So the last edition of #ArtistAtHome ended with me being over on Vancouver Island with Shawn Hall. Well, being the good guy that he is, we loaded his car with my gear and he drove me up island 45 minutes to Qualicum Beach, to the home of today's featured artist - Wil Mimnaugh.
If the name of his website doesn't give you some indication of how hard he plays the guitar then nothing will, as it is called 'ibreakstrings.com'
He had just returned from a tour opening for the legendary Burton Cummings, so the timing of this island foray couldn't have been better. It was pretty cool to introduce these guys to each other, as they had never met before. Honestly, it was great to just sit back and listen to these two amazing musicians banter about familiar venues and life on the road. Although he wanted to stay, Shawn had to get back home to his boys, but it was hard for him to leave as we were having such a great time.
Wil and his wife Caroline (who is also his manager) were so kind to me. The beers were flowing as they prepared a lovely steak dinner, and we eventually got around to taking some photographs in his studio room. It was decided early on that since there was little time to do the shoot and make the last ferry, I would just stay the night in their guest bedroom and they would drive me to the ferry the next day. I was so appreciative of their hospitality, not to mention the chance to talk and get to know each other on that level was awesome. I have always respected his amazing talent, and it was quite something to be in the space where he actually records some of his demos. I even got to preview some of his new songs and some of his commercial work.
Wil at home in his music room
Wil not only had the official song of the Calgary Stampede's 100th anniversary but his song 'Roam' is used on the award winning ' Travel Alberta-Video' that has over 5 million YouTube views and continues to be shown on TV.
It was pretty close to 2am by the time we shut it down. We got up, had some great coffee and breakfast and continued to talk about everything, not just music. One thing that struck me - he told me about the toughest interview question he was ever asked, which was something like 'What does it feel like to be carving out a living in an industry that notoriously has its odds stacked well against you, especially nowadays?" Wil told me that it kind of caught him off balance, as he never actually thought of it those terms before. He said " It's a labour of love. There is no certainty of fame, of money, of anything really. I am just in it for the ride (with my gal, of course). It’s bloody scary and thrilling, dark and bright, wondrous and wicked. It’s a roller coaster ride."
That’s why his latest album is called El Paseo – it means ‘The Ride’ in Spanish. Many thanks to Wil, Caroline, and Shawn for a weekend I will never forget.
He plays next May 21 at Vancouver Island PBR Adventure Race - The Antler in Gold River.
