SPEAKER_01 0:14

Welcome to How's Your Stool, the show where we pull up a stool and find out how things are really going. Not just the gigs, not just the music, but what's happening with the amps when the lights get turned off. Because if you ask a musician how they're doing, you'll get one answer. But if you check their stool, you might get the truth. I'm your host, Dave Randall, and today I'm sitting down with Martin Lapotte. So let's get a stool sample. Well, how are you doing today, Martin? I'm great, Dave. Thanks for inviting me. This is uh this is great. Well, thanks you for coming all the way out here and um looking forward to some lively conversation. Definitely. Um so as I said, it's Martin Laporte. Can I call you Marty? Yes. I've called you Marty most of the time I've known you. It's nice to have you, and thanks for joining us. Thanks for coming out here.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

My pleasure.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

We're gonna look at your stool from both sides, but before we get into it, tell us a bit about yourself, uh, you know, your age, your real name, if it you have a real name, your real your real hair color, your pronouns, uh, whatever you want. Just let us know a little bit about where you're from, where you got, where you got before you got into music. Like little Marty Laporte.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Well, um, I was born in 1965. I'm 60 years old, and I've basically been playing music all my life. Uh, I've been playing drums for 43 years, and I've been teaching for 35 years. And um, I started playing drums. Um, well, first of all, my my entire family was was very musical. My parents listened anything from Robert Charlesbois, Jean Ferry, Genesis, Frank Zappa, the modern jazz quartet, uh, Emerson Lake and Palmer. It was just this, and all my sisters were yes and gentle giant and stuff. So it was so much different music. Um, like you know Robert Charlabois, which is a he's a he's a French-Canadian singer, and then you got Frank Zappa. So the uh the the difference in in influences, and my my it was it was amazing, and my parents always told me like I would always listen to music. And um, so that really touched me. It really made me feel like I you know explore all kinds of different things. And um when we moved to we I was born in Montreal and we moved to Sherbrooke for seven years, and and we when came back to Montreal for the the uh in 76 with the Olympics, the Montreal Olympics. Um when we moved in, it was in Outremont, and when we moved in, all the boxes, everything had to be unpacked. My dad unpacks the uh the stereo system and he puts on this record. And I just I just remember you know, one of the songs started with a drum intro, and it was uh Emerson Lick and Palmer's first album. And that started everything for me. It's just like the performances, the the the incredible musicianship, the the complex music. And um so so then when when I went to high school, uh when we when I graduated high school, um all my friends, all my best friends were all musicians, mostly guitar players, and they said, Well, when we graduate, we should form a band because we're all like into Rush and Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones and all kinds of stuff. So basically, we we got together and um so okay, so we're gonna get the band together. So we need a bass player. So Martin, do you want to play bass? I'm like, sure, why not? You hadn't started drums yet? No, no, but I was pretty much banging everywhere. So, well, that's that's that's what the story is is coming to. So, okay, so for my 17th birthday, which is when I started, I I asked my parents, can I have a bass and a bass app? And they said, Absolutely, if you're serious, no problem, we'll we'll get you that. So the day before my birthday, I get this phone call from one of my friends. It says, No, man, I'm gonna play bass. You have to play drums, you're like banging everywhere anyway. So I said, Okay. So I asked my parents, can I have a drum set? They said, sure, no problem if you're serious, you know. Um, and that's actually when I saw my sisters look on their faces, like, oh my god, getting a drum set. So the next day on my birthday, we went to uh Jack's music store, which is right next to Steve's on St. Antoine. I remember that, and I got this drum set, 1982 Westbury, uh sky blue Westbury, that I still own and use today. And it's actually been in a couple of floods in the basement. And we we started playing. We were not great musicians, so all we could do was play originals. Yeah, we played like very like the covers were came a little later, but we we went to one of the guitar players' garages and all we did was covers. We were called Salt and Pepper. Then we changed it to Circus. And the thing about this first band is that it made me really appreciate the gang mentality of a band. You have to love the people you play with. I don't care how good they are. I would rather play with somebody who's not as good, but who's a great person than a great technical musician who's not a nice person. So, this is what I've been looking for my entire life. People that I enjoy spending time with, instead of like, wow, he's a he or she is is a great musician. And it it's it's always worked out because you know, of course, you have to be good to play in in the band, there's no getting around that, but you have to be a nice person because we've we've been through so many stories and stuff. So that was my my first experience. Um, I've met my wife Debbie through through music. We uh we were playing in a band with some great friends, and she auditioned uh as a singer, and uh six months later we we were going out together. Oh wow, yeah. So um that was basically it, and then um through the eight the eighties I started playing it was like five four or five nights a week. Um, you know, uh it's and then the night the 90s I only did corporate and and weddings, I had roadies. Um, it was a fantastic experience playing uh these huge Italian weddings in front of like like 1200 people. And um, I mean I've got so many stories about that. Is um um you know, well I'm sure we'll get into it. And then um in the 2000s I started playing more blues and and rock and roll and uh with some local artists, and uh that's basically what I've been doing uh recently. I mean, not not as much as I used to, but I I've constantly in concentrated uh more on teaching in the in the in the last few years because the playing is not it's not that often as as as much as it used to be. Which we'll which we'll get into later too. So that's basically it. But like I said, it's uh playing drums for me is a it's a passion. I've I've always practiced, I've always enjoyed getting better. And um you know, whatever style, whatever music, I I just don't care. As long as it's good and it's well played and it's with people that I that I like, I'll do it. It's uh no problem.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

Yeah, you are uh professional in every sense of the word. Um I have to say, one of the more professional musicians I've ever worked with. Like just your dedication, your attention, your focus, it's it's it's top notch.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Well, the reason why I do that is because when I when I play with with somebody like you, that's what you bring out of me. That professionalism, you know, it's that's nice. It's it's completely uh reciprocal. Um, so you know, regardless of you know, and anybody who says that about me is because you bring that out of me. It's very, very uh very simple.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

