I honestly didn’t know what to expect walking to this interview. I had only met Mike once before, at a party a few years back. It was more of a jam where I played bass, my buddy Mike (the Mountain Bike Judge) played drums, Mike on his wicked cool National Guitar, and a couple of other friends on guitar also. I also know Mike a little through Facebook and saw him play live with his band once. Not knowing him so well, I think, made for a better interview.
Mike Lanteigne is the lead guitarist for a country rock band called Johnson’s Creek, quite a popular band in their home province of Ontario. They’ve been together for a little over six years and have toured extensively throughout Ontario, and have recorded a few songs, one even landing on the radio recently. It’s a catchy party tune called Burn It Up.
Leaving the interview, I was reminded of the Tim McGraw song, Humble and Kind. Just for the title, not the actual song. That song is about a father talking to his child, giving them advice about how to live life in a decent fashion. See, I don’t just listen to Classic Rock. Mike truly is humble and kind, a real gentleman with quite an interesting life story. I won’t give too much of that story away here because I want you to watch the video.
We had a really nice conversation about guitars, guitar playing, music theory, music in general, learning music, and of course, about Johnson’s Creek. I also got to meet their lead singer, Glenn Code. Mike welcomed me into his home and introduced me to his family, gave me a tour of his beautiful home, and even served me lunch. All in all, a great visit; one that I will remember and cherish for a long time.
Mike grew up in Timmins, Ontario – a gritty blue collar town that I’ve been to a couple of times. He started playing guitar at around 14 years old, which is about the same age I started playing. Timmins is also the hometown of none other than Shania Twain and Mike tells a really entertaining story of Ms. Twain, involving his first experience playing live.
I hope you enjoy hearing about his diverse and interesting musical journey, and how he combines his rock, blues, jazz and country influences to create quite a unique style of playing. He is a devoted family man, who goes out of his way to help others and his community. It’s no wonder he has so many friends and social media followers. And, oh yeah, he is also a heck of good guitar player.
Check out Johnson’s Creek website for more information about the band: https://www.johnsonscreekband.com/
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