The I Love You's. Carisse was also named Top Male Vocalist in the RPM ''Big Country Awards'' in 1980-81 and 1987; and won several Big Country awards for Single and Album of the Year as well as Songwriter of the Year.
I released my first CD, Wire, last year (2007) and have just released my second CD, "Island" (2008).
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Cheryl: What band or musician are you listening to now?
Kirk: Lately I've been listening to Nick Lowe and Bill Nelson
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Cheryl: What band or musician do you consider as your major musical influence? What is your favourite song, CD or album by this artist/band?
Kirk: The Beatles and my favourite album by them is Revolver
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Cheryl: What does your family think of your music?
Kirk: My parents and my children have been very supportive of my musical endeavours
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Cheryl: What excites you most about being a musician?
Kirk: Creating music is my biggest buzz
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Cheryl: What discourages you the most about being a musician?
Kirk: Having to make money to support my lifestyle
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Cheryl: What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording?
Kirk: On Glen Isle sitting on a picnic bench playing to the squirrels when I was a teenager. The squirrels went nuts or maybe they were eating them.
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Cheryl: What is your best or worst road story ever?
Kirk: I'm too polite to talk about the best road story but I do remember having to have a police escort out of Fort Coulonge one Saturday evening in one of my first bands, Manikin. That would be the worst road story with the exception of maybe the Ashton Bash.
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Cheryl: Does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?
Kirk: No
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Cheryl: ell us about the most recent song/CD you have written or recorded.
Kirk: My new CD, "Island" is now available. The CD has 14 songs on it all written, performed and produced by myself. If I was to describe it using other artists as examples, I would say it's a combination of Blue Rodeo, Eagles and Beatles meets Phil Collins and Pink Floyd. That's the way I described it for CDBaby who ask for examples like that. Some of the songs I have had around for a long time but most have been written in the time since I released my first CD "Wire" last year. It was recorded in my house. It can be purchased at my gigs, in Carleton Place at IDA Drugmart and at SRC Music or by contacting me personally. It can be purchased online at CDBaby along with my first CD. It is also available at
http://Earbuzz.com
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kirkarmstrong
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kirkarmstrong2
http://earbuzz.com/modules.php?mod=artistpage&artistid=257&cd=304
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Cheryl: Is your music or a live performance video available online?
Kirk:
http://www.kirkarmstrong.com/
Facebook
http://www.myspace.com/kirkwire
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Cheryl: What advice would you give to fellow artists/bands?
Kirk: Stay true to your vision and good things will happen
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Cheryl: What message would you like fans and future fans to take away from your music?
Kirk: Hope is never very far away
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Cheryl: What is the best advice anyone every gave you about being a musician?
Kirk: Stay true to your vision and good things will happen
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Cheryl: When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?
Kirk: I haven't been writing lately. I have a backlog of songs that need to be recorded and finished and that has been my main focus lately. I am working on two CD's at the same time, like I normally do. One will be more rock/electronica oriented like "Wire" and one is more mellow, like "Island".
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Cheryl: What musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener?
Kirk: My favourite period of music was when pop artists like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones started to introduce classical elements into pop songs like "Ruby Tuesday", "She's A Rainow", "Eleanor Rigby" and "Strawberry Fields". I also like guitar oriented music not matter the style.
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Cheryl: What's the saddest song you've ever heard or written?
Kirk: I don't think I've written my saddest song yet.
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Cheryl: Tell us about your next shows and latest projects.
Kirk: This summer I am playing every Saturday at the Serendipity Bistro in Merrickville from 2 to 5 pm along with other various gigs. I am playing gigs with my son as well and those gigs are a lot of fun.
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Cheryl: And just because we are a Tarot site, what is your astrological sign and have you ever had your “fortune” told? If yes to the “fortune” what did you think of your experience?
Kirk: I am a Leo and no, I have never had my fortune told.
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