Interviews

photo credit: Jesse Kinos-Goodin

Standing at the corner of Queen and Cameron St., The Cameron House is a Toronto music institution. For the last three decades, its flamboyant murals and eclectic decor have witnessed a parade of the Who's Who of Canadian music cross the stage, with artists like Ron Sexmith, Molly Johnston, Jane Siberry and The Meligrove Band cutting their teeth in the bar's 60-seat back room.

In 2010, Mike McKeown, fresh out of a business degree, was invited by longtime friend Cosmo Ferraro to help him run the bar. Within months, Mike and Cosmo decided to expand the sounds of the Cameron House beyond its walls by launching Cameron House Records. Providing a home for an expanding roster of some of Toronto's best folk, country, roots and rockabilly acts, CHR is a vital and exciting young addition to Toronto's already vibrant music scene.

A few weeks ago, Mike took a few minutes to answer a couple of our questions.

What’s the best part of running your own recording company?
The Best part about it, I'd say, is getting to work with artists, whom I admire. I'd rather be working with people in this profession, which I believe to be noble, rather than dealing with members of the corporate world or organized system as Paul Goodman, author of Growing up Absurd may say.

What’s your most memorable Cameron House concert experience?
I think that the Cameron's 30th birthday celebrations take the cake. We had some artists on the label: Devin Cuddy, Kayla Howran, Tarantuela share the stage with the likes of Greg Keelor, Jim Cuddy, and Andy Maize. Nice to see people of The Cameron's past and present come together and put on a world class show. 

What advice would you give an up-and-coming Canadian artist looking to score a record deal?
Decide if being a musician is really what you wan to do. If it is go for it 100% and work at it. Remember it's a 27 hour drive to winnipeg. 

What’s the last GTA artist/band’s record you’ve listened to?
I'm currently listening to The Silver Hearts. They'll be playing at The Horseshoe as a part of Tarantuela's cd release on May 18th.

If Justin Rutledge and Greg Keelor had a pie-eating contest, who would you put your money on?
I believe Keelor is a diabetic, so I'll take JR on this one.