Rock 'n' Roll Soul

Artists and art lovers converged at The Abilities Arts Festival: A Celebration of Disability Arts and Culture, held from October 25 to November 4 in Toronto. The 10- day showcase of dance, theatre, photography and visual art was a smashing success, and it gave artists with disabilities an opportunity to share their unique perspective.

One especially memorable performer is Martin Deschamps. Abilities’ editor and publisher, Raymond Cohen, attended Deschamps’ set at the Glenn Gould Theatre, and he was amazed by the musician’s talent, skill and passion. We tracked down Deschamps at his home in Quebec to find out more about his musical background, the messages in his songs, and what he’s working on now.

RAYMOND COHEN: Martin, it strikes me that you are quite comfortable speaking and performing in both English and French — how did you learn English?

MARTIN DESCHAMPS: I hung around a lot with English friends, English children, in Rawdon, where I live. I was born in Montreal, and I moved to Rawdon when I was nine. It’s a very bilingual town, so this helps. But also I think Jack Tripper from Three’s Company and the Fonz from Happy Days really helped me out. That’s how I learned English. Also, my father worked for an English company, and he would listen to the TV in English a lot.

RC: When did you first discover your interest in music?

MD: Oh, boy, well when I was very young I would go in my parents’ record pile and find Elvis, Latino music, Cuban music — very percussive music, that’s what really got me into music at first. Then I was in school, in Montreal, and they would do little contests and I would make up like the group KISS and we would lip-synch and I would be the drummer. I was really animated by rock and roll. Then I discovered more music by moving to Rawdon and meeting a guy who is still one of my best friends, Martin. He had older brothers with a big rock band in their garage. That’s how I kind of discovered what a drum set was and what guitar amps and electric guitars were. And I was really impressed by their band, and we would go, me and Martin, in the garage and try the drums when they were not rehearsing. Then we got a band together. I was 11 — I was a drummer at the time. My father made me traps to hold the sticks and I had a drum teacher coming every week.

RC: Are your parents musicians?

MD: My mother is a great painter. She does drawings, incredible drawings. My father is mostly good with his hands, doing carpentry. He didn’t make a living out of it, but their talents are that. So, no, they weren’t into music but they were into helping their son follow his dream. That, they were very good at!

RC: Clearly. Did you have any formal training in music besides the drum lessons?

MD: No other lessons, no other courses. I took courses in drawing and graphic arts.

RC: If you were to characterize your music, what style would you say it is?

MD: My fundamental influence is rock and roll, but I have many styles. There’s Latino rock and roll, there’s pop rock, there’s hard rock and reggae, depending on where I am in my life and the projects I’m working on. I think I’m touching a bit of all of this and I think that’s my specialty, to be able to do all kinds of styles. Like in the little show I gave at the Abilities Arts Festival in Toronto, I got into crooner stuff, I got more into ballads, too...But if you listen to my last album, it’s very hard rock. I think the thing that all these styles have in common is, I am real. When I do a song, I try to do it with honesty and heart.

RC: You mentioned that you began with drums and obviously you discovered your voice. At this point, do you have a favourite instrument?

MD: I think the electric bass is my best instrument because with the bass I can invent some melody, which I could not with the drums.

RC: I saw your show in Toronto — when you picked up the bass, you played a bit of a solo and then you broke into Otis Redding’s “The Dock of the Bay.” It was fantastic. Are many of your songs original?

MD: I write most of my songs. Music and lyrics. Sometimes, since I’m with my band, Deep Freeze for 15, 20 years — the guys, they get an idea and say hey, let’s do this kind of song. I’m very open with my friends giving me some ideas.

RC: Is Deep Freeze still your band?

MD: Yes. Its original version changed a bit, especially the drummers, but the guy who was with me, Bernard, he’s been with me since 1990 — 17 years of loyalty and music. And I have another guitar player, Danny, who was with me even earlier, since ’87. Too bad, next year he’s moving to Florida to go play with the Cirque de Soleil! I’m losing a guitarist for two years, but I have other friends who are going to do the job. It’s a big piece of my band leaving, you know? And like I said, we change drummers a lot. I have another friend, Joe, who has been a drummer, a guitar player and now he’s my tour director. He’s like my brother in arms. So I have a great team. And I take care of keeping the harmony in my team. That’s the most important thing for me. If they are not in shape one night, that's not too bad as long as we keep the harmony going. And keeping respect for each other and with the audience and the public, too. I am very strict on several rules in my team. I’m the leader — and those rules have to do with respect and high performance.

RC: When did you and Deep Freeze first record?

MD: In 1993 we did a demo, but it didn’t go out on the market. But we sold 800 cassettes of the first Deep Freeze effort, called Feel Alive. And they were all English songs — people really liked it. And then we changed our plan to record in French, which was my first real release, if you will. Called Comme je suis, in the year 2000 — “the way I am.” On my website, you’ll see five CDs because there’s one I did with Offenbach, when I was replacing the singer who died, Gerry Boulet — who is probably an icon in Quebec. When I replaced him that gave me a big chance; a big break.

RC: In terms of your songs, do you have any personal favourites?

