HALLS HARBOUR, N.S. — A recording studio on wheels will soon set out on a cross-country road trip to find musicians to join a rock band and lay down their tracks on the spot.
BeaR. E. Awesome is the man with the plan to rig up and convert an RV into a space he can live in and record from while driving across Canada to find musicians to audition for his rock band, Dirt Road Home.
He is looking for musicians to check out his website and choose one of the many songs to play along and record on video to submit as an audition tape. His goal is to form a five-piece band – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, keys and drums – to produce and tour an album with.
“They might be 16, or they might be 60. It doesn’t matter to me – all that matters is the quality of your musicianship, and your personality,” he says.
The Halls Harbour blues musician decided that going after his dream of becoming a professional musician wasn’t enough anymore – he soon realized he wanted others to chase that dream with him.
He soon decided to reach out to other musicians, and wondered what scope the search could be. He says it became clear that the whole country could take part.
He’s already received some audition videos from different parts of the country, and will plan his route based on who auditions, and where.
It’s a unique project he was inspired to launch in January, and one he hopes to have on the road by July.
It’s also one he wants Canada to buy into along the way with him. Awesome plans to produce a 12-part web series fans can watch as his coast-to-coast journey takes him to auditions across the country, and he encourages them to give feedback on their favourite musicians, songs, and what tracks to include on the final album.
He calls these future fans his ‘rock ambassadors’, who should feel as much ownership over the band as its future members.
“It’s exciting and nerve-wracking – it’s everything all at once. This is going to happen, and I can’t wait to see what Canada’s got in store for me,” he says. The band will belong to Canada – I can’t do this without them.”
The next goal is to find a 40-foot RV to outfit with his own sound equipment alongside recording rentals, and he has already started planning how to fit everything within an eight-by-eight foot space.
He hopes to have his manager and wife, Ginger Hubley, by his side, if the couple are able to figure some finances out.
Hubley says whether she goes or not, she can’t wait to see where the recording road trip her other half.
“I’m just so proud of him for making this project happen. His determination and passion to do this makes you want to believe in yourself a little bit more,” she says.
After deciding to quit playing covers and focus only on original music a decade ago, the local musician has written around 80 songs. He’s posted three full albums on his website, and has set some serious goals – to tour with Canadian band The Glorious Sons, to open for the Foo Fighters, and to meet his hero Buddy Guy.
He hopes his band and the collaboration he finds on the road gets him and his future bandmates one step closer to accomplishing such goals, and coming up with even more goals as a unit.
“We have a chance here to fulfill a number of people’s dreams. There are a lot of musicians out there that would just love to be out, rocking out, five nights a week off on tour. It’s work, but it’s not a job – it’s fun,” he says.
Audition videos can be submitted via the Dirt Road Home website.
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