It took about 30 years, but Tom Mulder has released his first album.
Parksville resident Tom Mulder is having a CD release and performance at the Shady Rest Restaurant & Pub in Qualicum Beach on Saturday.
Mulder’s CD Making Noise has been a work in progress for the past three decades. Mulder said he started writing some of the songs on the CD about 30 years ago, but a few songs are from the last few years.
Mulder said he started playing bass when he was eight or nine years old, but he didn’t learn to play the guitar until he was 16 or 17. He said he was mostly self-taught, but he was show how to do things differently or better on the guitar over the years.
Mulder said he’s been singing for a long time, and then one day he said he happened to play a song for some friends a few years ago. He said they were so taken aback, that he thought he’d start playing for people.
Since then, Mulder said he’s started busking and playing open mic nights in the area.
Then last summer, Mulder said he met Ron Vermeulen from Qualicum Bay’s Summit Recording Solutions and Mulder said he sent Vermuelen a sample of his songs. From there, Mulder said Vermuelen agreed to take him on.
Mulder said he started recording in the studio a couple months later in September. He said it was his first time in a studio.
“It was a lot of fun. I was prepared and I think we did a pretty good job of it in a fairly quick amount of time,” said Mulder, adding that the whole process took about four month. Mulder said they worked on Making Noise until the last day of December.
Mulder said he doesn’t know how the recording happened so fast.
“Next thing you know, I have a CD in my back pocket,” Mulder said.
Money from the CD sales and busking, Mulder said, will be put into a cookie jar in hopes of saving up enough money to record a second album.
“I have about three more CDs in me, I think, of songs I’ve written over the years and new ones that still haven’t been put down, Mulder said.
Mulder described his style as a “sort of a bluesy rock-folk-country.” He added that he does a lot of cover songs from Johnny Cash to 21 Pilots.
“I’ll do a cover song if it’s a good song,” Mulder said.
The album was originally just going to be Mulder and his guitar, but in the end several members of the blues band the Real Deal are featured on his album.
Mulder said they worked on arrangements outside of their studio time, so people would be prepared for when they were in the studio.
“It can really cost a lot of money if you’re not prepared,” Mulder said.
Mulder will be playing on stage before the Real Deal on May 28. Mulder said the band suggested he play first, and then some of the musicians featured on Making Noise can play with Mulder.
Mulder said the performance will be a gradual build-up to a song where all other eight musicians are on stage as well.
The CD is $10 and can be purchased at the show.
Mulder will be on stage at 7 p.m. at the Shady Rest Restaurant & Pub (3109 Island Hwy. West, Qualicum Beach).