I have I I think I've told you this story, I have a very solid memory uh working with you. Uh you know, I never really had a band, I it was whoever. And this one particular night, um it was down in down here in Hudson, and uh had a bass player sitting in with us, and uh great bass player, difficult personality. I think I know where this is going. And you know, I'm the front man for this, and and I'm talking to the audience, and and I hear out of my ear over here, you know, this guy is saying to you, we're about to start whatever the song was, and he's going, let's do it like this, let's do it like this. And you said, He's the band leader. Yeah, I'm gonna do what he wants. Yeah, I was never so flattered in my whole life by that. Like, nobody's ever stood up for me like that. That was outstanding. I know exactly where you're talking about. Oh, yeah. So uh we don't name names and we don't we don't shit on people here, but um we can talk about events and situations. Excuse me. See, and then I'm gonna edit that. So okay, so let me just uh roll back a bit here and catch up with ourselves. You you started off in what I imagine as to being a very progressive 70s music environment with your with your family and your parents and everything. Was there was there a style of music or a band or a record that you heard that you go, oh, I want to be like that? I that's that picked me up. Or was it just the cumulative effect of all of this?

SPEAKER_00 10:02

It's um I was at summer camp in 76 and we were having lunch outside, and Shom was playing on the on the speakers, and this song comes up, and it's just like, What the hell is this? I've I'd never heard music like that. I'd never heard a singer, uh you know, guitar, bass, drums, whatever. And the song's over, and then and this guy's sitting beside me, and I said, Who was that? He said, dude, that's Rush. I'm like, what? And it was the song The Trees by Rush. From that point on, I said, that's what I want to do. And Neil Peart has been my greatest, biggest inspiration and and and influence ever. I've learned every Rush song from you know their earth from their early 80s to you know their first album. Um and because also when I when I was uh uh 19 years old, I I I got into a rut. I just wasn't getting better. So I I started taking lessons, and my parents actually paid for my lessons saying, if you're if you're really serious and you want to get good at this, you should take lessons. So I took lessons from uh one of the percussionists at the University of Montreal, which he was a really uh a great teacher, and he taught most of the guys who were in my neighborhood who I thought were phenomenal. He taught them, so I said, Well, if you can do that with those guys, you know. So um, so I just wanted to get better. And my one of the things that that uh my teacher, Marcel Brun, which is uh very important that I mentioned his name, he said, if you want to get better, you have to challenge yourself, you have to play things that are difficult. And he was extremely difficult on me, like for technique and sight reading and all that kind of stuff. Even Solfage, we did some xylophone stuff, and says, Well, if I want to get good at I'm gonna, you know, uh, but we never touched on rush in the lessons because yeah, you had other he had other ideas, but um that was my biggest learning. But after that, it was everything from Genesis to Emerson Lake and Palmer to Asia to Steely Dan to, you know, and um and a lot of people tell me that you know I'm I'm basically like a like like a jukebox. Like I know so many, it's crazy so many songs because I've learned them all because there was there was one time I was I was learning like it's a I have to do this, I have to learn a song exactly note for note to where the drums disappear. And I did that with a heat of the moment by Asia. And when I was finished, I started crying. It was in it was the most incredible experience, and I did that to to most of the songs that I I want the drums to disappear, and uh that's how I I grew. And the other thing also is that technically I I never struggled with technique. It was I you know what a lot of guys technically would take six months, it took me two weeks. Good for you. Um, the sight reading was a nightmare. Uh solfage and reading music was a nightmare. So I think it was that mathematical mind that I don't have. But um, you know, all my the rudiments that I that I know, it took me two weeks. I would do 20 minutes a day, and and it was done so technically it was very easy for me. Um so learning songs was was easy because I was you know, I I could technically come uh you know at least get to the those drummers level. But um it was it was um yeah, rush. It was uh I mean Zeppelin, yeah. Led Zeppelin was probably my my my other one. Uh the song remains the same, the soundtrack. That I I know every scream and in the audience in that in that soundtrack. Um but there's been so many, you know, so many influences. But I um I have to say Jeff Barcaro, Steve Gadd, and Stuart Copeland are my other like uh like the the four drummers are Neil Peart, Jeff Barcaro, Steve Gadd, and Stuart Copeland. And I have a very hopefully an interesting story with Stuart Copeland. So I hope we get to that one. Yeah. But uh yeah, that's that's what it is.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

When well do you remember your first live show performing? Your first Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Uh um professional or whatever. Well, my first show was a private party with the band that Debbie was was singing, and I was singing with her, and she was singing with us. It was a private party, and we played The Mexican, Tom Sawyer. Wow, um Any Way You Want It. We did um Um Don't Tell Me You Love Me. It was just a band that played all these songs, and I have a recording of us playing, and it's we were really good, yeah, really tight, really good. And uh and this was around what year? That was 86. Oh, okay. 86, 87. Okay. And then um then I I quit the band because I wanted you know to succeed in in the music business. So I I uh I auditioned for this band. We got it was a band called Public Address, it was all originals, and our first gig was at the American Rock Cafe downtown.

SPEAKER_01 15:23

I know the place.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Um where was it? It was around St. Catharine.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

No, it was up, it was up closer to uh Maze Mill No. Mais I remember, yeah, I had the fortune of play.

SPEAKER_00 15:37

In my mind is a total blank. I was so nervous, but we were so well prepared. We used to practice three, four nights a week. It was it was crazy, but we played like once every two months, and um, but it was it was fantastic, and it of course at the end of the night you get 75 bucks. You go, my god, my god. So which is almost what you get today, yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, and you work a lot less, that's for sure. But uh for those days, anyways. But yeah, it was uh public address at the American Rock Gaffey.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Nice, yeah, nice, nice. And what's something that you know now after your years of experience that you wish you knew when you were starting out?

