Music

Steven McKay of Bruce Peninsula goes solo

by Jessica Lewis

It always seems like quite the effort for a musician to break from a band mold and go solo. From finding their own sound, to testing the waters, to making sure everyone else is okay with it, to seeing if they actually can do it. Steven McKay, drummer for Bruce Peninsula, has tickled his solo fancy on and off since 2006, but recently gave it more of a kick with his self-titled debut full-length album.

It had been about getting back to his interest in guitar, but he also wanted to find his own spotlight.

“I have two personalities really,” he said in an interview with AUX. “The drummer and then the singing, songwriter guy.”

McKay admits that part of this record was a call for attention. As the backbone of Bruce Peninsula, during concerts, he’d literally be in the back. People would even come up to him after, saying ‘so that band was good, eh?’

“It’s me being like ‘look at me! I swear I’m in this band!’” he laughed. “You can’t see me, I’m always behind a row of girls singing…but I’m tall…”

Now he admits that the solo spotlight is different than he expected, from worrying about what he wears at his shows to making sure he moves around enough. He also has to plan around his time with Bruce Peninsula, as they work up their new album for a 2011 release.

But the solo album, in its light and sunny approach, grew into something much more heartfelt and grounded for McKay, who is legitimately busy with both musical endeavors as well as keeping up a job.

“A lot of the songs are about how I miss people because I’m not around, I’m busy working,” he said. “I just don’t see people enough. You get older and you stop seeing your friends. I used to be the guy who spent all of my time with my friends. I don’t do that any more. It’s a lot about friends, nostalgia and [a couple songs] are how I’m at odds with how fast we’re living.”

McKay decided that the album would serve as a gift to those friends and his wife, to show them that he was making music for them while unable to spend time with them.

McKay takes his solo spotlight out onto the road this week, with concert stops in Sackville, Halifax, Toronto, Kingston and Waterloo.