Ernest Charles Niederer June 1, 2025

Ernie is a born and raised Victorian who spent most of his younger years living in View Royal. From as early as Grade 1 he started his musical journey when the teacher told his mother he had a wonderful singing voice and she enrolled him in the Esquimalt Optimist Choir. After that she had him take trombone, then piano lessons and by the time he became a teenager, Ernie picked up the guitar after listening to the Beatles in 1964 and taught himself how to play with help from some of his friends. While attending Esquimalt High School, he fell in love with playing the Harp as a result of being turned on to John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
The Para Mutuals were his first band in the 60’s who performed on CHEK TV's "Club 6" teen dance party, followed by his second band called Murky Blue which later became the house band at the “Down Under Club” on Wharf Street in the late 60’s and early 70’s before it became the "Surfside Cabaret".
In the decades following he played the clubs, pubs and private dances up and down the island in a variety of bands like "Milestone", "Piranha Brothers" and "Nightside" to name a few.
By 1993, with good friends Stu Ruff and Dave Cornack, Ernie created the “Cruel Shoes Rock N Blues Band” who released their self titled CD “Cruel Shoes Rock N Blues Band” in 1998 and were a mainstay of the Vancouver Island Blues Bash playing a total of 7 times. Today they still play and jam together regularly, simply for the love of the music.
His influences have always been good dance music, rock and blues, which is why many agree his musical style has a George Thorogood kinda vibe.
Ernie considers himself lucky to have been able to play with so many great and talented musicians throughout the years and regularly remembers the words of advise from his mother who said “just play it your way” and audiences are thankful he always does!