Mike Ponte

Mechanics Behind the Music

For me, music has always been a passion, and releasing A/Collision with my band mates has been the most fulfilling thing I have done, to date. In August 2009 our first single, “Tear Me Down”, made its radio debut on The Rock 94.5 FM. Soon after, the band was performed on Indie Love Radio. The album, produced by Brian Moncarz (Lukas Rossi, Moneen) in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer David Bottrill (TOOL, Peter Gabriel) on the title track, was highlighted in the May edition of Canadian Musician magazine. One of the tracks from A/Collision is currently being considered for an upcoming Hollywood feature film. In October 2009, we opened for funk-metal band Living Colour with Vernon Reid (named #66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time).

I grew up in Mississauga and entered the music business initially as a behind-the-scenes player. After high school, I completed an audio engineering course at Harris Institute in Toronto. I then worked at Imax Audio for a year before coming to Sheridan. Most of the foreman and supervisors I worked with had attended Sheridan so I knew it was the go-to place for high-end technical training.

All the while, I was playing guitar and composing in my spare time. While working as an electrician after graduation, I began writing music for a future CD. I then co-founded A/Collision with childhood friend David Christopher (vocals). The combination of our differing musical backgrounds provided the inspiration for the band’s name.

Although I remain a front man for A/Collision, I’m also focusing my efforts on promoting musical talent in the GTA. My new production company, Empowered Sounds, will help artists use current marketing tools to establish themselves. The music industry has changed so much over the past few years. With the elimination of the middleman, artists are reliant on themselves to build their careers. I plan to study marketing at Sheridan to hone my business development skills. I’m not the only Sheridan grad in my family. My brother, Rick, is a marketing graduate, who now works for a pharmaceutical company.

Check out www.acollisionmusic.com. A/Collision, the debut album is available on iTunes.