SPEAKER_02 16:22

Where do I begin? You can um expand.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

Oh my goodness. Um I wish that I well I I do remember that when I when I started to play a lot in in the bars to you know um just you know to to play more because when we were playing originals we didn't play that much. Um I didn't know the the the repertoire of of the bar scene, which is you know what everybody knows. And um that's why a lot a lot of the bands didn't want me because I said, well just give me the cassettes. I will learn the song. It says, No man, we have a show in two days. We need you in two days. You don't have to we don't have time to rehearse, blah blah blah. So I wish that I would that I would have understood that. The other thing is is to be more musical. When I started, I was I was uh people were complaining I was too busy, but I came from Neil Pearden Stuart Colbert.

SPEAKER_01 17:28

Progressive Rob, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

So uh you know shaky ground was a little shaky. Uh but um yeah, is if I would have been a bit more mature and and and musical. Hey, Stuart's calling.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

I was gonna say, please put your phone on mute. I'll edit that out. Um, so so so you you would be uh a little more mature. I was gonna say more musical, yeah. More musical. Who wouldn't be? Yeah, I mean, honestly. Uh I I I started I started playing like performing in the 80s as well. Um I had grown up uh watching people that I thought were I would never reach their level. I used to go to the Mapes, that was where I saw live music. And there were rarely crap bands. It was usually a headline. I mean, I've seen I saw Corey Hart there, I saw Honeymoon Suite, I saw uh God, I could Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. I mean, it just it was just it was just that we had that resource there. But uh what I walked away with, and and part of that time was before I even started trying to play. I was like, I'll never be able to play that well. Like these guys, you know, uh big city band used to play there. Kelly Watley was the lead, and I'm like, he's so good, I'll never be able to. And I don't think I I don't think I am now, but uh it just seems like to these days the threshold of talent and quality is a little a little bit lower. I'm not I'm not dissing anybody, I'm just saying there were higher standards, I believe, during the 70s and 80s to put yourself out there.

SPEAKER_02 19:15

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 19:16

But what do I know? You just gotta get out and do it. So many people have that attitude. I'm just having fun. Yeah, good for you.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Um one more thing is I wish that I would have had more foresight when somebody, when a big band you would ask me to join them, I wish I would have said yes. Because I would say, well, I'm playing with this person, she's really good. I believe in her. Then six months later the band broke up. I missed a few uh pretty nice opportunities because of that, because I couldn't see today. If if I knew what I know today, I I wouldn't even have joined her band at all. Like say, forget it. Yeah, it's not gonna work, you know. When you sound too much like somebody else, it's never gonna happen. And that's happened in so many projects that I've been with where we've recorded albums, we've done tours with the blah blah blah. It's not gonna work because you sound too much like Brian Adams. The voice, the the music, and she sounded way too much like somebody else. If I said who she sounded like down to it, you'll know exactly what it is. I know who it is, and um it's like you know, it's um uh I wish I had that that foresight of seeing, okay, sh that's not gonna happen. So yes, I'll I'll play with you guys.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

But um But I do remember in that time when I said you're a very dedicated professional musician, you were the driving marketing force of that act. I believe you were out promoting them on radio stations, college stations, looking for gigs and other things.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

And I was wowed. I don't know if they had an appreciation for how much work you put in because I've been in that shoe, and it it's a it's a burden.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

It is a lot of work, and uh But that's not who I'm talking about. Oh, okay. I'm talking about somebody that in the night 19 like eight like eighty seven, eighty nine who you're talking about, she was a little way over her league. She went a little too far vocally. Out of her league. Out of her league. Vocally, yes. Yes. So if she would have stayed in that kind of alternative rock kind of a thing, she would have made it. But she she took a an RB turn and she didn't have the voice for that. But there's so many other things like like n not being able to handle the pressure, uh, not understanding that you have this incredible song. Why aren't we playing it? But yeah, I know exactly who you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

Yeah. Well, you've had um just so many experiences playing with so many different I mean, I paid for the first album for for God. Yeah. You need an agent. I'm not volunteering, but you need an You need some Jesus. I need somebody who can say no for me. You need somebody who can say no for you. Okay, well let's let's move into the actual like the gigging life and stuff. So um you're teaching. That's your main gig. Yeah. Right. And you're playing with you can say it.

SPEAKER_00 22:27

Oh, I'm playing with Matt Rock. Matt Rock. Singer guitar player. We have a we have an album. We released. We had we actually had a song that was uh on on the radio for for a long time. I think it was eight weeks at number one, and it was but for a year was on uh rotation. And we're playing festivals, we're playing uh all around Montreal. We actually we got uh uh uh two gigs this week, got four gigs next week, uh three gigs next week. And actually on on Sunday, we have to show up at the venue at eight in the morning. Eight in the morning? Yeah, soundcheck is at 10 a.m. And the show is from 12 to 2, but it's a huge event. And you know, visibility, yes, it's not you don't really pay to to get rec uh play to get recognition, but in that case I say, yeah, I'll be there at eight.

