I got into the tech side of the music business in London, England in 2003, by way of my friend Smeg. I was singing in a band called Combover in Toronto from 1997 until 2000, and through our drummer Keith, met Smeg and his buddy Paul. They were the frontman and guitarist, respectively, of King Kurt, a legendary psychobilly band out of London starting in the early eighties. They were gigging this surf/punk band in Toronto called the Texas Dirt Fuckers, which would have made Link Ray recoil in horror.
Smeg looked like Hugh Grant and hated it when I would point it out. He would watch our gigs and give feedback and encouragement. When he would perform, you couldn’t take your eyes off of him, so his assessment of our gigs was very much welcomed. We would meet for drinks in Parkdale or the Market and became friends. He explained that if I ever came to London, he would try to get me into roadying and teching.
By the time I arrived in London, Smeg had moved back there as well. Slowly but surely roadie gigs started to come in. It was a great way immerse myself in the industry as a whole. I met great people and crazy people along the way on the other side of rock and roll.