Brad Sucks and the Throat Singer

In a quiet neighbourhood south of Ottawa live two people who are quickly gaining international popularity for their unique musical talents. He creates music through the modern world of the Internet, and she performs the native art of throat singing. I met with Brad Turcotte and his partner Kathy Kettler recently, for a glimpse into the lives of these two very talented performers.

From the moment he was first introduced to computers, Brad Turcotte realized he could speak their language. He spent hours every day studying myriad systems and applications until he could comfortably manipulate and design websites on his own. Joining a community of like-minded tech bloggers online, he soon became known as somewhat of an expert in the field. The powers that be at Microsoft were made aware of Brad’s Internet expertise, and invited him to Seattle to take part in a panel of 30 tech journalists and industry specialists to preview their new search engine.

A true multilingual, Brad’s other language of choice is music. He began classical guitar lessons at 9 years of age, and soon showed signs of true musical talent. Inevitably, Brad eventually found a way to combine his two loves. After becoming a master manipulator of the music-sequencing program Billboard, he began composing his own music on the computer. He would compose the music for guitar, then do a track for the drums, mix in the keyboards, and add vocals.

In time, “the one-man band with no fans” was born. Brad posted his compositions on the website www.bradsucks.net and gained an immediate audience for his alternative / indie sound.

“I wasn’t prepared for the instant feedback,” Brad says of his online community of listeners. The Internet allows users to post critiques anonymously and they do so without reservation or self-censorship. Thankfully, most of the comments are positive ones, confirming that the music of Brad Sucks…doesn’t.

The Internet has the power to bring people of different worlds together. This dynamic makes the worldwide web a spectacularly powerful marketing tool for a musician with an online presence. Through visits to his website, Brad has gained fans and friends from many different walks of life.

William Gibson (author of The Matrix trilogy) has been quoted as saying that he often listened to the music of Bradsucks while working on characterization for his latest book.

Fans spread the word about Bradsucks, and the website quickly developed a loyal following in the college crowd. Brad began receiving requests to perform live, and decided to form a band to take his show on the road.

Their first gig was a Battle of the Bands called Tech Rocks. The audience, Brad remembers, appeared to be primarily made up of soccer moms. Their second performance was at the famous Ottawa establishment Barrymores. The band has also played Zaphod Beeblebrox, Live Lounge, Greenfields and the Rainbow.

Earlier this year, Brad received a request to perform without his band, for the students of Waterloo University. Armed with only his laptop and guitar, Brad took the stage alone to perform live for fans he had gained online. “It was incredibly surreal,” he remembers, “looking out at and seeing so many people singing the words to my songs.”

Those fans spread the word in their online community, and soon Brad opened an email that he never imagined he would receive, from Harvard University. In February, he was on a plane to Boston. He took part in a musical symposium, performing in various campus venues over the course of two days. The trip also included a radio interview and a question-and-answer session with students. It was a learning experience for both sides.

Brad shares his home and life with an equally fascinating person, his partner Kathy Kettler. Born and raised in Arnprior, Kathy comes from an Inuit background. As part of their native culture, Kathy’s sister Karin taught her the art of throat singing. Traditionally, while the men of generations past were out hunting for days on end, the Inuit women and children in the igloos would pass the time playing a game. Two people face each other, sometimes linking arms at the elbows, and one emits a deep hum. The other echoes, and the game begins. The humming goes back and forth, in a rhythm, until one throat singer drops the beat, hums a bad note, or starts to laugh. Not unlike the staring game, it’s a competition of endurance and creativity that breeds togetherness.

Kathy and her sister Karin have been invited to perform their throat singing at various high-profile cultural events throughout Canada, and have represented the country overseas. Kathy just returned from an exciting trip to Kenya, where she and her cousin Lydia performed as part of the annual Great Rift Valley Earth Festival. Due to the recent civil unrest in the country, Kathy’s sister Karin opted out of the trip.

Presented at Ol Ari Nyiro (“place of dark waters” in the Masai language) in the Laikipia Nature Conservancy in Northern Kenya, the Earth Festival is an annual celebration designed “to heal divisions between people and nature by bringing together exceptional artists from all continents to humanity’s common cradle, the Great Rift Valley.” The event is a benefit to raise funds for various environmental concerns.

Kathy feels honoured to have been chosen to represent Canada at the world-famous event. To hear a sample of throat singing, visit Kathy and Karin’s website: www. Nukariik.ca.

When they aren’t out and about performing their own special brand of music, Brad and Kathy make their home in Kemptville.

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