I spent the first 20 years of my adult life "on the road,' travelling, working, learning and sharing in music, stories, food, culture, art, laughter, sorrow and all other conceivable affairs.

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I have written over 500 songs, recorded and released six albums, and performed on stages and in venues throughout Canada, the U.S.A.,  Europe and the Caribbean.

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I once danced upon the Taj Mahal with my friend Julie from Quebec.

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After finishing a tour of Michelangelo's home in Tuscany, Italy, I once sat beneath an old cherry tree and ate so many cherries in one sitting that I was incapable of mobility for at least 2 hours. It was glorious. 

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I once watched a production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, performed by a cast of Sàmi actors, in their own language, in an ice replica of William Shakespeare's Globe theatre, which had been constructed on the banks of the River Torne in northern Sweden. I had met, drank and sang karaoke with the cast at the local pub in Kiruna the night before and they had invited me to the show; I'll never forget it. 

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I sailed once from St. Martin to Anguilla, with a friend; a remarkable human being and talented artist, who had built, by hand, the very sailboat in which we sailed.  Upon arrival, together with his 10-year-old son, who had manned the sailboat for most of the crossing, and their dog, we swam onto the beach and made our way to Banky Banx's Dune Preserve, where we spent the day with Banky, singing and playing songs, discussing the feel of Tom Waits and enjoying the smoke & the gentle ocean breeze. It was magic. 

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In a vision, I once watched the spirits of my fore-bearers dancing as shadows around the flickering flames of a funeral pyre to the aged rhythms I pounded upon the medicine drum a mentor had gifted me; a giant bald eagle from high above in its nest watched over and accepted my chants & prayers. I buried the darkest memories of my childhood deep in the roots of the tree in which the eagle's nest rested. 

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My life has not been boring and I will be forever grateful to have walked the path I've walked.

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The first instrument I learned to play as a child was the piano.  I adore this instrument.

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I taught myself to play the guitar when I was 18 and I haven't put it down since. I also mess around on the banjo, ukulele, mandolin, harmonica and a few other instruments.

 

I like making noise. 

 

I love music. It saved my life. Quite literally. 

 

I love reading. I collect books. I marvel at cultural diversity. I respect history.

 

I value art & science equally.  

 

I loath fascists & narcissists and all those with power who abuse it or look the other way.

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The truth matters. Facts exist.

 

I think life is weird, strange, and sometimes scary, but I love it. I don't share in the desire to understand the mystery of it all. People who offer certainty and claim to have all the answers scare me. 

 

I am a happily married man.

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My wife was a childhood friend, and we have a long and beautiful story that I like to share with anybody willing to listen.

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She too, is a pianist. (She practiced much more than me when we were kids)

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When we were children we would compete in the local music festivals....she always won.

 

My wife is a remarkable person whom I love more deeply than I ever thought one could love and it is an honour growing old with her.

 

She has a beautiful little boy whom I adore. He calls me Papa Bear, and that makes my heart shine. They have made my life complete. 

 

The world is my home. You, are all my family. 

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Jaron Samson Breland

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