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Nepean This Week, Friday May 5, 2000
Local musician receives professional demo award
MICHAEL HINDS
NEPEAN THIS WEEKWhen the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records (FACTOR) awarded Canadian musician Colin James with its first ever $1,000 professional demo award in the mid 1980s, Dale Waterman was probably just learning to tie his own shoes.
Today, the 22-year-old musician and producer is the proud recipient of the same award.
Waterman, a Nepean resident, received the award in March. It was the first time he had applied to receive anything from the Foundation.
FACTOR, which is supported by both the federal department of Canadian Heritage and the music industry, presents the monetary award to cover 50 per cent of the cost of making a demo, up to $1,000.
According to FACTOR program administrator Mark Watts, only 100 of the 425 people who applied for the award last year, actually received one. Each application for a professional demo award goes before a jury of three to five people from the music industry. The applications are judged based on sound, lyrics and marketability. It is relatively easy to apply, says Watts, as there are few application requirements beyond being a Canadian citizen and having made and produced the music in Canada.
Waterman says his award money will go towards recouping the $3,000 in production costs of his first demo CD. "Let Me Know" was released unofficially in February.
The demo was recorded at Distortion Studios in Nepean, where local musical sensations Alanis Morissette and Tammy Raybould have recorded in the past.
Under the conditions of the award, Waterman cannot use the demo commercially for a year's time. If he receives a record deal before the year is up, the $1,000 must be paid back.
"I've never had anything like this in my life," says Waterman, who has been teaching piano and vocals at the Nepean School Of Music for three years.
The pianist and vocalist produced the "Let Me Know" demo under his independent NebulaSonic Productions label formed in April 1999 and mostly run out of his parent's house.
He is currently the only musician under the label but says he is courting a number of people interested in joining him.
A technical support job for Roger's Internet provider has helped him finance the cost of running the label, along with some help from his parents.
His four-track demo includes elements of funk, jazz, pop and rock, with most of the lyrics and music written by Waterman himself, and Brian and Jeff Asselin pitching in on sax and drums respectively. Adam Fogo handles bass, Azim Keshavjee plays the guitar and Tony Raybould provides percussion on the track "Ground".
Waterman says he plans to shop the demo around and hopes to release a full-length album some time next year.
"I'm in music because I love it," says Waterman, whose musical influences range from the light sound of R&B musician Stevie Wonder to the harder sound 'of alternative rockers Stone Temple Pilots. "I've been involved in music since I was 10 or 11.
"A lot of musicians don't know about (FACTOR) and that's kind of a shame. If you take the time to apply properly and you have good enough material, then they'll take a look at it."
Waterman's award was clearly a while coming. He sang in the .choir that provided background vocals for Celine Dion at the 1996 concert held at the Core] Centre. He also performed at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec the summer of 1998 with Tammy Raybould.
More recently, Waterman embarked on what he calls the "suburb circuit" and spent last - summer playing a number of solo gigs at various Chapters bookstores, where he sold about 20 copies of his acoustic album, "Let Me Know" on the Nebulasonic label.
As for the near future; Waterman hopes to land gigs at Barrymores and the two Zaphod Beeblebrox's in the downtown area.
And while he acknowledges the difficulty of getting mainstream radio play on an independent label, he is nonetheless quick to highlight a pragmatic aspect of working independently.
"I have a goal (for the label)," he says. "I want to have control over what's going on with my music. With my own label I'll be able to do that.
"I want longevity. I don't want to be a flavour of the month."