the musicians who make up The Relics:
Steve Parton (Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Vocals)
Tom Kiss (Bass Guitar, Vocals)
Steve McRae (Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals)
Dave Simpson (Drums and Percussion)
| Steve
Parton (Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Vocals) |
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Steve Parton began playing guitar at age 10, after having had a successful career as a film maker (that explains the kid in the Superman outfit brandishing an 8mm movie camera, filming at the base of Stelco tower back in 1981). Guitar studies saw him following two paths: rock and classical. For the rock shows, Steve toured Canada and parts of the US, and played guitar with the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra (featuring his celtic-rock band, The Bremen Town Musicians). For the classical gigs, Steve performed at Bill Gates' birthday party in 1997 and at Beethoven's house in Vienna, Austria in 2003, and played guitar with the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra (solo classical guitar). One of the afore-mentioned Canadian tours was done on a budget, so the band hitch-hiked the whole tour. The band was only made up of two acoustic guitarists though, so drivers didn't have to worry about accommodating drums and sound systems, etc. Said tour went from Montreal to Winnipeg in 1994, culminating in a concert opening for Leo Kottke. Other gigs
of note include a European tour. Actually, it was just Italy.
Venice, really. Well, it was in the Piazza San Marco Square in
Venice, and Steve was in fact busking - no agents, no promoters,
and no money. The problem was that Steve entertained the passers-by
with a tiny Martin Backpacker guitar, which looked more like a
baseball bat than a musical instrument. Instead of dropping Euros,
the "fans" kept interrupting the show with questions: "what the
heck is that?" "can I try it", etc. Steve is the
Director of Avalon
Music Academy. |
| Tom
Kiss (Bass Guitar, Vocals) |
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Tom Kiss' musical education began at age eight as a vocalist in his school choir. By age 13, he started playing bass guitar, and by age 15, Tom began studying Tuba and trombone – and so began his foray into low-pitched instruments. Tom was very much in demand as a session bass guitarist when he lived in Vancouver. He has played and recorded for many bands on the West Coast as well as here in Hamilton. Tom has a
great deal of orchestral and ensemble experience. He played with
the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for seven years (including
a performance at Carnegie Hall), with the Ottawa Youth Symphony
(performing with The Winnipeg Ballet and at the Banff Music Festival),
as well as the National Youth Orchestra for a time. |
| Steve
McRae (Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals) |
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Steve McRae has been playing piano since he was 8 years old. Growing up in the small town of Erin, Ontario, he played in musicals and ensembles while in high school. Moving to Hamilton in 2004, Steve graduated, with honours, from the Applied Music Program at Mohawk College, studying jazz piano with Adrean Farrugia. Steve successfully completed his A.R.C.T. in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, also achieving honours status, in the summer of 2005 under the instruction of Irene McLellan, F.R.C.M.T. He is currently enrolled at McMaster University to further his music studies. Recently he was musical director, pianist, and synthesizer player for Hammer Entertainment’s 2009 production of “The Lucky Stiff”, for which the music was well received. Steve has performed at various venues in southern Ontario, from hip-hop, to jazz, to country, and now, rock and roll with the Relics. |
| Dave
Simpson (Drums and Percussion) |
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Dave Simpson is one of the most respected drummers in the Hamilton, Ontario area. His shows range from classical, musical theatre to rock and jazz. |