SPEAKER_01 23:20

It's not the most outrageous. I did uh a gig with a band. This is in the 80s. It was at the Holiday Inn on the corner of St. John's in the Trans Canada. It was a televised, it was a telethon for I don't know what it was being put on by CTV or whatever. And uh yeah, we got scheduled at uh the 4 a.m. shift.

unknown 23:43

Oh man.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

I'm usually just getting home at 4 a.m. Yeah, anyway, we did it to an empty room and um yeah. Yeah, you just gotta chalk up the when you're young, yeah. And to all you people who are under 40 out there, just just do it. Okay, like even if it's messy, yeah, just you need the experience. Yeah, you need to be able to reach our age and and and have stories like this that tell because if you can't look back and laugh, then you're fucked.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

Yeah. Well, if if that just that in itself, there was that band public address. We we did this show at Peel Pub on St. Catherine, and it was seven nights in a row. So, okay, so we're gonna be nice, seven nights in a row. I'm gonna bring my drum set. Okay, it was humongous, like rototoms, cinnamon pads, like 12 toms. And it was it, but it made such an impression that I said, okay, so when you're young, you you do it, do it, just go for it. Don't worry about it.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

And now you try and fit your entire kit in the front seat.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

My snare drum, my snare drum fits on the on the yeah, that's all I need. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

Um what makes a a good gig for you?

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 24:58

Um there could be many factors.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Oh, yeah, yeah. Like um, I would have to say the first thing is the repertoire. It's gotta be um not necessarily because compared to most of my friends that I know, I will play Mustang Sally, I will play Roadhouse Blues, I will play Born to Be Wild, but if it's well played, it's it's fine, it's great. You know, it's um sure when it's tight and it grooves, and uh especially with Matt, we we we have a tendency to do our own versions, like uh Born to Be Wild. I play all kinds of double bass drum in there, and they you know people love it. Um so if the repertoire, if the songs are solid, tight, and they groove, that's my that's that's the first thing. The other thing is is um the place. Is it is it an is it uh is is there gonna be people, you know. There's there you know. Uh we rarely play in front of of empty places, we're really lucky. But everything else, you can't predict it. You can't see it coming. So you have to adapt.

SPEAKER_01 26:04

But you're also building on that foundation instead of having a good team.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:09

Like you can't go out there as I did for many years with different people every night. And sometimes it works and sometimes it's not.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

But I've done gigs where there was no rehearsals, and it it's it was fantastic because everybody is is a good musician, but also everybody plays in their comfort zone. They understand that this is the song, and that's you know, don't don't go over everything and and overplay or don't play anything. But uh it starts with the uh the quality of of the repertoire, the quality of the songs, they have to be well played. Even if there's no rehearsal, I know what's coming. Like I said, because everything else you can't predict, everything else you have to adapt. The room, the stage, the sound, the kit, the the amount of space you have on stage, the monitors, the lighting, you know, how many people you have. There's no predicting that. So deal with it.

SPEAKER_01 26:58

Yeah. So let's say it's uh it's uh Thursday or Friday night, and you're sitting at home with your wife and watching TV, and you go, God damn, I gotta go to a kid. I wanna sit here and watch a movie and pet my dog and and enjoy an evening with my wife. How do you prepare yourself mentally, physically? Emotionally.

SPEAKER_00 27:23

That never happens. I I it's I prepare myself a few days in in advance. I mean, I've played with with people where I would wake up in the morning and as soon as I understood I'm playing tonight, I would get anxiety, anxiety, like anxiety attacks because they were awful. The people, the the band leaders were awful. Not not the not the money, the pain, whatever. Um if you're gonna play in a band that doesn't rehearse in bars and get paid the money you're being paid, you're gonna relax. You're gonna let me do what I want to do. If the song is not perfect, then that's it. That's if you want to play that Scorpion song that we haven't played in three months, then you're gonna have to you're gonna have to agree that it's not gonna be perfect. You know? Yeah. So that in its in itself is is a great release. If you know, yeah, tonight we're just gonna have fun and everything's great. The audience doesn't care, they don't see that stuff. Sure. But um it's um I I know what's coming. I I it's that's that's that's the bottom line. I prep, you know. Um if I get a last minute call, like if I'm watching TV, you know, we you need to be there in an hour, um I will say yes or no, depending on on the situation. I rarely say no.

SPEAKER_01 28:49

Uh yes or you need an agent answering the phone for you.

SPEAKER_02 28:54

Um there's no and there's fuck no.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Yeah, but I'm I'm of course if if if I like the person, I say, but if if I say no, it's really like uh it's too far or it's too late, whatever. But uh when when I get called uh on for for subbing last minute, it's always bands that I know that I enjoy playing with. I don't, you know, it's um no one calls you out of the blue. Yeah, or they call me because they know I can handle it, so they're they're a good band. It's not like a uh but also a a band that needs like that, you know, the drummer can't make it, usually they're not that good, so they cancel the show. A band that needs a sub drummer, usually they're very good, so they'll they'll hire a sub. Right. You know, so if if if our drummer can't make it, uh we're we're canceling. It's usually they're not great bands, so it's it wouldn't be uh worth it anyways.

SPEAKER_01 29:44

Um all right. Uh we we could we could talk about gigs more. We're gonna we're gonna go back to that though. We're gonna talk about jam nights. Okay. But right now, I want to um want to play something. You provide some names. You're gonna play track from uh Matt Rock 2022 album. The song is called Un Secret. And uh let's have a listen to it. And you can provide any commentary over it.

SPEAKER_00 30:25

Well, the guitar playing is f uh his name is scarce. Well, it's not the guy you have now. No. We needed that kind of slide uh oh yes. So we hired uh can't remember his name. It's a great player. And this song was arranged by a band. Where did you record it? That was done at uh the owner walk studio with uh uh the other two songs were recorded at somewhere in the top of game studio. It's basically one one take. Uh I recorded two takes to fix one. Uh fixed a couple of things, you know, but uh I'm using pretty good, you know.

