Jude Haines
So who is this Jude Haines character anyway?
Well it all began on the Victoria Day of 1974 in London, Ontario, Canada. With his good friends Joshua (imaginary), G.I. Joe (international child soldier recruiter), and Optimus Prime (deep voiced automated role model), Jude entertained himself wonderfully. After Joshua’s recession into second self and the (unforgivable) “donation” of his G.I. Joe and Transformer collections to the neighbor’s kid, Jude found himself playing a lot more guitar. Starting at the age of seven, the guitar offered Jude his first creative outlet, and his teachers found his enthusiasm and self direction to make up songs on the spot to be a little…well, strange was the word.
After moving to the other side of town, Jude began his High School career amongst total strangers. However, Jude found almost immediate acceptance in the Oakridge High School Drama Club; and he had the bruises to prove it. After graduation, Jude left London for Toronto where this slightly arrogant and insecure young man gained admission into the esteemed Ryerson Theatre School. By the end of his Ryerson sojourn, Jude embarked on a long illustrious career in the entertainment business doing everything from voice-overs to musicals.
In the meanwhile he was also performing and touring for 6 years with the amazing progressive rock quintet, The Robber Who Robbed The Town. Led by the intrepid Ian Caruso, Jude developed a fast friendship with the band’s members and energy. After the band’s dissolution, Jude started work on his first recording project at Harbinger Sound in Toronto.
After the Harbinger sessions, Jude moved back home to London, Ontario to start collaborating with his old friend and guitar teacher, Ben Heywood. The resulting year produced 11 amazing songs that were superbly recorded at Canterbury Sound Studios in Toronto, with the maestro of mixing, the entrepreneur of engineering, Jeremy Darby. Jude also had the extreme privilege of working with some of Canada’s finest musicians: Kevin Breit, Russ Boswell, Rob Gusevs, Paul DeLong, Alan Heatherington, Kevin Fox, and Treasa Levasseur to name a few. The resulting project has received a stream of glowing reviews and comments, and is still regularly played on satellite radio. The songs are tragically romantic, capturing the hopeful longing and quiet resolve of the restless heart. With haunting melodies, subtle imagery, and evocative lyrics, Jude takes the listener on an emotional journey of bittersweet self-discovery.
Now Jude spends his time teaching other performers (vocal and performance specific training), and managing his new company, Tarot Recordings/Bi-Polar Music Publishing. The new project, The Bitter Happiness, explores the celebration of our....well, fuck ups and good times I guess. It is homage to the heart, and it's struggle to endure. The music of The Bitter Happiness runs true to Jude’s original idea of how he wanted to sound as an artist. With all his experiences, good and bad, Jude has never felt more confident to tackle the murky depths of the music industry, and forge a path of his own. Jude has been a featured artist on Dmusic and has had two songs reach #1 on the Canadian Broadjam regional and national artists charts……He’s also a really, really nice guy.