Who the heck are you and what is Half Broke Horse?
My name is Brett Wildeman. I am a twenty three and a half year old
musician, writer and photographer. Born in New Westminister, moved to
Roberts Creek in 1995. Lived in Victoria for 5 years while studying at the
University of Victoria. Currently living on the Sunshine Coast, but likely
headed somewhere new very soon.
Myself, Lea Kirstein, and Heather McLeod formed Half Broke Horse just over
a year ago. We played a handful of gigs and recorded a few tracks, then
disbanded last summer. I moved to the Kootenays, Heather moved to Toronto,
and Lea traveled all over Canada and the USA playing with the Folk Arts
Quartet. We are all still really good friends but it is difficult to
actively pursue music together when you all live in different regions of
Canada.
Recently I pitched the idea to a few friends of mine, David and Jeremy
Williams, of rekindling the ashes of Half Broke Horse. We have been
practicing and tightening up our sets for the last few months and are
ready to go!
How long have you been making music?
I have been paying guitar since I was a wee lad. I started playing around
1998.
What instruments do you play?
I play mostly guitar and some harmonica. I recently picked up a
Weissenborn copy, but have yet to tame that beast.
What would you consider your style of music?
I listen to a lot of folk, indie and hip-hop, making my influences quite
diverse. Me and Jeremy have been playing Celtic music our whole lives, so
the foot stomping arm linking music style has been in our blood for
quite sometime.
I would describe our sound as somewhat of a hybrid, maybe celtic-hop
indie folk fusion? Whatever that means.
Our set for Sub Zero will consist of some traditional celtic tunes and a
handful of originals. Toes should be tapping.
Im stoked that you and your buddies will be performing at the Sub Zero
Skim Jam 5, tell me more about the guys that you will be performing with!
Jeremy Williams- Fiddle player extraordinaire. We have been friends and
have been collaborating on music projects for more than a decade. We first
met in the Coast String Fiddlers years ago, and played a couple gigs five
or so years ago under the name of NTS (Note To Self) with some other
amazing Sunshine Coast musicians. I am super stoked to be playing with
Jeremy again!
David Williams- I have been playing with David for a few months now. The
man has quite a solid Youtube following, as he has been compiling drum
covers for a number of years (http://www.youtube.com/user/davynw). Dave
brings puts the umph in our music.
You have been an avid skimboarder yourself but have been unfortunately
been plagued with a dislocating shoulder
How is your shoulder feeling
these days?
Surgery last September has been very successful. Both the surgeon and my
physiotherapist have been very satisfied with the progress I have been
making. I hope to be back in the water soon!
Its always unfortunately to be working through injuries, do you think now
that youve had surgery on your shoulder you will try skimboarding again
sometime down the road?
My recover has been a long road. I really hope that I can get back
skimboarding soon. I am just going to have to take it step by step.
Back to the music questions, recently you have released an EP
Im stoked
for ya! The songs all sound great and Im certainly a fan! Tell me how the
experience of making an EP has changed your life (if I had made an EP I
know I would be going nuts!).
I learned a lot about recording. The recording sessions were plagued with
technical issues and lots of trouble shooting. I recorded the CD alone at
my house, so when trying to address the issues I encountered I only had
myself to consult, which made it difficult at times. It took a lot longer
to record and mix the music then I expected. At the end I am pretty
satisfied with the project but have tons of ideas for future recording
projects.
Do you have plans to continue producing music? When can the world expect more tunes?
I will be definitely recording more music. I am currently going to focus
my efforts on playing some open mics and small gigs, pushing and working
on the live aspect of my music. At this time I am not sure if and or
when I will be producing my next recording, but I will be sure to keep the
folk at SkimBC in the loop!
What has been your most exciting performance? Prior to the Sub Zero Skim
Jam coming up this weekend of course!
In 2004 I played a show at the Gumboot Café with NTS (mentioned
previously). We busted our buts to make the show happen, selling tickets
on our own, arranging all the sound set up, booking the venue, etc. It was
an amazing feeling to see a concert come to life after months of hard
work.
Where can everyone find your latest EP online? If someone was to follow
your music and keep updated with your progress where could they do this?
You can download the EP from my Bandcamp website FOR FREE
The good folk at Gibsons Copy Shop are printing some hard copies of the EP
for me at this moment. They will be on sale for $5 at Sub Zero Skim Jam.
Proceeds will be funding my next recording project.
Good times buddy, stoked that youll be performing this weekend at the Sub
Zero!
About the author
Brandon has spent much more than the majority of his life skimboarding, born in '86 and skimming since '91 he has dedicated countless hours to progressing the sport for himself at his local beaches. Since 2002 Brandon has been trying to push the sport outside of the beaches by developing SkimBC.com, a labour of love for the sport that has helped shape who he is!
Read more posts by Brandon Wright
