DARREN MCMULLEN is a highly sought after multi-instrumentalist based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. His list of on-stage weapons includes mandolin, bouzouki, tenor banjo, whistles, guitar and bass.

Darren has been behind one instrument or another since the age of four – first a piano then a guitar then anything he could lay his hands on. His first regular gig was with the hugely popular Halifax band “The Cornerboys”. He chorded his way through the audition, told the band he was a trad music fanatic, got the gig, and swiftly went home to start teaching himself some trad music! Once he found the genre, there was no going back. One job rolled into the next as Darren learned new instruments along the way.

It was in the early days of his next band, “Hair of the Dog”, when Darren and the band’s fiddler Martin St.Maurice realized their common love of traditional instrumental music. In 2001, they recorded their album “Fingerboard Grooves” which went on to be nominated for an East Coast Music Award for the 2002 Instrumental Album of the Year. Hair of the Dog played relentlessly for the next three years; 2003 saw them play 207 shows. With the exit of the band’s lead singer, Hair of the Dog morphed into “The Gig Dogs” in 2004, and remains one of Halifax’s most celebrated pub acts.

2004 was a turning point for Darren. J.P. Cormier was in the market for a bass player, preferably a ‘utility guy’ who could move between several instruments in the run of a show. Not surprisingly, he took notice of Darren. Darren went on to hold a permanent position touring with J.P. for four years playing halls and festivals across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. During his time with J.P., Darren recorded his second album “Decade” in J.P.’s studio. It too went on to receive an ECMA nomination for the 2010 Instrumental Album of the Year.

Since then, Darren has been busy touring and performing with a wide range of bands including the Colin Grant Band, Pogey, Dave Gunning, Matt Andersen, Bruce Guthro, Matt Minglewood, David Francey, Gillian Boucher, Troy MacGillivray, Andrea Beaton, Rachel Davis, Anna Ludlow, and Chrissy Crowley. In the fall of 2010, Darren was hired by The Rankins for their 22 date Acoustic Tour.

In the spring of 2011, Darren hit the studio to record a new album. Armed with his truckload of instruments, and calling on some good friends to join him. Instruments include Guitar, Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki, Electric and Upright Bass, Cello, Whistles, and Banjo. Guests include Matt Andersen, Colin Grant, Jason MacDonald, Rachel Davis, Jason Roach, and Dave Gunning, who also co-produced, engineered, and mixed the project.

"Shoes for Molly" was released at the Celtic Colours International Festival on Cape Breton Island, October 2011.