Friday June 22, 2001. Arts & Entertainment

Some say that education is the key to success. Mike Branton might argue that point. Not that he doesn't regret whiling his high school days away, ignoring his studies and concentrating on his guitar.

But he does like his life and his chosen career, which developed from the idle time he spent plunking his guitar.

"I've been playing since I was about nine, seriously since I was about 14...I would have started earlier but I couldn't convince my parents that that's what I really wanted to do" says the Oakville musician, explaining that he see,ed to know from about the age of three that he wanted to be a professional musician. "I'd be jumping up and down on my parents' bed with a tennis racket (as guitar) listening to Kiss records...I just always wanted to do it.

Oddly enough for a teenager, his first band started out playing blues and later turned to rock music. "We'd throw in some blues just so I could keep my sanity" he quips noting that he has made his living playing guitar for a number of years now, teaching guitar lessons to budding musicians, and touring across Canada a few times playing with his share of bands. He has even backed-up a number of well-known performers.

"The reason I got into blues is that it was around my house. My dad was a big blues fan and I had access to his record collection" says the young musician. "I was born into it."

He and the Mike Branton Band recently wrapped up a stint of weekly performances, almost five years worth, at the King's Arms here in Oakville and he also wrapped up recording fro his first CD titled 'Dirty Feet'. The title has nothing to do with the music, he says with a laugh.

"You get kind of tired of seeing blues records with some pudgy, middle-aged businessman with sunglasses and an unplugged guitar" he explains. "So, its my feet, with dirt all over them.. I guess it's more of a 'stop taking yourself so seriously and make some music' statement. It's my credo."

His CD is all original material, with the exception of one song. He'd also like to record a live CD to document the past fice years of his Oakville performances. "Then I can get it out of my system and move on." he says.

"I would love to find another Sunday night location" he adds. "People come out just for the music, which is pretty cool."

The former Queen Elizabeth Park student says he prefers live gigs to recording because live performances allow him to express his feelings more freely - feeling that he says are "not captured on tape."

By Carol Baldwin