MD: Yes, on each album I think I have a favourite song. On Comme je suis, I think, the first song is real nice, it really says what I have to say in that song. It’s hard — the hardest thing is to express what you have in your head in a song, in words, you know? And this one, I’m really proud of the lyrics. And on the second album, Différent, the title song was made for helping young children at Sainte-Justine Hospital. I dedicated that song to them and the story is about my birth, which was very special because when I was born my parents had to leave me in the hospital for three months because the doctors said I was going to die. But I didn’t die, and then they came back and everything turned out great for me. That’s the story of that part of my life, the beginning. And I think it’s a very interesting song. And then other songs I really like — I think those two are the songs that represent me the most.

RC: How has your disability influenced you personally and professionally?

MD: Maybe at first we can talk about the personal side of it. It got me to break the limits a lot, you know? Because I was very audacious all my life and I really wanted to get — not judged, but treated just like other kids. So I never backed off on anything, you know? I always go forward and that’s probably how I got my self-confidence and all the friends I have, too, because they didn’t look at me with pity, they looked at me with admiration because I could do more. My drawing talent especially helped me too. When I was in school, everybody was impressed by that. It was great grace to help me through my young life very easily. And great parents, who helped me. They still do. And professionally, I’d say that all these things I said personally helped me professionally, too. Being audacious, getting great self-confidence. When you’re an artist, what you wish for is to be noticed…I think being different physically is a way to get noticed, but you have to have great talent with it and you have to have guts and you have to have facility of speech — I don’t have it now [laughs]. I mean, easy. When you want to conquer a public, you have to speak with them with honesty and I think that’s my strength.

RC: Is there a name for the condition you were born with?

MD: I don’t think so. Maybe the name is “hazard.”

RC: [laughs] OK. Have you come across people professionally who doubt your abilities?

MD: Yeah, lots of people. Because before the year 2000, I and my band, I had several songs I wrote and we got to record them, not in a studio, but in our garage. Before getting to producers we had to have a demo. And people would look at me and say, “Oh, no, not interested.” Lots of them, you know? Till I met one guy who said, “OK, yeah, I’m going to work with you and you have great songs and we’re going to try to get people to notice your voice more than your body.” So that’s how it went, because my first song was “Quand?” which was 11 weeks in a row #1 in Quebec. People knew the song, they really liked it, but they didn’t know that the guy singing it had only one leg and an arm. [laughs] So that’s how they probably accepted it after, you know? Without being pretentious, it’s great when you do for a living something you like and the repercussions are great because it inspires people. I have to continue that line of work, for sure.

RC: Are you recording anything at the moment?

MD: I’m working on a special project, which probably is going to be just voice and piano. This is a new formula for me. Usually I have a big set-up with a drummer and two or three electric guitars and sometimes a big brass section, so I’ll keep it simple and people [can] really discover a new sense in my songs because they can hear my voice now. My next album is probably going to be a lot softer, and I’m working with an older man, he’s 65, and he’s a pianist. He used to work with Céline Dion. He was the first chef d’orchestra, band leader. I like it a lot, to play with an experienced guy like that. He gives me great ideas for songs. I wrote a song about my little daughter. I wrote, you know, more a love song than soft rock.

RC: Are you planning a Canadian tour?

MD: No, it’s not in the plan for now, but the way I work is I let life give me what’s happening. I let the destiny choose, lots of times, for me. Sometimes I influence my destiny, but I got great gifts from life and sometimes when you’re too stuck in — like the last album I did was very hard rock and it was only that one direction. That doesn’t leave you much chance to let your destiny happen. You have to take breaks, you have to let it happen, and that’s what I’m doing at this period of my life. I’m 37 and I worked very hard from the year 2000 to here, five albums and maybe 1,000 shows, so now I’m getting more calm. I’m getting old. [laughs] But I really believe that great things are still going to happen to me.

RC: Parenting is obviously a very important part of your life. You often talk about your daughter. Do you want to have more kids?

MD: I closed the shop. I think it’s great to have a kid, but it’s also great to have a career. To have both, it’s lots of work.

RC: Are you a single parent?

MD: I am with my wife, Catherine. She has her own passion with horses and her own career as a counselor, helping young kids with problems, family problems, in high school. We try to respect and support each other and not get in each other’s way, like, I’m not into horses, and she’s not into music. [laughs]

RC: I noticed on your website that you’re also into motorcycles?

MD: Yeah, that’s a great passion I have, too. You probably saw my Harley Davidson — the three-wheeler — and since I was a popular person in Quebec, the Harley shop offered to sponsor me. Such a great opportunity for me. So I had to pay for the bike, but they did all the changes on it, the modifications, so I can ride it.

RC: You’re also a public speaker?

MD: Yeah, conferences and high schools, mostly. But also in corporate — businesses and everything. I’m kind of a motivation person, and they hire me to talk about my life, how I see life, with passion and positive light. And it’s really getting bigger and bigger, that kind of work. Because I can add that to my conference, either it’s a high school or a business or even a primary school. I do all that stuff, but I change the jokes. [laughs] And I change a bit what I say, but fundamentally it’s about having life and having a great perception of life.

RC: We look forward to hearing more great music from you, Martin.

For more information about Martin Deschamps, please visit www.martin deschamps.com.