SPEAKER_02 31:23

But also we've been playing this ball for forever, so it didn't take me a long time to uh Do you have a mix of a lot of original and cover tunes when you're playing this? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:34

We do uh one original step and we get great great reactions. Uh actually we did something actually called out for this. Oh yeah, so that's a good feeling. Yeah. It was a great studio. Yannick is a great engineer. And I used the uh the In Studio drum steps. Uh Yamma Ok. Um beautiful drum step. Because in in the studio you don't really need great drums anyway. As long as it's well tuned with microphone, it's gonna record fantastic. Yeah, I'm sure I could try mixed in the studio, it'll they'll sound fantastic. It's just live. They won't they won't have the projection of a really high quality drum. Unless you have an excellent sound map. Uh no, but I mean as a drummer, yeah, you're gonna have to crank the monitors. Right. If I use my DWs, I have no no drums in my monitors, they're loud. So you you and also they'll a drum set like that in in a month, all the hardware is gonna be is gonna be broken. DW, it's like years and years, so it's the quality, but recording that's all you need. That's what I figured. But uh, and that's Dre, my uh my old bass player, yeah. It was also really fast at the recording music. It was really impressive.

SPEAKER_01 33:15

Must be nice to have these memories with you today.

SPEAKER_00 33:18

Well, it's there's a lot of reasons why we you know it was coming to that point. So we said, guys, we gotta get this out. So that's why we did it uh as soon as we could. Jesus, I think Matt blew a gasket on that one. Yeah, as he usually does, but uh that's his style, man. That's he's really intense. Is he a big fan of Jerry Boulay? Um Johnny Halliday and Elvis Presley, those are his big but he loves Jerry Boulay, yeah. Yeah he's he's always compared to Eric Lapointed which I I don't get it. To me, it's is Johnny Halliday, he sounds more like uh Johnny Halliday, but uh yeah, he's got that that kind of uh style.

SPEAKER_01 34:00

Yeah, he's got that tone and that uh the the the vibrato in his voice.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

And he's got great energy on stage and he's he's a great frontman, he's really cool.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

Do you if you had if you could set your destiny, would you work in the studio full time, or do you still like to do live performances?

SPEAKER_00 34:17

Oh, that's my ultimate dream. Is the studio drummer the studio drummer, yeah. Yeah, because uh you know Jeff Porcaro, Steve Gadd, you know, they're they're studio drummers. If I could if I could choose a career, it would be three things uh fighter pilot, astronaut, or studio musician. I've done a lot of studio in my life, and you know, if we can get to that story, I've recorded in one of the greatest studios ever. Um it's always a fantastic, fantastic experience. If you're prepared, you go into a studio, it doesn't take long. It's I've I've I've been asked to to to do some recordings like last minute, and it's it's a bit of a challenge, but uh it's just that that experience of you know sitting down and hearing yourself, it's yeah, it's a great experience.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

Yeah, I mean I was thought after I um stepped away from phase one of my musical endeavors in the 80s and uh went back to school after that, you know, sitting at home watching David Letterman at night, that concept of like Paul Schaefer's band, I thought, holy crap, that's what I would have liked to do. Yeah, yeah. You don't have to tour, yeah, you don't have to carry gear. That would have been fantastic. And you play with some of the best musicians that are around. I thought I always thought those guys are so lucky to have to have that opportunity. So yeah, um Studio Works good. You know, um, it's funny. I just saw a Ringo Star on uh what was he uh one of the late night talk shows last night and 85 and he's still doing great, you know. He's still playing his fact. He still just put out a new album, the The Long Long Road. Um and uh you know, the Beatles I uh when they stopped touring to to focus on uh on studio work, to me it was like a seamless and unquestionable decision of like why would they keep some submitting themselves to that kind of stress and everything, you know? Whereas what they really were was songwriters and creators and musicians, and and yeah, so I think there's something to be said. Um, again, if anybody under 40 is listening to this, work on original songs, you're not gonna get anywhere playing Sweet Home Alabama. And rightfully you shouldn't. That's the only song I ri ever refused to play. Okay, I will never, ever, ever, ever play it again. But anyway, that's uh that's just me again. So uh what was I gonna ask you about here? Um we talked about studio work, that was a great track. I mean, are you guys still getting airplay off of that?

SPEAKER_00 37:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wonderful. Yeah, the the album is uh is still selling a little bit, but uh the first few hundred copies there's no problem. But uh we still have a few copies, but right now Matt is recording demos and we should launch a new album this summer.

SPEAKER_01 37:15

Oh yeah, well cool. Alright. This is uh kind of the open-ended section where we we're just gonna chat. But uh we were we started talking about uh about about um gigging and uh uh what it's like out there and you know it's it's hard to get gigs, and when you get gigs, they're not always great gigs. So um what's been challenging you lately as a professional musician on your day-to-day?

SPEAKER_00 37:54

Um well as far as getting gigs is concerned, uh there's a lot of bands out there who play regularly. Okay. Uh we we we play almost every Friday, Saturday, and anybody who's not doing the legwork doesn't understand that that's what you have to do. You have to go to the bar, talk to the owner, talk to the booker, create a um a relationship with the employees, they see your face because when the guy starts booking next week, he's got okay. So, who do we want on this date? Well, Matt Rock was here last week. Uh yeah, yeah, okay. So if you're not in their mind, like right now, they'll never book you. Um and it's I mean, it's it's for sure nowhere where it used to be, but it's still not bad. I mean, you can play every Friday, Saturday easily. It's it's very easy, but uh no emails, no messenger, don't call on the phone. It's uh uh I have one of my best friends, Eric Farrin, who plays with the Ramblers. He's the most is the hardest working. It's incredible, but he plays all the time. He goes to the bar, he pays shots to everybody there, uh, he brings his harmonica, he plays when the and he gets he gets gigs where nobody plays, or he's opened gigs for other bands because there were no gigs before. So he started playing there and uh you know the bar said okay, we'll we'll hire bands. Um so I'm not particularly I don't really agree about it's it's the the the scene is dead. It's um it's just that uh there there's less places for sure, but if you do the legwork, at least you can play every Saturday, guaranteed. It's uh but uh you know, like I said, the the people at the at the the booker, especially the booker and the owners, they have to know who you are. Or uh, for example, Smoke Meet Pete, you go to the jam nights, you play, you meet the people, you'll you'll play at Smoke Meet Pete. Oh yeah, yeah, it's that's how we Matt did it for three months. Every week he went to the jam night. And eventually I think uh Andrew the booker says, Okay, man, enough. You're playing in two weeks. But uh it's it's the leg, it's really about the the personal connection, but you're not you're not gonna play five nights a week, but you know, every Friday or Saturday or or Friday or Saturday, it's possible. Uh people are doing it. It's uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:21

