D’Arcy McGilligan

by Cathy Elcik

When his father got sick, D'Arcy McGilligan gave up full-time work playing with bands in Toronto to care for him. He moved back to his boyhood home in Hamilton and took a job in a steel mill to pay the mortgage. Though D'Arcy built a home studio, the demands of a full-time job and full-time caretaking didn't leave much time for music.

"I was recording local people and doing a few radio commercials, really pushing it as far as I could, but it wasn't enough," D'Arcy says. "I thought with education I might have a shot."

But school in Toronto was expensive and nearly an hour's drive each way. With an already full plate there was no room for the musical education he dreamed of until an ad for Berkleemusic at the back of Mix Magazine captured his imagination.

In April 2004, D'Arcy enrolled in Pro Tools 101. He already knew the program well, but he was hoping to pick up a few tricks. What he got instead was the first step toward a full-time career as a freelance sound engineer.

During a time of incredible personal stress, Berkleemusic's online classes gave D'Arcy a chance to pursue his passion in the time he had available. Grateful for what seemed like a dream come true, D'Arcy gave the program his all, arranging for a swing shift at the steel factory from three to eleven p.m. so he could juggle his job, caring for his father, and his studies.

"A lot of my assignments were coming in at four or five o'clock in the morning," D'Arcy says. "I started getting a reputation as the guy who never sleeps."

It was this driving passion that helped him make connections with fellow students. On the week students were assigned to write a song, D'Arcy stayed up for two days finishing a three-minute instrumental that included drums, bass, and layers of guitar, including a lead playing the melody.

"Some people sat there with an acoustic guitar and played and sang," D'Arcy says. "That wasn't enough for me. I wanted to go in and play bass and guitar and drums and actually write a song. A really good song."

The song grabbed the attention of fellow classmate and Howling Dog Studio owner, Del Couch. Del shared the song with his friend, Rick Derringer (of 'Hang on Sloopy' fame) who zapped D'Arcy an e-mail: From one guitar player to another, I think you're doing a great job.

"Well, that was a good kick in the butt," D'Arcy says. "I mean, I put everything I had into it and that's what got me all the phone calls from these people."

Throughout the course, D'Arcy and Del continued to collaborate. They arranged to take another class together, eventually signing up for a master's certification in studio production together. They set up an FTP site and Web cameras so they could collaborate while D'Arcy was in Canada and Del in Florida. But when that wasn't enough D'Arcy started making trips to Florida. These days he's in the sunshine state at least once a month collaborating with Del in person: D'Arcy has recorded with Derringer; helped engineer an album to support George Wallace Jr.'s campaign for Lieutenant governor of Alabama; played live with Derringer and Del during Wallace's campaign kick off; and worked on an album with Henry Lawrence, a vocalist and two-time Superbowl winner. As icing on the cake, D'Arcy was recently invited to play with Del at a show in the Bahamas.

"I've managed to accomplish quite a bit-it's been crazy," D'Arcy says. "The Berkleemusic online courses have been fantastic."

As his trips to the states became more frequent and his list of internationally renowned clients grew, D'Arcy's reputation at home was growing. His cell phone started ringing with musician after musician asking the same thing: Are you interested in recording me?

"I'm kind of picky on the projects I agree to do because when I dive into a project I kind of put everything I have into it," D'Arcy says. "If I'm involved in a project 24 hours a day, I really have to enjoy it."

But hometown projects he's thrilled to do are seeking him out. He did two cds in two months for The Bluesers, a Toronto band writing original 1950s Memphis-style blues; the four members include a 16-year-old drummer, and a 13-year old guitarist who was the youngest guitar player to ever debut at the Memphis Blues festival. Currently, D'Arcy's recording an album for Toronto singer-songwriter John DiBattista who blew him away with a ten song studio audition.

"Before, I was just looking for work around here," D'Arcy says. "If it wasn't for Berkleemusic, none of this would have happened."

Recently, D'Arcy was offered a job as an engineer at Howl Studio in Oakville, Ontario-just outside of Toronto. D'Arcy says his master's certification in studio production prepped him to walk into a studio prepared and confident.

"Through Berkleemusic I got certified with Pro Tools, and became more than proficient in mixing and mastering, MIDI sequencing at two different levels, Ableton Live, and Reason," D'Arcy says. "As far as getting the right tools for working in the studio, Berkleemusic's selection is incredible."