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	Dreams come true
	story Brenda McMillan   photographs Steve Uhraney When you meet veteran music producer and former Mike Bullard Show bandleader Orin Isaacs, you’d never guess that he was once a “ghetto hood rat.” His brick two-story home with its designer front garden is just a few minutes from Cawthra and the Queensway on a quiet street. Two SUVs sit in the driveway. The connection to his life as a rat is not apparent until you slip from a side entrance into his basement and discover Orin’s music world. I did not expect to walk into a full recording studio with soundproof rooms, padded walls and ceilings, comfy black leather sofas, a zebra rug and wall-to-wall recording and editing equipment. A shockingly impressive man-cave, it was designed and built by Orin himself with help as needed from consultants. Orin describes it as professional and current, “This studio is no different than (CBC’s) Studio 5.” Although it is a decade old now, the decor has a timeless freshness. There is a lot of black. Sofas, his leather chair, doors and the padded charcoal wainscoting and ceiling all harmonize with warm oak laminate flooring and furniture. Wallpaper, a quiet lullaby of teal, sand and chianti, adds warmth and a sustained note of colour. Prominent is a display of awards – a testament to his zeal, talent and expertise. Off the editing room but connected by video are two soundproof studios. One, the larger, can hold a full band or as his collection of beautiful guitars, including his favourite, a 5-string Vadim bass with no knobs (“to prevent screw-ups”). The other studio has a storage unit that hides away his resource material and a collection of sound recordings. Completing the basement is his workout room, a bathroom, a coffee machine, a microwave and a large television where he and his wife watch The Young and the Restless together at night. Laughing, Orin confesses that he is addicted, then goes on to tell me that he has had the thrill of meeting some of the soap’s stars while showing me their photos. Orin loves his space. He calls it “the funnest basement ever” and his “playroom.” And he loves his work, “What keeps me up at night is still waking me up in the morning.” Until it went live, Canadian Idol music was produced in this studio. He also works on Battle of the Blades and with independent artists and other projects. As well, he gives back to the community where he grew up. Which brings us back to his days as a rat. He explained that as a twelve-year-old, he had to decide whether to do something “productive,” or follow his fellow hoods along another path. His fate was decided when his father gave him an old guitar and an amp. Orin took to music with a passion bordering on obsession. He practiced, learned, took lessons, joined a band as their bass guitarist (the only position available) and has never faltered in his dedication to music. He now participates in a community program to help aspiring musicians, but confesses that he also watches for talented, fervent individuals there that he can foster. I sink into a sofa. Orin, dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt and a smile, is comfortably settled in his chair. “Look around,” he says after telling me about his childhood and career, “this place is built from a bass guitar and a dream.” I left inspired. GL