Yeah, there are a lot less, uh a lot fewer places to play. We we touched on the compensation. I mean, honestly, I I played in the 80s and I played in the 2000s, it's not a lot different. No, it's not. Um if you're doing it for the money, run. No, it's that's why I teach. It's not about money. Yeah, there you go. I I was talking to another fellow last week, exact same. It's teaching his bread and butter.

SPEAKER_00 40:48

Um, or a or a part-time job, whatever. You know, it's uh it's it's okay. It's fine. I mean, it's if you like playing music, then you don't mind working another field part-time or full-time, and then you you play on on the weekends. I mean, it's uh it's it's great. It's uh I I I like it.

SPEAKER_01 41:06

I love you know when I started playing in the 80s, uh the um I never I never thought about the money. That's the strangest thing.

SPEAKER_00 41:16

I totally agree. Oh, yeah, I know it's uh yeah. I I never remember being paid.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

I don't either, really. Like no? Yeah. Uh yeah, it it it's it was it was it's kind of interesting. Um so I was never back then, I was not involved in those discussions about how much we're getting paid or whatever. But I totally agree. Back then, I mean we would we would play. I think the longest booking we had was Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And by Sunday night, I was leaning against the back wall playing with my eyes closed, just trying to stay away. Yeah, uh because I had a day job back and uh not for long, but I did. Um But I I so we're talking about about jam sessions. Now I I used to to go out to to some of the jams, and uh at best you would go in and um get compensated with uh a pint or some such thing. But I I took issue because I thought the bar owner is getting a free night of entertainment for the cost of nothing, like giveaway beers. That's it's just I just found it's not fair, you know. Like why? But that there's so many thirsty people out there looking for an opportunity to play. Okay, and I feel like the market is taking advantage of people by they could book a professional band that night and do great business.

SPEAKER_00 42:55

Well, um get ready for this because this is gonna be a little controversial. Um the the places that have jam nights, okay, they're empty the rest of the week.

unknown 43:08

Right.

SPEAKER_00 43:10

So he's not making money on that Wednesday night. I don't care how full his or her bar is, that's the only night that's that's a fact. Um that's why jam nights are hosted by one person, you know. It's pretty good money, but for one person, it's a third the price of a band. But it's still, you know, it's like a hundred and fifty dollars for for for one for one host. And you got drummers showing up, bass players. I mean, there's a band there, you know. So if no drummers show up, it's a bit of a problem. So when we do jam nights, we do it as a band. And uh so if you know, if there's no bass players, unfortunately, my bass player plays the whole thing, but um It's it's not about the money. It's about the recognition. It's about I'm doing a jam night, I'm bringing in people, look at me, look at my bar's hip. You know, it has nothing to do with the money. It's just the the exposure, the visibility. Um because like I said, it's um uh the the rest of the week there's nobody. Right. Unless you're a restaurant or a whatever. Um but it's um it's that's yeah. I'm I'm not gonna well, you know, it's that's okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:38

Okay. That's what it is. That it is it it uh it's just it's just an aspect of yeah, what is available out there to musicians who want to go out and I get it. You wanna, you know, you're starting out, you've never done a gig, but you want to get that experience. It's it's good for that.

SPEAKER_00 44:56

But that's a completely different uh different story. It's uh I I host jam nights all the time. I have a uh a great jam night every Thursday in Alexandria in Ontario. And for me, it's about the hang, it's about the people there, it's about I have students there, I have friends there, friends of the band, friends of the audience. So it's about hanging out from one evening with your friends because you can control that. You can't control the jam, you have no idea who's coming up on stage. So don't worry about it. Don't don't make it a point to say, oh my god. Because it's gonna happen. And I've had so many experiences of jam nights where people would come up to me and say, You have no idea what this means to me. I love this, you know. I'm not good enough to be in a band. I'm not a nice enough person to be in a band. I can't play, you know. So if you go up on stage with a house band, it will make you sound a ton better than you ever could. Yeah, right. Uh to the point where if if it's my turn, I mean it's never my turn to play, but if I if they ask me to go up on stage with three other musicians that are eh, they're not that great, I point to one of my students and I go, hey man, it's your turn. You know, because there is this whole thing about three against one, three people will bring you down to their level because you're you're alone. I don't care if you play simpler, if you play louder, it doesn't work. It's that's what happens. So I would rather give the the opportunity to somebody else. But the whole thing about jam night, and that's why, you know, uh like you like you said, like you know, it's it's a long drive to Alexandria, but it's a great evening. It's it's a party, it's a fun night for me. So I I'll I'll do it. Um you know, when I host uh other jam nights that are like 15 minutes away from my house, it's with my band. Right. So we we get to play, and and again, it's everybody's there. It's it's it's the fun. It's uh it's that's why I I do it. I don't, you know, because I know that uh uh people who don't have bands who are not good enough to be in bands, they can go somewhere and and and play in. And like I said, I've had so many reactions, like you know, people crying coming over, and it's like, oh my god, I I've never sounded that good. So it's it's uh it for me that's that's the motivation.

