(Toronto, ON) – Sean Kelly is a classically trained guitarist, singer, composer, producer, teacher and author. Originally a session player, he embarked on the live music scene when he founded the glam rock band Crash Kelly as frontman and guitarist. (2003-2008) Sean has since played with great bands and artists such as Helix (Bass Player), Lee Aaron and Nelly Furtado just to name a few. He was also a finalist for Guitar Player magazine’s Guitar Hero 2005 competition. His passion for music has extended to writing a book called “Metal on Ice” : “Tales from Canada’s Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Heroes”. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Sean, and this is what he had to say.
Sue – Many people may not be aware that you are classically trained through the U of T. When you were growing up and listening to Rock and Roll, did you ever see yourself playing the nylon strings?
Sean – To be honest, no….Twisted Sister was the reason I started playing guitar, and my first instrument was a pawn shop electric guitar that my parents bought me for Christmas. I came to the classical guitar after I had already been playing electric for a few years, largely influenced to do so by Randy Rhoads and Yngwie Malmsteen. However, once I started it, I loved the challenge and the music. It was an honour to have the opportunity to record some of my favourite pieces on “The #1 Classical Guitar Album”, which came out through Opening Day/Universal in 2007.
Sue – Do you think you would have come as far as you have without the training you received?
Sean – I believe the training I received in University has been a major help in my career…it is by no means necessary, as some of my favorite players are self-taught, but I am grateful for the opportunity I had to expand my knowledge.
Sue – Things have come full circle for you, playing with bands that you idolized as a child. Did you think you were going to be co – writing and producing with such bands as Helix, Lee Aaron and Honeymoon Suite?
Sean – Haha, never in a million years! I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to have the opportunity to work with these artists. I learn so much from every session or gig, these are true masters of their craft.
Sue – If you could collaborate with any artist or band, who would it be?
Sean – I would love to spend a day working with Eddie Van Halen.
Sue – How did you get the gig with Nelly Furtado?
Sean – A good friend of mine is Nelly’s personal guitar tech, and he let me know that Nelly was looking for a guitarist who could play in a variety of styles, particularly nylon string guitar as she was just about to release her Spanish album Mi Plan. The guitarist she had been playing with previously just happened to be a former classmate of mine at U of T, and he was moving to London , UK. I went in and auditioned for a week and was lucky enough to get the call!
Sue – You’ve had the opportunity to play for a crowd of 165000 people in Mexico with Nelly Furtado. Thus far, would that be classified as the biggest highlight of your career?
Sean – It was certainly a huge moment, but I have been blessed with many wonderful moments, it is hard to pick one…we actually did a bigger show in Szczecin, Poland that had an estimated 500,000 people! A special memory I have is opening for Bryan Adams with a young artist named Andee last year on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City in front of 90,000 people. Another would be when my band Crash Kelly opened for Alice Cooper at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Sue – Besides being a respected singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist, you are also an author and educator, tell me a little bit about this.
Sean – I am a certified teacher with the Ontario College of Teachers, and am currently a Vocal Music Teacher with the Toronto Catholic District School Board. I was also a private guitar teacher for years, and am currently a Music Director and Artist Coach at Coalition Music in Toronto, where we run a number of Artist Education programs through our Incubator, and our charity TEMPO. My first book, Metal On Ice : Tales from Canada’s Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Heroes, was issued through Dundurn Press in 2013.
Sue – How has your book “Metal on Ice” been received?
Sean – The reviews have been very positive, and the book topped the Amazon Heavy Metal books list for a quite a while… the best part of the process was getting to make the Metal On Ice album with some of the fantastic artists in the book, and put on the Metal On Ice live show as part of Canadian Music Week in Toronto in May of 2014.
Sue – In your book you speak of yourself as a teenager going to see Helix and Honeymoon Suite at the local hockey arena. You had an opportunity to meet the members and couldn’t believe how they treated you with kindness and respect. Back in December a friend and I had the opportunity to meet you for a brief few moments at the Lee Aaron show in Ajax. One impression we both left with was how gracious you were with us and anyone who wanted to say hi. You thanked us for coming out to the show and posed for a couple of pictures. Do you attribute you kindness to fans as something you learned from that day back in 1985?
Sean – Those memories definitely left an impression on me. There is a saying that goes “People may not remember what you said to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel”. I always try and remember that in all of life’s dealings. Kindness and respect were paramount in my household growing up. It takes so little effort to make someone feel comfortable and respected, and any other sort of behavior is something I’m just not interested in. I try to practice the attitude of gratitude.
Sue – What is next for Sean Kelly?
Sean – Very excited to head to Vancouver to record the new Lee Aaron record (which is going to be fantastic, Lee is an amazing talent with so much depth), working on new songs with Honeymoon Suite, a summer full of gigs coming and new songs coming up with my new band Trapper with the amazing Emm Gryner.
Sue – Thank you so much for taking part in this interview for Music Life Magazine! Much appreciated! All the best to you and your future endeavors.
Sean – Thanks for the great questions Sue, all the best!
Written and interviewed by Sue Sadzak
Photo credits : Mike S Fowler
To follow Sean Kelly please visit:
https://twitter.com/seankellyguitar
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=866520202&fref=ts
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