Music Advice

Music Advice

At home in Kreuzberg, Berlin

Career Hightlights

Winner of the Prix du Jury as part of “Les Inouïs” – Printemps de Bourges, France (2014)

Nominated for a Western Canada Music Award (2008), a Canadian Folk Music Award (2008/2010), and a GAMIQ Award (2014).

Won the RIDEAU Prize at the ROSEQ Festival in Québec, Canada (2011)

When I was 16 years old and I’d written my first few songs and performed them, I realized very quickly that I had found the path that lead the me into adulthood and beyond. But as much as I love this life, I also know deeply how daunting everything can be. Booking tours, organizing bands, recording albums, releasing them, looking for labels, doing all the promo, trying to find the right industry partners, and all without burning out along the way, is not a journey for the meek. It can fill you the greatest highs you’ve ever had, and also challenge the fortitude of your mind and soul in ways you can’t expect.

When I look back at the last 25 years of my music career, I know I could have avoided a lot of mistakes and unfruitful ventures if I had had an experienced person to run ideas by, to get feedback from, and to learn from them. And now fully in my mid-life years, I realize how important it is to give something back to the people coming up in the industry these days. I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I can share what I have learned with the hope that it can be somewhat helpful.

This service is obviously different from the coaching process. The correct term would be more a consulting process, but I prefer to call it more of a mentoring process. I’ve always loved the tradition when the “elders” in a community pass on their knowledge and learnings to those who could learn from them.

I am currently a songwriting and singing instructor at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolff close to Potsdam, and I also coach once or twice a year at the Gustav Academy in Fribourg, Switzerland.

So if you need help with any of these topics:

  • songwriting / lyricwriting
  • arrangements
  • dealing with bookers / labels / press agents
  • booking tours yourself
  • working with a band
  • touring internationally

let me know, and we can organize an introductory session to see what is possible.