SPEAKER_01 47:22

Yeah, well, it's a good opportunity, as I said, for for people who don't have that chance to get out and and and perform. And if the bat if the house band has got you in it, yeah, and anybody who's of your kin, these people are in for a special treat because they're you're gonna lift the bit of talent that they're bringing to the table. You're gonna lift them up in the air. And I've seen that happen. Oh, yeah. And uh, well, in particular, the the uh the Atlantic uh uh there in Alexandria. What a great crowd. Yeah, all seem to know each other.

SPEAKER_02 47:56

Oh, they they're all from Alexandria and the Les Alentours.

SPEAKER_00 48:00

Right. Yeah, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:01

You know, people are up dancing to a jam. Yeah, you know, that's that's wonderful to see people are out for a good time. Yeah, yeah, and uh it's just it's just a long way.

SPEAKER_00 48:11

Yeah, but uh if you want me to explain the uh the jam nights, it's what's wrong or whatever the the negative. The first one is the volume, it's too loud. The Atlantic pub is is incredible, the volume is respectable. You know, when when it gets a little too loud, Judy, our our queen jammer, uh organizer, she tells us, you know, it's uh it's great. Uh the other thing is when you're a jammer and you go up on stage, they play outside their comfort zone. Okay, they don't know the song, it's you know, they play with musicians who are not as good or better than them. So you get these train wrecks because people don't respect the fact that they don't know each other, they don't know what's what's gonna happen. So at least if you do a jam night, keep at least half the house band on stage so that you can control this. And the the other thing is is this um the repertoire. Yes, it's incredible. It's just but they're easy songs to play. I understand, but at the Atlantic pub, since I've been there for over six months, I've had to learn so many songs that I've never heard. It's like I learned songs for jam nights, but I have to because that's what the jammers come up, and that's the song they play. And it can be anything from Lil Feet to Pat Benatar to Soundgarden to Pearl Jam. And one time we had this kid come up play guitar like Green Day and No Effects and you know bad brains and stuff. And and they point you and I went up on stage with him alone, just me and him, and we played punk for like five songs. It's it's a great thing, but like I said, it's um it's the the the repertoire, unfortunately, seems to but it's because there's songs that you know, sweet home Alabama, everybody knows that one. Everybody knows so that's unfortunately, but it's that's the the you know that's that's the reason why it's the the re the repertoire is gonna be a little repetitious, but like I said, it's you can't control that, but you can control the fun you have uh when when you're there with your your friends and your students.

SPEAKER_01 50:24

Well you have a good attitude about all this and a good heart and empathy to feel for those. Why do you think I've been doing this for 43 years? I don't, I don't, I don't. I uh yeah, I I it it it makes me think of a jam uh you were playing and uh and uh uh I came out. I I didn't go to jams a lot because I was gigging and I it's like I don't need another night out, but I guess I got kind of put off when you talk about the repertoire. It's like okay, the jam session, most guys come with a bag full of blues. It's always a harmonica player, and you know, blues is three chords fundamentally. Gotta pick the right key. Yeah. But uh make sure everyone's playing in A. Oh well. Uh just never mind that.

SPEAKER_00 51:26

I thought you were giving a musical example.

SPEAKER_01 51:28

Yeah, no, no, no. It's just Wow. Um what was I gonna say there? Oh, yeah. So yeah, okay, so blues, yes, yes, yes, yes. Like I'm I'm not a blues aficionado, I'm not a blues fanatic in any way, but it's a great jam mode. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's when, you know, I remember I remember the time I was there and this guy comes up and he goes, Can we do um uh Welcome to the Jungle by by uh who Guns and Roses? And I'm like, can you can you front the song? Can you sing it and play all the parts? Like I can jam it with you. No, I I don't, I I can't sing sit down. I say I I have no heart like that. It's like, come on, if you're gonna come, show up prepared, know your song, even if you gotta, even if you're doing this with your cell phone looking at the hurricane. Yeah, I get that. I I my my my brain fizzled out a long time ago, but I've always used an iPad. Like, but I had a repertoire of 300 songs. I remember all the words. But anyway, all that to say is um it's good fun for people and good for people like you who make it fun for them. Because if I was there, I would be I'd be the Simon Cowell of Jams. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:47

Well, basically, it's not about me, it's about you. Yeah, that's how I see it. I'm not I'm not here to whatever. I'm here to make you sound bad, or I'm or I'm here to make everybody play and make sure everybody's happy. But you know, sometimes it's it's it's not possible. But like I said, it's I I I it's I want to make a t-shirt that says welcome to jam night. Anytime somebody has a complaint, I'm just gonna go point to the t-shirt, welcome to jam night. And in the back is gonna be bienvenue or jam night for the the the French people, but yeah, it's uh uh patience and it's but you have to adapt to for that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:27

If you could collaborate with with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

SPEAKER_00 53:36

Um living, no dis no disrespect to Scott Phillips, but I would l I would play with Alter Bridge. That would be my ultimate dream.

SPEAKER_01 53:47

Kind of thought that.

SPEAKER_00 53:48

Oh my goodness. It's uh it's the absolutely perfect music, perfect band, perfect musicians. Um you know, just just let me do one tour. Um it's yeah, it's uh uh dead Eddie Van Halen. Yep. Oh yeah, yeah. Oh my goodness. I would love to do something with Eddie Van Halen. Yeah. Oh my god, he's just uh it's just a most incredible musician.

SPEAKER_01 54:19

Just uh he really is, even though he gets lumped into that Ing V Mom scene and Steve Vai, he was a much more talented musician in terms of writing, arranging, making his parts. Like he he could his fingers would fly over the fretboard, but it was all very melodic. It wasn't just like a bee, a bee buzzing around the fret. Uh yeah. And is there a musical style that you haven't tried yet that you like to big band, orchestra?

