Lost and found

>>Montreal’s David Martel on being discovered
at the Fringe and inciting a riot

KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU: David Martel

by LORRAINE CARPENTER

A year and three months in the making, I Hardly Knew Me (Kindling/Warner) is the debut album for local singer-songwriter David Martel, a record that expands and contracts from bubbly orchestral pop to tender acoustic minimalism. Formerly the frontman for a band called onlyforward, Martel was mentored by producer Dave A. Sturton, renowned for his work with such artists as Jean Leloup. With Sturton came a fleet of guest musicians, adding a wide range of strings, horns, keyboards, guitars, percussion and voices to Martel’s compositions.

Mirroring the arrangements on the record, Martel sometimes plays solo, sometimes with Natasha Landry (who he describes as “my June Carter”), and sometimes with a seven-piece band. At his CD launch tonight, he’ll be joined by a dozen musicians, and in anticipation of the big event, the Mirror called Martel for a chat last weekend.

Mirror: You’ve made a few records before. What was different about the experience this time?

David Martel: I made a record that was actually close to what I was hoping it to sound like. I had so much time in the studio thanks to Dave Sturton, he gave me weeks and months and over a year. I had songs that weren’t even done and we’d create the songs together and really took them to unexpected places.

M: How did you meet him?

DM: I just happened to be playing at the Fringe Festival, a noon time-slot. Originally, it was supposed to be my band but it ended up being just me because the band broke up. I was pretty discouraged around that time, I wasn’t sure I wanted to perform, but I did. It was during the St-Laurent sidewalk sale, so people were milling around. DNA Studios is right across the street from Parc des Amériques and Dave just happened to be outside. He came over when he heard the music and he approached me after the set and started asking me questions about what I had going on. I remember, he could tell that I was a little discouraged and he was trying to cheer me up, saying, “No, that was a great set! Let’s work together.”

M: I imagine your 12-piece band is well equipped to capture the orchestral elements of the record.

DM: I’ve been blessed with a great community of players, and a lot of them are personal friends of mine, so it’s a lot of fun. We had our first general rehearsal yesterday, where everyone was together, and it was really overwhelming. I called a few of the people today and everyone’s just super-stoked to hear it come together. We’re really excited for the launch.

M: I understand that you recorded a parody of “American Pie” for Mix96 when the Canadiens were in the playoffs [“Bye Bye, Philadelphia, Bye”]. Do you think you’re partly responsible for inciting the riot?

DM: Probably, yes. Hopefully. You know, music has to incite some sort of reaction and when it comes that close to home, and all over the headlines like that, it warms my heart.

CD launch with Ladies of the Canyon
and Mike O’Brien at Cabaret du Musée
Juste pour rire tonight, Thursday,
June 5, 7 p.m., $15