Wide Mouth Mason singer and guitarist Shaun Verreault has long been recognized as one of Canada’s finest blues rock guitarists. His long spidery fingers allow him to play incredible fiery riffs with casual ease. The exploration of the guitar’s possibilities has been his lifelong pursuit but even his closest friends weren’t prepared for Shaun putting aside everything he knew about playing guitar and covering his fingers with metal tubes.
Read MoreSo I joined the band and within a couple of weeks we were in the studio cutting our six-song demo. It was my first time in a recording studio and the experience was more than just a bit intimidating. All of my limitations as a musician were captured on tape. Luckily, what I heard as ham-fisted guitar playing, the rest of the band heard as solid rhythm guitar.
Read MoreI took my guitar with me to New York.
I moved there in September of '79 to go to NYU. I lived in Weinstein dorm in Greenwich Village. We were surrounded by art. I played my guitar on the front steps of the dorm. When I was brave enough, I took my electric out to Washington Square Park and plugged it into a Mouse amp and played Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Kiss and Adam & The Ant songs.
I always considered myself musical. I took piano lessons when I was 8 (from the daughter of my mother's best friend who then sent me home with keys drawn on a piece of paper to practise on since we didn't actually own a piano). My mom likes to tell stories about how I would bang on pots and pans in lieu of having toys. The first time I actually asked for anything extravagant was when I begged my parents for a banjo after seeing Flatt and Scruggs perform on the Beverly Hillbillies. One day after school, on a whim, I bought a mandolin at a bookstore just to see if I could figure it out. Now, I didn't say that I was any good at playing any of these but at least I showed some enthusiasm.
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