There is always a new musical experience to walk into and that is what keeps the fire raging for some gifted musicians! As the pendulum swings back and forth, you realize how great a lifetime of performance and creation can be. Ever heard of Stu Pike? Well you have probably heard him but you may not have realized It because of the sheer volume of artists he has worked with.

Dizzying, characterful, engrossed, intense, joyful are all terms that come to mind to describe this uniquely inquisitive and driven musician. He will sink into character as he returns to The Cove with his band of brothers, King of the Swingers, an insatiably energetic olde time band who play the patio Saturday, June 28 from 5-8 pm! Details and reservations here: web link

Seamus Cowan: It kind of sounds like my musical story, but did it all sort of happen by chance that you were thrust into the music scene by sheer inspiration via early theatre productions and high school bands?

Stu Pike: My father was a professional musician and soloist with the Vimy Band in Kingston and I had great support from him and many members of that fantastic band. My first teacher, Dick Baldwin would get me to sub for him on his "civilian gigs" when the Vimy Band was on tour. I did Trio work with Toni Frazao and dance bands with Hugh Stafford. Pit orchestra work for many musicals at the Grand Theatre and every summer several shows with the St. Lawrence Summer Playhouse, a tent theatre "in the round" in City Park. So although I did some High School jazz and concert band playing, I was a working musician by age 13.

Q: Sometimes it sounds like the military is a great opportunity for people to inject structure in their life. Going through music school at CFB and travelling incessantly throughout North America in Europe at such a young age, I’m sure this naturally gave you a strong sense of guidance.

Stu: It's debatable whether the military itself was a positive growth experience for me. I approached it as an opportunity to play with some of the top musicians in Canada.

The School of Music at CFB Esquimault was a fantastic experience. A complete performance program with a highly competitive audition process with only 30 students admitted each year. Most players arrive with BMus, Conservatory and a decent CV of professional work. Every day was filled with a wide range of musical styles. We could be rehearsing Carmina Burana in the morning and Blood Sweat & Tears in the afternoon. Many of us played in the clubs around Victoria in the evening. I worked all through my time at the school.

There were 9 Military bands across Canada at the time. I was assigned to PPCLI in Calgary and along with Concert Band and Stage Band responsibilities, I was a soloist playing "Tico Tico" and "Helterskelter" on the Xylophone!

Shades of King of the Swingers in my future!

The Military Bands were a different creature than most of the military. When confronted outside the bandroom by a Captain for missing a required salute, he asked me my unit and I said, "Hey Man, I'm with the band"... He was not impressed.

We toured Europe and the States. Nice hotels, fantastic Concert Halls, Remembrance Day on Vimy Ridge and great appreciative audiences. Excellent players and a fair amount of wild behaviour made for an all around great time.

So a sense of guidance provided by the Military? I wouldn't say so.
I did 5 years with the Military Bands. The music and the musicians were outstanding!

Q: The term olde time music is very relative when we think about the history of music as we know it. It’s almost ridiculous to name it this as everything we’ve created in the last few hundred years is basically modern. Tell us about your influences in and your attraction to olde time music, as it is named, and King of the Swingers?

Stu: For King of the Swingers, we think of a century ago. The roaring 20's (that's 1920's for the kids), was a wild time in early jazz development and all the cool kids were down with King Oliver and his Creole Band, “Dippermouth Blues". Socially, economically and culturally it was a time for innovation and the music was driven by the ancestral rhythms of African American musicians. It was one of the great milestones for civil liberties in the USA and it was a time of wild abandonment of the previously reserved musical styles. No doubt a cause for some concern for the genteel class. Must have been terrifying for them as perhaps Elvis and The Beatles were for a different generation of parents.

King of the Swinger grew out of a traditional Dixieland Band, but we wanted to embrace that wild showmanship of Cab Calloway, Louis Prima, and Louis Jordan. Musicians, possessed by the spirit of the music and unable to contain the energy! There is a new-ish street performance style called HONK! I hope we emulate that energy in King of the Swingers. We prefer the street to the stage, the individual over the audience and laughter and joy over all else.

Q: There is something about the vibe that you give to the musical projects you are a part of. Is there a common thread of something that you look for in the musicians and the vibe of a group that you end up wanting to work with?

Stu: I've been very lucky to have played with many different styles of bands and many different personalities. One constant that I believe is understood by most musicians is that the relationship is all important. Music is an art form that requires empathy, communication, and co-operation. The ability to share the space. To encourage individual style and build upon the differences as well as the similarities. Shout out to Anna Sudak as one of the best in this department!

Q: In reading your bio, it sounds like you have experienced so much and spread your wings to travel so many different musical directions. Then again, it sometimes feels like you just want to sit back and put your feet up, or do you continue to be hungry for the next creatively minded project?

Stu: There is always a next project in development. Sometimes I'm thinking of something strictly commercial, more often it's a personal passion. I do find myself now, at yet another turning point in life. I am currently completing my commitment this summer as the drummer with the few remaining bands I play with. Over the past couple of years I've been putting a significant amount of practice time into developing my guitar skills. I am partnering with a couple of fine players and great voices, who share my passion for singing harmonies. We are undecided whether we want to go any further than what we feel is the perfect musical experience. That euphoric moment when the song has just come together at rehearsal. I'm not sure any performance has matched that feeling. It's such an intimate moment of bliss. I feel very fortunate to have been able to share that moment with so many great musicians over the years, and am looking forward to an exciting show at The Cove. Posted: Jun 20, 2025