Welcome to the home music page for Michael Bannerman.... I'm really glad that you took the time to stop by and check up on what I'm up to these days. After spending the last 18 years of my life touring and recording with the bands High Power and Lost Coin I must confess that I thought that my days as a musician had finally come to an "official" close.

Looking back, I had a really great run and accomplished more than most musicians could ever dream of doing. Touring throughout Canada and the United States in pretty much every form of vehicle you can imagine (from beat up old vans and fancy tour busses to airplanes and ferry boats) I have seen a lot of North America and met some really great people from all walks of life.... but alas, after a while the nights away become a lot harder to take and all the hotel rooms and fast food restaurants just don't seem to replace the comforts of home. With marriage and the arrival of my kids I just found that my heart was always somewhere else... and I just didn't have anything to "say" anymore. Although I could still "sing" I guess you could say that I'd lost my passion or my "voice".

So ya... the bus and sound system were sold, the remaining "gig's" were played and I decided to spend a little more time just living a "normal" life (whatever that means) at home here in Stratford. I should say that although I gave up touring and limited the number of "live" shows I was doing I never really gave up "music" (which any musician will tell you is simply not an option). I continued to produce projects for other people, write new material and occasionally back up my brother (Scott Beckman) on guitar when he needed a last minute fill in. It was enough and it was good but then something happened...

Recently my mother passed away after fighting a long battle with an illness known as PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy). It is a rare disease (often misdiagnosed as either Parkinson's Disease or Alzheimer's Disease) that attacks the brain (which in turn shuts down the body) . The illness effects memory, thinking, behavior, personality, balance, eye-sight, speech, the ability to swallow etc. etc. In other words it's a nasty illness and the average life expectancy of those diagnosed with it is about 5 years.

Obviously this has been a very difficult trial for my family. My mother was a bright, active, well loved person and it was hard to watch this illness claim so much of that.

So what does this have to do with my music? Well as much as music for me has always been about having "fun" and just "rocking out with the guys" it has also been a very therapeutic tool for me as well. In other words music (much like my faith) has always been that "place" that I could go and "work things out". Not that I always find all the "answers" there... but at least I feel safe in asking the questions. So ya... I guess you could say that through "the working out" of all these challenges I have suddenly found my "passion" or "voice" again.

So what's going on? Well right now  I have just released my first  "solo" project entitled "Losing Balance" and I have begun doing a few live shows here and there with my new band "The Upside of Maybe". I use the word "solo" lightly because the project makes use of more musicians than all the other projects that I have ever been a part of combined. There's all sorts of great instrumentation on this thing (from live brass and strings to accordion and djambe) and some killer performances by a number of people that I totally respect and admire. I should also add that just because some of the subject matter for this project is a little dark... the album itself is not. Yes a number of the songs thematically deal with my mother's illness (and coming to terms with it) but there are a lot of other things going on in my life as well that find there way on here - from the birth of my 3rd child to buying a mini-van (you'll have to find out how this one fits in).

I have no intention right now of buying another tour bus or hitting the road on any prolonged tour any time soon (although there are some plans in the works for a short tour out east this summer) but now that the album is out,  there will definitely be a few more live shows going on and I would love to catch you at one of them. If you do make it out... be sure to say "hi" and introduce yourself. I'm terrible with names, but never forget a face.

I'm not really sure what more I can say here except that I'm a pretty simple guy who tends to wear his heart out on his sleeve... even when it hurts. Authenticity is what I strive for... not just with music, but with everything I do. Right now life is a little bit of a roller coaster ride... it's scary, but I still prefer it over the merry-go-round. Thanks for checking out my tunes and keep in touch. Your thoughts, feedback and support are always appreciated!

Sincerely, Michael