Keyboardists have always had a lot of options in terms of sounds and instruments to use in their work , be it adding to someone else ’ s composition or creating their own . This year , we spoke to various players working in different genres to drill down into how they do that . As always , we ’ re interested in the instruments and gear our interviewees use , but we ’ re also looking for insight into their workflow and the approach they take to their work in terms of creating parts , composing music , and preparing for studio and live performance . Let ’ s meet the panel :
PHOTO : BOBBY SINGH , FOHPHOTO . COM
Brandon Bliss is the keyboardist for Hamilton-based , Juno Award-winning heavy rock band Monster Truck . He also formerly played with Saint Alvia . Monster Truck ’ s latest release is “ Golden Woman ,” the first single off their forthcoming album , which follows the band ’ s recent global signing with BMG .
Kevin Comeau plays keyboards , bass , and guitars for the fast-rising Canadian prog-rock duo Crown Lands . At the 2021 Juno Awards , Crown Lands won for Breakthrough Group of the Year and were nominated for Rock Album of the Year for their self-titled debut LP . Their latest releases are the live album Odyssey Vol . 1 and the White Buffalo EP on Universal Music Canada .
Steph Copeland is a Toronto-based screen composer , producer , and singer / songwriter best known for her film scores and darker-leaning electro-pop works . A classically-trained vocalist with roots at The Royal Conservatory of Music , Copeland released six albums with other artists before releasing her solo debut effort , Public Panic . Her original songs have been placed in series such as Tiny Pretty Things , L . A .’ s Finest , UnREAL , Mysticons , and more . Commercial works include NBA Canada , The North Face , Magnotta Winery , Pan-Am Games , Bose , and the National Ballet School of Canada .
Shamus Currie ( pictured front & centre ) is a multi-instrumentalist and keyboard player for The Sheepdogs and BROS . The Sheepdogs ’ new album , Outta Sight , was released in June 2022 via Warner
Music Canada and includes the singles “ So Far Gone ” and “ Find the Truth .” Over the last decade , they ’ ve won four Juno Awards ( and been nominated for plenty more ), plus MuchMusic Video Awards , CASBY Awards , and more .
Kris Davis is an acclaimed Canadian jazz pianist and composer based in New York City . She is a 2021 Doris Duke Artist in the jazz category and was described by the New York Times as a beacon for “ deciding where to hear jazz on a given night .” Davis has released 23 recordings as a leader or co-leader and collaborated with a long list of celebrated musicians . Her 2019 album , Diatom Ribbons , was named Jazz Album of the Year by the New York Times and the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll . She was also named 2020 Pianist of the Year , 2017 Rising Star Pianist , and 2018 Rising Star Artist by DownBeat magazine .
Nick Dourado – is an arranger , saxophonist , and piano / keyboard player who ’ s been called “ one of Canada ’ s most active and vibrant young musicians .” He performed on Aquakultre ’ s acclaimed debut album Legacy , as well as with his eclectic solo project bUDi , and with Jerry Granelli , Beverly Glenn-Copeland , and Fiver and the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition .
50 CANADIAN MUSICIAN