Michaels tuning up for Guitar Wars
Teenager blues player takes the stage with Canada’s best
Teenaged guitar wiz Riley Michaels knows the drill — sometimes it doesn’t matter what you play, it’s who you know.
So far, the 18-year-old Beamsville bluesman is holding his own.
When he takes the stage at Thorold’s Guitar Wars Friday, Feb. 1, he’ll be joined by Canadian blues pillars including David Gogo, Paul DesLauriers and Juno nominee Steve Grisbook.
It comes shortly after blues great Jack de Keyzer sang his praises: “This kid is going places,” he said. “I like everything about him. His guitar, his voice and his stage presence.”
High praise for someone who can’t even legally drink at the bars and pubs he plays.
“When I started playing music and getting paid to do it, I was 12 or 13 years old,” says Michaels, on the line in between classes at Blessed Trinity Catholic high school in Grimsby. “Nobody’s going to take you serious — you’re just a kid with a guitar, right?
“When I started (playing) with various figureheads in Canadian music, that’s when people started to take me serious. It’s tough to make yourself seem serious unless you have an influential person to help you. The biggest struggle for me was having people take me serious.”
Not to say it isn’t a bit surreal to be playing with guitarists who were already blues fixtures before he was born. For Michaels, it’s a priceless education.
“It’s really cool to be part of those things, because not only am I part of their legacy, but I’m creating my own,” he says. “I
have an opportunity to envision what my future could potentially look like with hard work and influence like that.”
His influences — mainly Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Mayer — are obvious on his debut EP “Toxic Love,” helping him win for blues artist of the year at the 2018 Niagara Music Awards.
“I’m a firm believer in how music makes you feel,” Michaels says. “If it feels good, keep doing it.
“I don’t know if 10 years down the road if people will consider me a blues artist. But I consider myself a blues artist, and I mix in the various stylings of people like Elvis Presley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer.”
When he’s not busting out the riffs at bars into the night, he still has to deal with school and homework. He credits martial arts training with helping him juggle it all.
“I’ve been doing martial arts for 13 years, and a lot of the lessons I’ve taken out are things like balance, focus, confidence, determination. Without martial arts, I wouldn’t be the musician I am on a social aspect.”
Oh, it also means you don’t want to mess with him after the show.
“Well, we don’t ever have any issues, but in case we do!”
John.Law@niagaradailies.com 905-225-1644 | @JohnLawMedia