SPEAKER_00 54:50

I've done it, I've done it everything. Uh big band, jazz, Latin. Um, especially in the 90s, since we did a lot of corporate stuff, a lot of uh weddings, we had to do a lot of jazz and and Latin. And it was actually that with that band that I learned how to play true jazz and true Latin. Uh because um especially for Latin music, it's it's the the steps, the dance steps for Latin music are based on the rhythm, or the rhythm is based on the steps. Um so at one point I had to learn a true chacha because I was playing a Dave Weckel chacha. Let's play with Chick Carria. And some of the dancers, I won't I won't show they came out and says, You're you're a great drummer, but you're we can't dance to your cha cha because you're not announcing the steps. So I went back, so I so I asked my band, like, give me some tapes, some tapes, some CDs of uh and with the cha cha, it's uh the dance step is ta da spin ta spin. Okay. So if you're playing the bass drum on every beat, the spin is not falls apart. Yeah, it's it's not diff differentiated with that. So it's one, two, three, spin. One, two, three, spin. So the spin is two it's ta ta ta. So the two toms announced the turn. Yeah. So with that then, I learned that Latin music is about the steps, it's about the dancers because we used to play weddings. You have 800 people dancing to cha chas and paso dobles and basanovas and uh you know waltzes, like there's a Viennese waltz, there's uh the the German waltz, there's a uh whatever, just like it's all kinds of stuff. So if you don't support and funny enough, when I started playing the real cha cha, and I and I did my own like independence version of it, and the band was freaking out. It's like man, it's so you sound like four drummers. But I just wanted to challenge myself, and the same dancers, maybe two years later, we're at another wedding. They said, Sir, it's beautiful, it's incredible. It's like wow, because you're playing that also in front of like these huge speakers in front of 800 people, they're gonna hear it, they're gonna hear the kick and feel it, yeah. Yeah, so it's it's I've played every every style, but I've really made sure that uh it it's gotta be authentic. I mean, I've I've learned jazz from some of the greatest uh I mean the the best the best thing is um it's um Martin, what's his name? Another Martin, is he's uh he's a drummer from Montreal, and I went to upstairs and I and I went to see him, and and his brush playing is just out of this world. So so in Pretunica, I said, So we took a break and I said, So you gotta how do you do that brushwork? And he says, Well, let me see you do it. And uh Martin Auguste. And uh he's I started playing and he stops me and he goes, The problem is your left hand, the sweeping hand, isn't on the beat. It has to be one, two, three, four, one, two. You have to keep time with your left hand, even if it's going shh. So as soon as I did that, I was like, Oh my god. And then I would listen to songs that I've heard a million times with drummers playing brushes, and I heard it. I said, Oh, that's it, and it it just brings out the whole thing. So that's how you play brushes, like you sweep, you can sweep sideways round clock counterclockwise, colour uh clockwise, whatever. But the idea is that you have to understand the what makes this the music work, and Latin music is is about the steps, it's about the accents, jazz is about yeah, that's the other thing is uh as a jazz drummer, you don't keep the beat, it's the bass player who keeps the beat. In in rock music, you the drummer keeps the beat, but in jazz it's it's reverse. The bass player keeps the beat, and the drummer is just there to you know color around the around the music. So um, yeah, it was I'm I've played metal, I've played punk. Um and um it's it it was never a choice, it was always an opportunity. It was always like I have the opportunity to play punk, so I might as well take it and learn it correctly. But yeah, I've I've played pretty much every every style.

SPEAKER_01 59:13

All right, we're uh we're sliding into home plate here. Um just give you a chance to it's going fast. Yeah, well it uh we'll have to do this again. Yeah, yeah. We'll see after the summer how it uh how it fares up. But uh where can people catch you playing? What do you guys got coming up that uh you want to plug here?

SPEAKER_00 59:33

Um well this week we're um well I'm I'm playing every Thursday night at the jam night in at the Atlantic pub in uh Alexandria, Ontario. Uh anybody who wants to, you know, come down and jam for sure.

SPEAKER_01 59:49

Do you have to register at the jam to get out to play?

SPEAKER_00 59:52

Um just let them know you're there. They they they're fantastic, they just know who's there and they they they they organize it, no list, no nothing. It's well that's nice.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:02

It's incredible. Makes it a little less formal for the newbies.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:05

They're really present. They're they're always like paying attention to what's happening.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:09

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:10

I'm only playing with Matt Rock. I don't have time to play with anybody else, I don't have the energy. Um, so it's it's that's my my main focus. Okay, so that's my main focus with Matt. Uh um we're playing a lot of private parties recently in some festivals, but uh Friday we're in um uh Richelieu. So we're we're a lot out of town a lot, so um you know, but if you if you go on uh on Facebook on uh Matt Rock Officiel, you'll you'll see all the all the dates.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:45

Yeah. Yeah. That's where I was looking.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:47

Um all right. I wish we had more time to talk, but uh there are there are limitations. So we'll wrap it up here. Perfect. Thank you so much for coming out and chatting. Like I could have done this for another two hours easily, you know. And um I've got the material for another two hours. Excellent. So um Well, thank you. Thank you for for inviting me. It's uh Well, this is a little experiment, and I uh you were one of the first people I thought of. I thought this guy's been around the block a couple of times, he's got some some pedigree and some experience, and some scars, and uh that's when my theme music should be tripping in. So we'll call it for today. Um hit it maestro. All right, that's a wrap. Huge thanks the Martella Pop for pulling up a stool and hanging out. If you like what you heard, go check him out. Support local music, go to a show, buy some merch, and make some noise. Before we go, one last check-in. How's your stool? I'm Dave Randall, this is How's Your Stool, and we'll catch you next time. This has been a Bandit Monterey production.