How'd You Get That Awesome Gig, Michael Rault?!
Name: Michael Rault
Occupation: Musician/singer/songwriter/guitar player/producer
Location: Toronto, ON
First Job: Dishwasher
Best Job: Guitar seller guy at Capsule Music in Toronto.
Greatest Professional Challenge: Not getting too tired. Travelling lots, not sleeping. That sort of thing.
So, how did you get this awesome gig anyways? I just dropped out of high school and started playing whenever I could. I used to travel around to shows by Greyhound, and I would tape a tambourine to my foot because I couldn't afford to bring a drummer with me. Over time I managed to incorporate the band and I started to get better shows and put out more recordings.
What do you like best about your job? I like getting to move around a lot, and getting to play music, and buy cool gear and hang out with cool folks. It's a fun time.
Any special skills required? You need to be able to sing and play guitar. At least a little bit.
Favourite experience on the job: It's hard to say, there's been a lot of fun/weird stuff that has happened. I've got to meet a lot of cool musicians, and that's often enjoyable. Solomon Burke and Wanda Jackson were two cool ones.
Advice for people who want your awesome gig: Play a lot, and record a lot, and if people like what you're doing opportunities will come your way. Just be prepared to be tight on money sometimes.
Favourite CDN Music Venue: The Dakota in Toronto. Or the original Sidetrack when it was still around in Edmonton.
Favourite Record of the Moment: Ghostfunk. It's a mash up of Ghostface Killer and Afro Funk.
Edmonton-bred and now Toronto-based Michael Rault just released his newest EP “Whirlpool” yesterday. You can download it for free from his bandcamp page.