– In 1985, at the Bonnyville Centralized High School “Christmas Concert”, Ernie Basiliadis (15 years old) and I (17 years old) play 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.
Predictably, I was fired two months later.
This is a trend that would repeat itself for the next 6 years.
– In 1993, my first album, “Songs From A Northern Town”, is released.
I played just over 100 shows.
Enter Byran Bueckert (drums), Jackson Langley (guitar), Tino Zolfo (bass) and Trish Wight (vocals)
– From 1993 through 1995 the MPB averaged in and around 100-120 shows a year
Exit Jackson Langley and Tino Zolfo
Enter Dave Klym (guitar) and Derek Mazurek (bass).
Exit Byran Bueckert
Enter Kevin Dabbs (drums)
– In 1996, second album, “Jump Back, Kerouac”, is released and our fan base is slowly starting to build.
We played just over 120 shows.
Exit Kevin Dabbs
Enter Ernie Basiliadis (drums)
– In 1997, our third album, “Simplify”, is released and the band starts to sell out shows all over Western Canada.
That same year our fourth album, “Song And Dance, Man” is released.
The “Song And Dance, Man” album was a critics top 10 pick of the year along with ‘OK Computer” by Radiohead.
We made our first trip across the Atlantic for a tour of Holland, Belgium and Germany.
On New Years Eve we played at Niagara Falls for an estimated 30,000 revelers for the CTV New Years Eve Bash.
We played just north 170 shows.
– In 1998, to promote “Song And Dance, Man” we played 221 shows.
We made their first trip to Nashville.
– In 1999, we continued our breakneck pace by reeling out 249 one nighters.
To ring in the New Millennium, we played at the Sidetrack Cafe in Edmonton.
That night we knocked out a 62 song set, that lasted 4 hours and 15 minutes.
I woke up the next morning shocked to see that the world didn’t end.
– In 2000, we hit the road in early January and didn’t get home until early July.
In May we released an EP called “Steel Belted Radio”.
We played another 225 one niters all over North America and Europe.
Fatigue was setting in.
Big time.
Exit Derek Mazurek.
Enter Meck Myers (bass)
– In 2001, our sixth album, “Fools For The Radio” is released on September 11th.
They play just a shade over 200 shows.
The cracks are starting to show.
— In 2002, we stopped our tour schedule almost entirely.
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 lasts just shy of 4 hours.
I woke up the next morning to a whole new reality.
The remaining members of the MPB start a new project called the Populars.
I went home to sleep and ponder my next move.
— In 2003, I released a “solo” album called “Table For One”.
I played less than 10 shows a year for the next 5 years.
– In 2004, I released an album called “Rock And Roll Recordings (Volume 1)”.
Lorrie Matheson (keys), Joel Stewart (acoustic guitar), Ross Watson (drums)
– In 2004 the Mike Plume Band (Derek, Dave, Ernie, Meck and MP) played one show (Bonnyville AB).
– In 2005 the Mike Plume Band (Dave, Meck, Ernie and MP) played another show (Wakefield QC).
– In 2008 the Mike Plume Band play yet another show (Derek, Dave, Ernie and MP) and reunite to record the album “8:30 Newfoundland” (
Enter Benjamin Wilson (bass)
Exit Dave Klym.
Enter Jackson Langley (again)
– In 2009 the album, “8:30 Newfoundland” is released followed by an extensive tour of Canada.
Exit Jackson Langley (again).
– In 2010 the songs “8:30 Newfoundland” and “More Than A Game” are featured heavily during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
– In 2012, I began to ponder the idea of recording the followup album to “8:30 Newfoundland”.
I also reissued my entire back catalog.
– March of 2013, I wrote a song called “So Long Stompin’ Tom” and played it at his Memorial in Peterborough.
It was the absolute highlight of my “career”.
In June of 2013, we released a new album called “Red And White Blues”.
Enter Ryan Barwin (pedal steel and dobro)
Enter Jeff McLeod (piano, B3 and accordion)
In November of 2013, in honour of our Nation’s War Hero’s, I released a song called “On Remembrance Day”.
In December of 2013, we released a Holiday album called “Back Home For Christmas”
– In May of 2016, I released a song in hopes of raising money for the city of Fort McMurray called “Song For Alberta”
– In March of 2017, negotiations are underway to record a new MPB album.
I guess we’ll have to see.
I’m old enough to know better, still young enough not to care.
Stay tuned.
Mike Plume
Tuesday, March 28, 2017