[1] He grew up in Tara, Ontario and lived with his family on a small hobby beef farm during high school.

[3] When Laviolette entered high school, he was introduced to musicians that did not receive much mainstream exposure, such as Hayden and Elliott Smith.

Incorporating guitar, cello, harmonica, piano, accordion, and floor tom, Mary Carl was released on April 1, 2005.

[2][4] The album cover was silk-screened and machine-stitched by Laviolette and his friends, and his family sang group vocals on the track Fussin' and Fightin'.

[7] Released in 2009, the rock album Aging Recycling Plant was recorded with Pinball House in Guelph by Dan Beeson with the backing band The Hollow Hooves.

[1] The Oil Spills, who played on and toured the album, included Jenny Mitchell, Geordie Gordon and Lisa Bozikovic.

[11] Taking the Long Way Home was released in 2017, featuring piano by Lisa Bozikovic and backing vocals by Jessy Bell Smith.

[16] We Wanna Know, a 2009 collaboration with Sarah Mangle, was followed by another tour and an opening performance at Electric Eclectics in Meaford, Ontario.

[11][1] In a tribute post Steve Lambke said: "Everything I can think to say today about love and loss and the way to celebrate life through music, Richard has said in one of his songs.