Singer Craig Mcintyre

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Nothing remarkable happened upon his birth. Born into a working class family, Craig quickly developed a need for music. Having already sung his first solo at age 6 at a Christmas Eve church service, every indication pointed to a natural inclination towards music, yet no one would surmise the direction he would take later in life.

Although he always dabbled in music, Craig was as average as any other teenager, even in the difficulty he had in relating to his parents. During a challenging stretch around his 16th birthday, Craig left home in frustration. Having been brought up on the vocal styling of Rod Stewart, Bob Seger and Ray Charles, there was a contradiction yet strong appeal to the natural honest songwriting of country music. "I will always credit Garth Brook's music for bringing my father and I back to the same dinner table. It certainly didn't solve all our problems, but it bridged a barrier that we couldn't cross with words and gave us a common ground from which to rebuild our relationship."

A few short years later, Craig recorded his first demo and entered a local radio contest for the chance to open for Tammy Wynette. He won. He then briefly attended Carleton University for music and art history but strayed as appearances with emerging local bands and making a living in country dance halls and night clubs as a bouncer proved more exciting. From what he recalls, he developed a "false sense of being closer to the music."

It was during these years that Craig began to venture away from his true path. After working in a number of jobs that he thought would prove satisfying, Craig admits, "I kept finding various levels of success in whatever I did, but never any happiness in what I was doing." Shortly after the sudden death of his firefighter father, Craig almost walked entirely away from his true calling. "Everyone has someone or something they look to for guidance and acceptance. For me it was my father and without him around I did not want to continue with something that was, I believed, the foundation of my aspiration."

Having spent years away from music, it was by coincidence (or complete synchronicity?) that Craig was introduced to a member of the famed Canadian country band Prairie Oyster. Within weeks Craig was recording his first full length album. "I was awful," he recalls, "I remember feeling like I was out of my league. I was not a strong player, nor a good songwriter, but I felt inside that I could develop quickly - faster than normal - and I knew I had a distinct voice to share." Craig's first album was moderately successful in Canada with light radio rotation across the country, a cross country tour, a music video, and a song chosen for a national television program. "All the success of it was humbling and I was grateful, but I couldn't help but feel I wasn't being truthful with myself or the music I was playing."

After coming home from the road Craig felt displaced. It was during this time he was introduced to a little known producer/musician named Rick Moulton. The two hit it off instantly and after writing a full album and taking a brief hiatus, during which Craig played over 200 acoustic shows across Canada and the US, Rick and Craig came back to the studio to record the album they had written and "Silent" is the result.

Craig is defined by his ambition. His presence is felt from the imposing authority of his 6'5" frame to the kindness of his essence and the soulfulness of his voice and song writing. "I want to contribute to the human spirit%u2026to look back, should I have the chance, and know I followed my purpose and passion. The level of success I gain will be directly dependent on the risks and contributions I make. I would have it no other way."

"The fact of the matter is you don't give up what's natural. Anything I've fantasized about, I've done." ~ Ray Charles

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Hey everyone,

Just thought I'd let you know that I'm only playing this Thursday night (May 7th) and next Thursday night (May 14th) at The Grizzly Grill in Kingston and then I'm off to LA for a while. So I hope you'll come out and say goodbye because you know I'm gonna miss you! It'll be your last chance to pick up a copy of Silent and if you're nice to me, I might even sign it for you. Show starts at 8:00 pm and it doesn't go too late. You can stay awake for a couple of hours, right?

Peace and love,
Craig

Finding Forgiveness

I threw the kick stand out for a little break,
When I pulled over to the side to fill the tank,
An old man was standing there, to wait on me.

He flipped the cap, and checked the oil,
I leaned back on the pump and toiled,
Said, "I am also looking for some direction."
With a slow weathered grin he turned to me and said,

"All of this time you have been searching for a reason,
All of your heart for some purpose and meaning,
You are looking for something, that you cannot find,
Living on a road best left behind.
Let it all go and you will recognize the sign,
To forgiveness in your life."

I took one more drag off my cigarette,
Then I sat down, and thought for a bit,
I had been running from my past too long to count.
Years went by and I had wasted life,
I was angry with what I had not done in that time.
Shattered thoughts, dreams, and "what might have beens".
In a moment a revelation changed my mind.
Changed my life.

"All of this time, I had been searching for a reason,
All of my heart, for some purpose and a meaning,
I was looking for something I could not find,
Living a road best left behind, I should let it all go,
Then I can recognize the sign to,
Forgiveness in my life"

Right then I closed my eyes, and thought about the day,
I threw my arms wide open, and let it all melt away.
When I opened them again I realized that the old man was gone,
Like he had never really been there, and I was all alone.
But that was alright because I was about to find,
Some forgiveness in my life.

Lyrics by Craig Mcintyre and Rick Moulton

The Silence

From the darkness in my life,
I will be letting go,
With all of my heart,
And all of my soul,

I'm going to find you letting go,
Then I'll start to fly,
Above it all.

There is a long stretch of silence that has left our world,
And hurt our place,
A long stretch of selfish drowning,
The human race.

I keep looking at all the lost people who try,
To kill passion and virtue,
In others' lives.

And I wonder,
Is there nothing that we can't do,
With just one choice,
The change would come in harmony,
From a single voice,
If we listened to the Silence.

The stars are patient waiting,
Cause they know our fate,
There is more to our purpose,
Than our current ways,
When the world becomes more,
From the silence,
We could all learn a whole lot more from the silence.

Listen to the silence

Reaching up to heaven,
I will share its light,
I will reach out to you too,
For all the world to share,
Because on my own,
The world might not change,
Because of me,
But I know if I listen,
I can hear it all change.

Listening to the silence,
I can hear it now, and it's filling my soul.

Silence,
I hear the world feed itself,
Stand up and free itself.

Silence
I can hear the ocean's breath,
So silently.

Lyrics by Craig Mcintyre and Rick Moulton