Don McCarthy
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia - Don McCarthy, a retired PCO, has worn many hats throughout his life. Husband, father, business owner, navy veteran and now…rock star?
Since retiring in 2012, McCarthy has embraced his lifelong passion for music, playing in three bands and recently releasing an album.
“I got back into music, and I’ve been working on some songs I wrote over the years that I wanted to record,” McCarthy said. “I put together 11 songs, songs I wrote and friends of mine wrote. I put them down, put them on an album and called it ‘Into the Morning Mist.’”
McCarthy said he handles almost all the guitar work while his son, Nathan, plays bass.
“One of the joys of music is getting to play with your son,” McCarthy said. “We’re in two bands together and we still play every Wednesday night.”
While McCarthy is focusing on his music now, it is something that has always been around him.
“Music has been a pretty big part of my life,” McCarthy said. “That escape from the everyday trials and tribulations of work, life and everything else along that line. It can be very frantic and hectic at times, but it can also be very relaxing.”
McCarthy’s passion for music started at a young age, when he said everyone wanted to be in a band.
“I started playing music in 1964,” McCarthy said. “All the boys wanted to be rock and roll stars; all the girls were interested in boys who played in bands.”
McCarthy played in several bands before joining the Royal Canadian Navy. Then, his musical career took an international turn.
“I joined the navy in 1967 and played music all over the world,” McCarthy said. “We had a band on board the ship and played in England, Denmark, France and wherever the ship went. We played parties for dignitaries that came on the ship, we played at social events and in clubs in the cities we visited.”
While traveling in the navy, McCarthy said his favorite place to play was Plymouth, England.
“We played at a club called the Ace of Clubs,” McCarthy said. “We were all in uniform, up there playing in this club. It was packed, not only with sailors from the fleet but with people coming from all over England to here this Canadian band."
McCarthy got out of the navy in 1971 and continued to play in bands in Canada. After a few years, McCarthy moved to Nova Scotia and played music for a living, which he said was a struggle.
“It’s a rough, rough business,” McCarthy said. “You not only have to have talent, you have to have luck and it’s not easy to be a professional musician. There’s nothing like getting up and playing in front of people, but the amount of work that goes into that is a full-time job.”
After living as a professional musician for several years, McCarthy said he wanted to get married and have a family. Needing a more stable career, he followed his family’s path into the pest control industry.
“My dad and my brother had both worked in the pest control business for many years,” McCarthy said. “So, I went to work for a company called PCO Canada. I worked for PCO for years as a tech, and then had my own company called Braemer Pest Control.”
During his career in pest control, McCarthy said he put his musical ambitions on the backburner for almost 20 years.
“I was not playing music very much,” McCarthy said. “I was always playing, but not seriously because I had to put food on the table.”
While he couldn’t focus on his music, McCarthy said he was thankful for the stability pest control gave him and for the people he met.
“The pest control business has been absolutely fabulous,” McCarthy said. “It saved me from sleeping on a curb somewhere. The people I’ve met in the pest control business, I don’t think there are a finer bunch in the world.” In addition to owning his business, McCarthy was an active association member who helped revitalize the Canadian Pest Management Association. He also served on the board of directors of the National Pest Management Association for many years. In 2021, he was recognized with the Steven Graff Ambassador Award for his contributions to the pest control industry in Canada.
Now that he is retired from the industry, McCarthy said all he does is read history books, play music and enjoy life with his wife, Janice, their two children and three grandchildren. He said he plans on enjoying life and music for many years to come.
“Music is going to be part of my life,” McCarthy said. “There’s no ifs, ands or buts. I’m still grooving and digging it.”
McCarthy’s album, “Into the Morning Mist” is available on YouTube and Spotify.