ABOUT BRUIN

Ever since he was young, it was clear that Bruin was destined to be a part of the country music world. 

As a baby, he would easily be mesmerized by the upbeat sound of Marty Stuart's, "Hey Baby", along with the tunes other popular country music artists played on the television at the time. It was his strong connection with the music of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, though, that truly had him hooked on country music, and ultimately inspired him to start playing. By the time he attended his first concert (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) at the age of three, Bruin had already mastered air­strumming on the flyswatter and belting out his favourite tunes. At the age of nine, after showing rhythmic ability, Bruin received his first drumset; passed down from his uncle. He started drumming regularly at his church services, playing alongside his mother, the church's organist. 

Bruin received his first guitar, as a gift that following Christmas, and started taking lessons a couple years later. He began accompanying his younger sister, a fiddle player, around their hometown and area, performing at care homes, hospitals, festivals, and museums. Bruin received only a couple year's worth of guitar lessons before he started teaching himself. Growing up as a huge Dirt Band fan, it only made sense that he spent hours learning Nitty Gritty covers that he could add to his already large catalog of Dirt Band hits. He is still known today as the kid who can sing any Nitty Gritty tune requested. Soon after, Bruin started to diversify and began penning his own songs. 

At that time, the idea of playing music as a career had not yet been formed. Being known by some, as a true "Renaissance Man", Bruin excelled in many other aspects of his life, other than music. He received several art and academic awards, as well as numerous awards being a six­time national qualifier in the sport of Tae Kwon Do. Bruin had many options, but was unsure as to where he would direct his future. It wasn't until after graduating high school (with distinction), that Bruin elected to pursue a career in music. 

Bruin created a small room in the basement of his parents' home in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, in which he could practice, write and record music. With his computer, and only a small budget spent on recording equipment, Bruin would spend days recording songs. He elected to perform all of the instruments and vocals himself, as well as solely doing the mixing/mastering. 

Being quite the perfectionist, Bruin currently produces his own demos, which quite possibly can rival that of even some professional recording studios. This is especially what caught the eye of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member, John McEuen. McEuen took quite an interest in Bruin and was impressed in Bruin's ability to play multiple instruments, and his talent for arranging and producing. McEuen was also appreciative of the caliber of Bruin's songwriting skills, listing Bruin as one of the top writer's he's heard in a long time. "It means alot," Bruin says, "in knowing that my style is not only appealing to my younger generation, but to generations older than mine as well." 

So far, the Saskatchewan native has performed across western Canada and even into the United States, sharing the stage with award winning country music artists such as Hey Romeo, Codie Prevost, George Canyon, Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He also made his way down to Nashville, TN, where he spent time songwriting and rubbing shoulders with some of the most reputable figures in the music industry. 

Releasing his debut album, Dirt Junkie in May of 2015, Bruin was honoured to embark on a 20 ­day ‘Dirt Junkie Down Under’ Australian tour in January and February, 2016 (thanks to the support of Creative Saskatchewan) that would see him headline the Main Stage of the Tamworth Country Music Festival. The second largest country music festival in the world! 

Following this tour, Bruin was also excited and humbled to be recognized by the Saskatchewan Country Music Association who nominated him for three Saskatchewan Country Music Awards for Emerging Artist, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for Dirt Junkie.

  

 

     


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