'Music gives him a purpose': Edmonton man gives busker brother the gift of music
Ian Gates will travel to Halifax this week to give his brother money for a new violin
Ian Gates used to wander the streets of Halifax searching for the sound of violin strings.
It was the only way for the Edmonton man to track down his brother, Steve, a well-known busker in the Nova Scotia capital.
The two men haven't seen each other in three years. Before that, a decade passed between meetings.
In a matter of days, Gates will set out in search of his brother to give him a gift — the money he needs to replace his decaying violin that was donated by people and the city he's serenaded for so long.
"Music gives him a purpose. It's his job," said Gates during an interview on CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.
"I'm afraid that if he didn't have that, he would have no goal in life. He would just spiral into nothingness and disappear."
Steve Gates is a familiar face in Halifax, known to many for playing violin downtown. He has even earned the name "the people's violinist."
Steve turned to busking after a horrendous car crash in Australia in 1997 left him with a traumatic brain injury.
Gates says he and his brother were close growing up, but fell out of touch in their early 20s when they both moved away from Vancouver.
"Somebody crossed the highway in front of him. He T-boned into them and wasn't wearing a seatbelt and he went through the windshield," Gates said.
"There other decisions he's made in his life which weren't great but we all have that. We all make mistakes but the car accident [was] the major factor."
After the collision, all communication stopped between the brothers. Steve has lived on the edge of homelessness ever since.
"We've tried to look after him over the years," said Ian Gates. "But time flies by when it comes to family."
Pained by their estrangement, Gates often thought of how he might help his brother.
He found his opportunity a few weeks ago when a photograph of Steve speaking with a police officer on the streets of Halifax came across his Facebook feed.
Ian started a Gofundme page that raised $4,000 in a matter of weeks. He plans to use the money to set up store credit at places his brother can buy food and supplies. However, the bulk of the money will be set aside for a new violin.
After years of playing on the streets, Steve's old violin has begun to crack and warp.
"We all grew up playing the violin, and you have to be gentle with it. You have to be kind to it," Gates said.
"Steve has always been an all or none type of guy. It gets him into trouble and saves him other times so I wouldn't want to get him a simple beginner violin for a couple hundred dollars, I wanted to get him something that he would be proud to play."