Mitch Gauzas

http://mitchgauzas.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/jb-may-16-20111.jpg?w=640&h=425 - Ottawa Jewish Bulletin

http://mitchgauzas.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/jb-may-16-20111.jpg?w=640&h=425 - Ottawa Jewish Bulletin

EMC Entertainment - As a realtor, Mitch Gauzas often hopes to have a packed open house, come June 12, he's hoping for another kind of packed house.

The 31-year-old Centrepointe resident will be performing a CD release concert at the popular Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec, to promote his first full-length album, Good Man Bad Man.

The album, a mix of musical styles that include rock, blues, folk, pop and electronica, was an 18-month undertaking completed with the help of Ottawa producer Dave Draves and a host of talented musicians. The lengthy timeline was the product of a busy daytime work schedule, but Gauzas said this factor actually helped the quality of the album.

"We worked on it on average three nights a week...I think the time it took was beneficial - I really wanted to make sure all the songs had merit, so it wouldn't be mostly filler."

The first instrument Gauzas mastered as a child was classical violin, playing in orchestras before being bitten by the guitar bug in high school. From that point forward he supplemented his violin with acoustic guitar and polished his vocals while playing in friends' bands.

At one point he fronted a band in Montreal for a two-year stretch - a gig complicated somewhat by the fact he was attending Carleton University at the time.

"It was a good way to get stage experience - I became very comfortable on stage," he said, adding the desire to create his own album never left him, even after becoming a professional businessman.

"I've done a lot of living room demo stuff, and I wanted to take it to the next step," he said.

While the album is acoustic-driven, Gauzas said the record builds towards a musical crescendo, with lyrics and subject matter dictating the different musical elements of the song.

"While it's acoustic-driven, the song is in a sense a different entity - we didn't want to pigeonhole the music," he said.

"Some songs are heavier, others folky, it all depends of lyrical content. There's a good blend of instrumentation...but we wanted to keep it pretty poppy and relevant. It's not an experimental album - I'd say it's pretty radio-friendly."

The theme of the album deals with political and social issues, but with the ultimate message of not taking everything at face value, to dig a little deeper and generate conversation.

"The common thread through the whole album is one of self-discovery, finding your way in the world, how to overcome negative influences and be proud of yourself," said Gauzas.

Gauzas chose the Black Sheep Inn as the venue for his show due to the high regard of music shown by patrons of the inn.

The concert begins at 4 p.m. on June 12, and more information on the singer and the album can be found at www.mitchgauzasmusic.com - EMC

EMC Entertainment - As a realtor, Mitch Gauzas often hopes to have a packed open house, come June 12, he's hoping for another kind of packed house.

The 31-year-old Centrepointe resident will be performing a CD release concert at the popular Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec, to promote his first full-length album, Good Man Bad Man.

The album, a mix of musical styles that include rock, blues, folk, pop and electronica, was an 18-month undertaking completed with the help of Ottawa producer Dave Draves and a host of talented musicians. The lengthy timeline was the product of a busy daytime work schedule, but Gauzas said this factor actually helped the quality of the album.

"We worked on it on average three nights a week...I think the time it took was beneficial - I really wanted to make sure all the songs had merit, so it wouldn't be mostly filler."

The first instrument Gauzas mastered as a child was classical violin, playing in orchestras before being bitten by the guitar bug in high school. From that point forward he supplemented his violin with acoustic guitar and polished his vocals while playing in friends' bands.

At one point he fronted a band in Montreal for a two-year stretch - a gig complicated somewhat by the fact he was attending Carleton University at the time.

"It was a good way to get stage experience - I became very comfortable on stage," he said, adding the desire to create his own album never left him, even after becoming a professional businessman.

"I've done a lot of living room demo stuff, and I wanted to take it to the next step," he said.

While the album is acoustic-driven, Gauzas said the record builds towards a musical crescendo, with lyrics and subject matter dictating the different musical elements of the song.

"While it's acoustic-driven, the song is in a sense a different entity - we didn't want to pigeonhole the music," he said.

"Some songs are heavier, others folky, it all depends of lyrical content. There's a good blend of instrumentation...but we wanted to keep it pretty poppy and relevant. It's not an experimental album - I'd say it's pretty radio-friendly."

The theme of the album deals with political and social issues, but with the ultimate message of not taking everything at face value, to dig a little deeper and generate conversation.

"The common thread through the whole album is one of self-discovery, finding your way in the world, how to overcome negative influences and be proud of yourself," said Gauzas.

Gauzas chose the Black Sheep Inn as the venue for his show due to the high regard of music shown by patrons of the inn.

The concert begins at 4 p.m. on June 12, and more information on the singer and the album can be found at www.mitchgauzasmusic.com - EMC