Howard Buckstein is a Toronto singer-songwriter and teacher. King of Mars is my fifth full length release of original songs, and is out in 2020. It'll take you to school with songs about water, cycling, birthday parties and more.

I started writing songs around 2000 when I was a student in Southern California. I recorded my first album at the studio in the music department of the University of California at San Diego.

I moved back to Toronto and quickly found a home for my writing and recording. I was lucky to notice a flyer for Dave MacKinnon's Junkshop studio in Kensington market's Moonbean cafe. The description sounded right, the rates were solid and I've been recording with Dave ever since.

In 2104, I was in a cafe above D'Arcy Wickham's studio. I went downstairs and signed up for composition and fingerstyle guitar instruction. D'Arcy has shaped my musical evolution over the last five years. D'Arcy advocates for musical professionalism, wondering "How are you going to get to Winnipeg if you don't have a road map?" His push for planning, rehearsing and editing has helped create the new sounds and ideas on King of Mars.