Michael Bannerman

For musician Michael Bannerman, life has always been more about the journey than the final destination.

"I guess I'm a little weird that way" he says, "but I actually enjoy all this 'paying your dues' stuff... it's almost a little... poetic".

Poetic? Perhaps, but for the former Lost Coin frontman it has also been a bit of an adjustment.

Gone (but not totally forgotten) are the days of comfortable tour buses, playing for sold out crowds of over 15,000 people, radio stations actually caring you were in town and those "big" arena stages with their nice comfortable "green" rooms.

Yep... for Michael, after 18 years of touring North America life has gotten a whole lot simpler...

"It's actually a lot of fun to be starting over again" says Michael. "Don't get me wrong, I'm scared silly about the whole thing... but what I love about it is that everything is fresh and new again. It's... well... fun!"

This past summer, Michael released his first "solo" project entitled "Losing Balance". It features 17 tracks and has been described by some as the "Tom Petty of our generation".

Other critics have described the project as having a "texture similar to that of The Barenaked Ladies (Canadian Music Group) only that these ladies are mudwrestling".

The beauty of Michael's music is that he often flirts with the boundaries of various musical styles. He walks the thin line between roots and folk, rock and country... and yet somehow manages to never quite fall off for too long in any one genre.

It's this musical versatility that makes him such a great live act.

With a live band made up of some of the finest musicans in the country Michael is able to blend his sets, moulding them to the will of the audience and yet, never quite handing over complete control. They are along for a wild ride, and Michael is definitely sitting firmly behind the wheel.

In 2000, Lost Coin won the prestigous CGMA "Covenant Award" for "Favourite Live Band". This was no accident, and as the former "front man" Michael has brought much of this "live energy and passion" to his own solo concerts. He doesn't just play music... he entertains.

"I love to play live", exaplains Michael "There is no better place on earth than a packed room, a stage and a microphone".

When asked what the future holds for Michael at this time, he reponds...

"The future? Ha... who knows... all I can be sure of is that I have a journey ahead of me. My goal for today is to start out by simply putting one foot in front of the other. Where it takes me? We'll see. As long as I'm singing, playing and writing tunes, I'm happy. There really is no "final" destination required."