About Totally Hip Cat

   Well, there's not really a whole lot to tell. I've led a pretty normal existence with no really exceptional experiences to speak of. I was born in the Yukon territories of Canada in 1974 and moved to a small town in northern BC, where I still reside, when I was about three. I haven't done anything phenomenal with my life, yet, but there's always hope. The only thing that's been a real constant in my life was my family and music.

   I first got interested in music at an early age due to the fact that my Father played guitar and sang quite a bit, not professionally mind you, but enough to get me interested in music. I was in grade 7 when I first caught the music bug seriously. I joined the local school band program which was run by a man who I'll refer to as Mr. A. Mr. A was a very good musician and a great teacher. He's the one that started my down the path of real appreciation for music by teaching me my first music theory and how to play the trumpet (my first instrument). It was during the two years that Mr. A taught me that I learned playing music was fun and rewarding, never to quit (even if the rest of the band conked out), and that if you kept playing with confidence, the average (non-musically trained) person wouldn't even realize that you made a minor screw-up, even though perfection was the ultimate goal. It was also during this time that my musical listening tastes went from pop/rock music to harder rock like Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. 'Shout at the Devil' was a life changing album for me as far as musical taste and love for guitar.

   For the two years after Mr. A taught me, I had another teacher that I'll refer to as Mr. H. He was more of a performer than a teacher, but he was the first one who got me to write my own trumpet solo for extra credit. This was where I started to get a love for writing as well as playing music. It was also during this time that I got to see the inside of a REAL recording studio and see how real albums were made. My music tastes also expanded into the territory of Metallica and other heavy metal style bands. It's also when I first started experimenting with drums and guitar, as well as any other instrument I could get my hands on. It was near the end of this two year period when I got my first guitar and started to write my first songs.

   For my last two years of high school, I was taught by a woman whom I'll call Ms. M. She used to play the violin and was more classically trained as far as music and teaching went. It was from her that I learned that there is also a certain amount of discipline involved with music. Since these were my senior years, I learned that sometimes you meet people that look up to you for musical help and guidance. I also learned that they tend to look up to you for how you behave in a concert setting and behind the scenes as well. We had a small band that couldn't afford to lose certain players, so I tended to get away with a little more than I should have. These days, I realise that if you start a band and are the better trained one, musically, the others will follow your lead. Therefore, there is also a certain responsibility in being a front man as well as the main song writer, but that responsibility includes letting others grow and accepting their input to help yourself grow.

   Next came the crush of adulthood and the work and life experiences that come along with it. I ended up getting work in a lumber mill and getting quite good money at it as well. I bought a house, partied, and chased girls for years as my music became more of a hobby than a lifestyle. I went through a long term relationship that lasted for 8 and a half years total and culminated in a marriage and a divorce in the end. It was at this time that I reached my first major realization that I'd thrown away my musical life for an average, everyday existance. At this point, I used my excellent credit and good paying job to buy a portable, hard disc recording setup with a few mics and chords. I also started to write lots of lyrics and some new music, as well as learning to multi-track it all together. I did this by myself for a while, but motivation was the hard part.

   Fast forward a couple of more years to the big, recent, economic recession and the loss of my job. This is where I had lots of time on my hands and decided to kill the boredom with an online presence of my own. So, in 2009, I signed up with a hosting service and created an alter-ego that I called Totally Hip Cat. Now, (in 2010) I finally STARTED to get a LITTLE motivation and am hoping to start posting my music and any other entertainment I can, online. Totally Hip Cat is my brand and the artist name I'll be using will be D.V.is (that's my first two initials and the last letters of my last name, pronounced like devious). Click on buttons above to learn more about the different sections of the site.