We are The Start
The Start is a 5-piece professional cover band from the Ottawa area. We perform 5 decades of British rock, pop and R&B covering bands like David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Amy Winehouse, The Cure, The Rolling Stones, Modern English, Billy Idol, and so many more! With a selection of music that goes beyond typical rock standards, The Start brings experience and energy to any public or private event.
Upcoming Shows
The Start Members
Lead Vocals
Graeme Weeks
Graeme was born & raised in Essex, East London & played in some of the toughest venues in front of some of the roughest crowds in London! Arriving in Canada, firstly Quebec and now Ottawa, he's sung & played in numerous outfits including the much-travelled The Jet 200s before finally finding a home when he founded The Start with bassist Frank Deehan.
Lead Guitar
David Little
Having lived in the UK, this former web guru finds a home in The Start with his punk and indie-influenced guitar work. David started playing guitar in the late 80s (new wave and punk) and moved to Halifax to take part in the early grunge/indie explosion in 1992 (Who remember's The Double Deuce and The Flamingo?). He's been in a variety of bands here in Ottawa until the late 90s, and after a ten year hiatus, he's back to his English roots with The Start. In true British fashion, when his amp is not cranked to 11, he can be found puttering in his garden and drinking copious amounts of tea.
Percussion
Nathan Hoedeman
Nathan, a former soccer mate of Graeme's, spent his teenage years in Glengarry County, a region renowned for the Highland Games, caber tossing, kilt wearing, scotch drinking, soccer playing and British music! Countless hours of being exposed to the popular British invasion hits of the 70-80-90's from The Who, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Clash, The Stones, The Jam, The Knack and Led Zepplin, fueled his passion for British music, especially for the RnB infused songs that get people up and grooving away. Nathan's motto is simple: Life's too short, get on the dance floor already!
Bass Guitar
Martin Newman
Born and raised in Ottawa, Martin began playing bass guitar in Luc Charbonneau's music class at Collège Catholique Samuel-Genest. After graduating high school in 1987, he purcahsed his first double bass and studied privately with Steve Watson for about a year. In 1989 he completed a five-month contract on a cruise ship travelling around Europe with band leader Chris Lane, and his career began in earnest.
Since then, he's played every kind of gig from bars to theatre and festival stages and recording studios, from Ottawa to Berlin to San Diego, playing music ranging from folk to jazz to rock. Highlights have included recording and touring in Germany with Dario Domingues, touring the US with Holly Larocque and her Big Band Broadcast show, being a hired gun for one-off shows with travelling stars like Carol Channing and Petula Clark, a long association with Jean-Marc Lalonde in the bands Deux Saisons, La Ligue du Bonheur, and Hey Wow, two albums with instrumental rockers The Flaps, an ongoing collaboration with guitarist Lucas Haneman, and many, many more.
Keyboards
Asher Darling
Asher Darling is a pianist and composer with a background in classical music and a passion for contemporary styles. After graduating from the University of Ottawa with a degree in performance and composition, Asher expanded beyond the classical world, incorporating elements of pop, rock, and alternative music into his playing. With a strong foundation in technique and a dynamic approach to performance,Asher blends the precision of classical training with the energy of popular music styles. His sound is both expressive and versatile, making each performance engaging and unique.