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Clay Breiland has been blessed with an artistic soul, a combination no doubt of his father’s musical inclinations and his mother’s artistry. He was born in Thunder Bay but his singing and guitar playing conjure up mental images of the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta,
New York City’s Tin Pan Alley and the Trench Town of Kingston, Jamaica.
Clay grew up absorbing the sounds of his father, well known percussionist Wayne Breiland’s record collection and the practice sessions that he held with some of Thunder Bay’s finest musicians. A complex confluence of many other influences including, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Elvis Costello, Billy Holiday, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Dylan, the poetry of Leonard Cohen and the art of Salvador Dali, he is a rare young talent.
In the summer of 2002, Clay formed Freeground with Tyler Raynard, Reggie Modin and Richard Tribe. Brimming over with youthful energy and enthusiasm, the quartet started out playing cover songs in small venues, the freshness and vitality of their arrangements making them popular with listeners of all ages. Spurred on by the response, they began to compose and record original songs that captured the essence of their blues, rock, jazz, folk, funk and reggae preferences.
Freeground opened for national acts such as Harlequin and Staggered Crossing and appeared at the 2006 Thunder Bay Blues Festival as well as the Dragon Boat Festival and the Murillo Fall Fair. They also performed on a volunteer basis on several occasions as part of their commitment to be a positive force in their community.
In March of 2009, Clay co-founded the 5-piece reggae ensemble Rock Steady featuring Dave Campbell on drums, Gord Ellis on guitar and vocals, Rory Bohler on bass and Richard Tribe on keyboards. The band’s versions of classic tunes by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff and Clay’s reggae influenced originals made them an instant hit. They were invited to headline the Folklore Festival at the Fort william Gardens in May of 2010.
Having shared the stage with some of the big names in Canadian blues including Big Dave McLean, David Gogo and Jack de Keyzer, Clay says that “more kids should open their ears and listen to the blues.” www.bandwiki.ca/wiki/Clay_Breiland
Ken Wright
