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Michael Kulas is a singer, songwriter and music producer who was a
member of the British rock band James
between 1997 and 2001. He was born in Oakville, Ontario, his family
relocated to Lakefield, Ontario in the early 1980's where he
attended the prestigious Lakefield
College from 1982-1987.
BIO:
In small town
Canada, growing up for most boys means following some well-worn
traditions. In Lakefield, Ontario there's no exception.
Winters are spent playing early morning ice hockey before the sun
comes up and while the rest of the world sleeps. Summers, for
the most part, are spent playing baseball or casting fishing line in
to rivers and lakes, waiting for that ever-illusive catch.
For eleven-year-old
Michael Kulas, an old six-string guitar his father owned and which
lay idly in the basement, one day struck him as something to add to
his list of boyhood hobbies. After all, he had been listening
for years to the music his father played from what seemed like an
endless supply of LP's. Jan and Dean, The Beach Boys, Elvis
Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who...they could all
be heard echoing through the walls of his family home. And it
wasn't long before this relentless stream of music began to capture
his imagination. In the songs and the sounds, music started to offer
up a New World. A world away from the slow pace and the
seemingly dead end associated with small town life. A world where
rock stars became legends and legends could change the world with
their words and their voices. And with that, the guitar was
resurrected and Kulas embarked on a path towards finding a voice of
his own.
By following the
instruction of his sixth grade teacher during daily music classes,
Kulas soon learned his way around the instrument. While the
other students were lumbered with the limp tones of the Ukulele,
only he was given the opportunity to play the guitar, a position
that left him feeling quite separate from the rest.
"..because I was
the only person besides the teacher playing a guitar, I was filled
with a sense of purpose. It sounds very egotistical, but I became
totally engrossed by the instrument, if only to feel more unique
than the rest".
Soon he took on odd
jobs to pay for his hobby. A new electric guitar and amplifier
motivated him to spend any extra time he had learning the
instrument. He would scrutinize pictures of Jimi Hendrix
and John Lennon and copy their finger positions to learn new chords.
He would listen to every album he could, trying to lift as many of
the parts as possible. And he began to write songs of his own.
"..by the time I
was 14 I had bought a 4 Track recorder and was writing and recording
all the time. I would take it to school and set up in the
music room after class had ended. I would end up spending all night
recording until I was kicked out".
Kulas would use his
recording skills to put his first band, The Crowd to tape.
They had already
performed a handful of shows at local schools and it wasn't long
before they were demo-ing their own songs. But throughout High
School, his taste in music began to change. Bands like The
Ruts, Stiff Little Fingers, Sham 69, The Jam and The Attractions all
pushed aside the artists from a decade before and began to change
the musical climate. The raw impassioned vocals of Stiv Bators,
Elvis Costello and Paul Weller, along with their biting social
commentary gave Kulas a new perspective on a more modern approach to
song writing. He used this inspiration to write a new
selection of songs which he in turn sent to the prestigious Berklee
College Of Music in Boston. A week before ending his high
school career, Kulas was informed of his acceptance.
"Looking back,
as much as I was happy to be accepted, I never really thought I
would go. First, it cost too much to even consider. And
second, it's hardly rock and roll is it?".
After graduation and
deciding to take a year off before going on to University, Kulas
fell in with a group of musicians down the road in Peterborough who
were looking for a guitarist. The Sea would prove to be his
first taste of working within a professional band. Within 6
months of joining they had a Toronto record producer, an album in
the works and a steady supply of shows across Ontario. But a
year on, the band fell into all the rock and roll clichés of
infighting, battling egos and problems with drink and drugs. Their
album never was completed, and after the singer was sacked, Kulas,
with Bass player Marc Paille and Drummer Greg Heard, relocated to
Toronto for a fresh start.
Now called Speak and
with Kulas taking over lead vocals, the band embarked on a new album
with Producer Mark Baldi. Their first video If I Was In
Love With You Beth saw them gaining local recognition on television,
while their continuous appearances on the Toronto club seen saw
their fan base flourish.
"&ldots;The
music we were making was admittedly heavy handed in being
socially conscious. As a songwriter I was under the naïve
illusion that music had a responsibility to it's listeners. I
was idealistic, taking to heart the commentary of Weller or
Costello, but unfortunately we wrapped it up in music that asked too
much of the listener"
View more about Michael
at www.oneofthethree.co.uk/kulassolo.htm
MICHAEL
KULAS HAS GUESTED WITH:
Terry
Guiel, David Baynton-Power, Tim Booth, Andy Diagram, Paul Gilbertson,
Jim Glennie, Larry Gott, Adrian Oxaal, Gavan Whelan, Marc
Paille, Greg Heard
PETERBOROUGH Venues
that MICHAEL KULAS has PERFORMed in:
?Unknown?
Contact
Information FOR MICHAEL KULAS:
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any Contact information for Michael Kulas, but send
us an E-Mail and we'll do our
best to get the message to him ASAP
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