Wil Mimnaugh, better known as Wil, has a niche writing music for TV and film, but ultimately his passion is performing live.
This makes sense, considering the folk-rock musician's career began with steady gigs at bars five nights a week. "[Playing live] is something that I've always done and I like the organic creativity of it," he says. Mistakes can be fixed while producing a record, which "robs a bit of soul from it," he adds.
Wil says he thrives on being present in the moment. That鈥檚 part of the reason why he relocated to Vancouver Island from Calgary seven years ago.
鈥淭he boom, the bubble, it was just pretty crazy and we [he and his wife] were living in a condo and I thought it would be great to get out in the sticks somewhere.鈥�
So the pair sold their home in Calgary, found an Island home online, packed up their belongings and moved to what Wil refers to as the 鈥渂ox in the woods.鈥� Their home, complete with a recording studio, rests on 3.5 treed acres.
After falling trees for a couple years, Wil found himself working as a mechanic at a local bike shop. 鈥淎nd I found that that stuff inspired or motivated me in music because I wasn鈥檛 just sitting in a chair with a gun to my head being forced to write.鈥�
Four of Wil鈥檚 compositions, including the invigorating and uplifting 鈥淩oam,鈥� were featured in Travel Alberta鈥檚 鈥淩emember to Breathe鈥� tourism campaign. 鈥淚鈥檓 always writing records and I鈥檓 always writing songs to perform. In the commercial world, that can cross over,鈥� says the Vancouver Island Music Award nominee. 鈥淲hen I write songs, I鈥檝e always called them small films or short stories. I visualize everything I write in music.鈥�
When composing for a specific commercial or scene, though, he prefers to only write a sentence or two about the subject. 鈥淚 like working it without seeing it first because you can get too literal with working to [visuals].鈥�
More of Wil鈥檚 work will feature in new Travel Alberta commercials debuting this May.
As well as his commercial work, he is also finessing a new album in his home studio. He says on that he is experimenting with layering tracks of himself playing different instruments. 鈥淓ven if I can鈥檛 play an instrument well, I鈥檒l put it on there and then for some reason when I put more of me on me, something nice happens,鈥� he says with a chuckle.
