If everything's been done before, why does anyone bother? A question that often comes across the mind of creatives across the world. When a college-aged lad picks up the guitar, the immediate comparisons arrive - John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Wesley Willis. It is up to the troubador what steps he'll take - take the heavily travelled 401, or romp down the yellow brick road. Ottawa-area singer/songwriter Steve St. Pierre climbed over what appeared to be construction signs to get to what he called a 'shortcut', but it took a while for him to reach the golden paved path. Now that he's found his way, what's up around the bend? With quirky songwriter Craig Cardiff as his main influence, the sound that is coming out of the brainwork of St. Pierre doesn't exactly fit the mould that has been prepared for him by his singer/songwriter predecessors such as the aforementioned Mayer or Matthews. With melodies that appear to have been strained from the 60's and lyrics that could have been written by an unsung street poet, Steve may be paving a new path for the kids to get to their blessed Castle by. His highly-anticipated first release is slated for early-2005. With his website receiving more than 150,000 hits in its first 3 months of operation, a fanbase growing across the United States and UK, and given the chance to open for acclaimed acts such as Wax Mannequin (Coqi Records) and long-time idol Craig Cardiff, St. Pierre is quietly yet quickly making a name for himself. Never turning down the opportunity to piece together a metaphor, St. Pierre describes his music: ìItís like the fruit bowl at your grandparentís house. There may be a few fruits in there that arenít your favourites, but you can swallow them, and thereís ones in there that you adore. All in all, it's guaranteed that the fruit is always fresh.