Area musician bringing experiences to adopted home

He's bringing what he loves most to his adopted home of Elliot Lake. 

Keith Stiner is hosting a live musical entertainment show at the Moose Family Centre on Oakland Boulevard.

The Elliot Lake resident has been in the music business as a performer for nearly as long as he can remember. His country, rock, folk stylings have been influenced by the likes of Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Bill Miller, Steve Earle and the late Johnny Cash.

"I moved to Milton, Ontario and from there to Windsor, Ontario where I got back with my daughter's mom. I didn't even know that I had a daughter until about 11 years ago,” Stiner recalled.  

"She placed an ad on Kijiji to find her biological father and at that point I moved down to Windsor as that's where her mom and her were living at that time. After we had the DNA test done, it turned out 99.9 per cent positive.

"I then wrote a song called The Ad based on my daughter's perspective on finding her real father. My old bandmates and I went into the studio to record it. I also wound up on AM 800 CKLW on the morning drive to tell my story and sing my song live over the air,” Stiner added. 

When he lived in Windsor as a vocalist and guitar player, Stiner decided to put together a live local show in the border city which he also opened up to other bands and musicians in Windsor and the surrounding Essex County area. His roots go back to Toronto where he was born and raised.

"I hosted an event just like this one down in Windsor and it was a huge success. I just feel that there are a lot of really good musicians out there who have written their own songs but have never had a chance to perform them as most of the local bar bands out there are all playing cover tunes," Stiner continued. 

"I just thought to myself it worked in Windsor, why not try it here even though the city of Elliot Lake is a lot smaller? I wanted to create something different up here that no one else has attempted," Stiner said.

All the musicians who are coming out to perform are donating their time, as Stiner puts it, "to shine and be heard."

That includes singer/songwriters of all ages. To add some perspective on his personal musical tastes, Stiner supplied a link to one of his original songs, The Valley Road, on Soundcloud.

Most of Stiner's musical exposure in Elliot Lake has involved meeting and playing with a number of musicians, most of whom are retired now, and playing old school classics. 

As for the future of the city's music scene, Stiner said it's too soon to say what might evolve in the next 10 years. For now, he's content to enjoy living here and watching it all roll out while doing his part performing.

"I feel confident enough to say that we will be performing at some music festivals by next year. That gives Thor (local Elvis tribute artist), Johnny (a third strong musician) and I lots of time to practice. Things are definitely looking positive," he concluded.

The Moose Family Centre show is slated for Sept. 3. The show, titled 'Originals Only Showcase' will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. p.m.

He said there will also be vendors on hand selling their products. Full details are being worked out but he's also planning on streaming the show live on social media. 

Part of the proceeds from the Moose Family Centre show (10 per cent of the admission cost after expenses) will be donated to the Sudbury and District Animal Shelter where Stiner's  daughter works to buy pet food and help out with gas money for the shelter volunteers.

The trio will also be performing at Lumberjack Days on July 30 and 31 at Mississagi Provincial Park.