by Mike Haggith
Do you ever rehearse a conversation in your head that you’ll probably never have?
My name is Mike Haggith. I’m an indie/alternative artist with countless albums under my belt, and stories to tell. Today, I’ve got one for you.
Imagine being 18 and setting off for a place where no one knows your name, landing in a place where the only thing familiar is your dream. That was me, stepping out of the car and touching the ground of Sault Ste Marie for the first time. I had just relocated from Windsor, Ontario. It was 2010 and I looked like McLovin from Superbad, so at least I had that going for me.
Told you.
Listen to the album while reading the text.
College life rolled along, a predictable montage of studying, stressing, and a rather unhealthy caffeine addiction. From the age of four, I had known EXACTLY what I was going to do with my life:
An aviator by day, a rockstar by night.
How hard could it be? As it turns out, it’s a real uphill battle! It took years to get my pilot license, and I released multiple solo albums and went through a few different bands before I finally found my stride. Eventually, the routine of written exams, training flights, and small gigs under hot lights blended into a whirlwind of days and nights. And amid the chaos of it all, I found myself at the helm of The Din, a three-piece power pop band that.. wait a minute.. was actually gaining popularity?
By 2016, I had been living in the Sault for six years, but only at this point did it feel like I was gaining any traction musically. Suddenly instead of watching bands play, people were turning up to watch us play! The next year, as our popularity was at its highest and my final flight test loomed, I was reminded just how fragile life truly is.
Mayday.
On the morning of August 5, 2017, I set off on a routine training flight with an instructor by my side. It was a flight like any other, and off we flew into a clear blue sky.
After about five minutes of climbing, I went to level the plane off at altitude, and that’s when I noticed it.
Something was wrong.
When I pushed the yoke forward to lower the nose, nothing happened. The controls were jammed, and the plane was stuck in a climb. We quickly noticed our electric and manual trim had also failed.
The plane was out of control.
With only one trick left up our sleeves, we reduced the engines to idle power. Doing this would accomplish one of two things; the nose would drop and we’d be able to limp the plane back down for a landing, or it would stall and we’d fall out of the sky.
All we could do was wait.
And wait.
And watch the airspeed roll back.
And then it happened.
The nose dropped, we declared a mayday, and with partial control of the airplane, limped it back to base and made a successful landing. It was a one-in-a-billion mechanical failure, and that morning, it found us.
But we fought back, and cheated death in the process.
I had all of six hours to sit with that, because my band had a show to play that night.
I’ve never taken a day for granted since.
From that day on, I made a point to put even more of myself into my music, as I realized the only way someone truly lives forever is by immortalizing their stories within their art. I set out to make that my legacy. Every song since then has contributed to the telling of my life story.
…
The following month, I completed my studies and received my final license from the college. With that, came the realization that it was time to tear everything down and start again. The Din played our sendoff concert on October 21, 2017, and I once again found myself a stranger in a new place; Thompson, Manitoba.
With love, from the 55th Parallel.
Situated 500 miles north of Winnipeg, building a new life in Thompson was no easy feat. I ended up spending five years there (including the years lost when the world shut down), and ended up making some great friends in the process. I released two solo albums as a Thompson resident, and had the privilege of performing with some incredible musicians. The north certainly has its hidden gems.
It was also the site of my first-ever music video.
Progress was slow, but steady. Looking back, I didn’t really realize in the moment just how much things were trending upward. And then, when the world reopened, I got the call of a lifetime. I was invited to return to Sault Ste Marie to perform on the main stage at Rotaryfest, the region’s biggest summer festival.
The MAIN STAGE!
Of course, I hired a band of incredible local talent, and flew in for the show.
And then, suddenly, there we were. On a massive stage in front of thousands of people. This was the moment we had all been waiting for.
As the first chord rang out, I realized we’d made it.
We were exactly where we needed to be, and we had earned the right to be there.
I followed my dreams, and they led me here.
I had torn down and rebuilt my life twice to be here.
I had cheated death to be here.
Yeah, we rocked the hell outta that place.
Life eventually afforded me the opportunity to relocate to Barrie, Ontario, where I now reside with my wife and our cats. My involvement with music is bigger and brighter than ever before, celebrating the release of my newest solo album All The Best In All You Do, released July 13, 2023. I have truly been blessed.
But, back to the question.
Do you ever rehearse a conversation in your head that you’ll probably never have?
I know I do. I’d love to tell my younger self what a ride this life is about to be. How worth it every setback, heartbreak, and tribulation will be. How I’ve found a way to live forever.
I think he’d like that.
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