– In March of 1985, at the age of 16, I picked up a guitar for the first time and set off on the lifelong road of learning how to play it.
– In December of 1985, at the Bonnyville Centralized High School “Christmas Concert”, Ernie Basiliadis (15 years old) and I (17 years old) played our very first gig.
What we lacked in talent, we made up for in sheer volume.
Songs played or attempted were “Johnny B Goode” and “Hey Jude”.
We learned first hand what it’s like to have an audience “rolling the aisles.”
– In 1987, fresh out of high school, I hit the road with the first band that rolled though town.
I was fired 6 weeks later.
That was a tradition that continued for years and years.
Over the next 6 years, I roamed all over Western Canada, averaging 300 shows a year, in various cover bands and as a folk singer / pub entertainer.
I slowly learned how to read a crowd.
– In 1993, I released my first album, “Songs From A Northern Town”.
The first of many variations of the Mike Plume Band began to take shape.
We played just over 100 shows.
From 1993 through 1995 the MPB averaged in and around 100-120 shows a year.
– In 1996, second album, “Jump Back, Kerouac”, is released and our fan base is slowly starting to build.
– In 1997, the third album, “Simplify”, and fourth album “Song and Dance, Man” are released and we start to sell out shows all over Western Canada.
The “Song And Dance, Man” album was a critics top 10 pick of the year along with ‘OK Computer” by Radiohead.
“Simplify” sells almost 18,000 copies while, “Song and Dance, Man” went on to sell 25,000 units off the stage.
In December of ’97 we make our first trip across the Atlantic for a tour of Holland, Belgium and Germany.
In 1997, we played just shy of 170 shows finishing on New Years Eve at Niagara Falls, where we played for an estimated 30,000 revellers for the CTV New Years Eve Bash.
– In 1998, to promote “Song And Dance, Man” we played 221 shows.
In March of ’98 we made our first trip to Nashville.
We also made our second trip to Holland, Belgium and Germany, playing 16 shows in 16 cities in 14 days.
Yes, you read that correctly.
– In 1999, we continued our breakneck pace by reeling out 249 one nighters.
To ring in the “New Millennium”, we played a hour, 62 song set in at the Sidetrack Cafe in Edmonton.
– In 2000, we hit the road in early January and played another 225 one nighters all over North America and Europe.
In May we released an EP called “Steel Belted Radio”.
In November we ended the “Song and Dance, Man” tour at just over 800 shows and started recording the “followup” album.
– In 2001, our sixth album, “Fools For The Radio” was released on September 11th.
We played just a shade over 200 shows.
– In 2002, we decided to roll back our touring schedule.
On October 25th, in Wakefield Quebec, we walked on stage together for, what we believed would be, the last time.
We played a 60 song set that clocked in at 4 hours on the nose.
I took a much needed break and Dave, Meck and Ernie continued on without me calling themselves “The Populars”.
– In 2003, we released an album that was recorded a year earlier called “Table For One”.
For the next five years, I played about ten shows a year.
– In 2004, I released an album called “Rock And Roll Recordings (Volume 1)”.
– In 2005, the MPB played one show.
– In 2008 the MPB walked into a studio in Nashville Tennessee and recorded the album “8:30 Newfoundland”
– In 2009 the album, “8:30 Newfoundland” is released followed by an extensive tour of Canada.
The first single “This Is Our Home (8:30 Newfoundland)” cracked the Top 20 on CMT and to date has north of a quarter of a million Youtube hits.
– In 2010 the songs “8:30 Newfoundland” and “More Than A Game” were featured heavily during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
– In 2013, after the death of Stompin’ Tom Connors, I wrote a song called “So Long Stompin’ Tom”.
The song went viral and I was invited by the Connors family to sing the song at Stompin’ Tom’s Memorial in Peterborough.
To date, has more than 200,000 unique Youtube hits.
In June, we released a new album called “Red And White Blues”.
In December, we record and release a Holiday album called “Back Home For Christmas”.
– In 2016, my wife Jenny, our daughter Ruby and I moved back home to Edmonton.
– In 2017, the idea of recording a new Plume album begins to take hold.
In October, I got together with Ernie and Ben in Edmonton and started recording our followup to “Red and White Blues”.
In November in honour of our Nation’s War Heroes, I officially released a song called “On Remembrance Day” featuring Jenny and Ruby on backing vocals.
– In June of 2018 the new MPB album “Born By The Radio” is released and I start to ratchet up my touring schedule.
– In 2019 the original MPB lineup (Derek, Dave, Ernie and I) will record a new album.
And with that, you are pretty much up to date.
Thanks.
Mike