Biography
Without question Marcel Gagnon is a talented and dedicated musician. His dedication to music spans over two decades. He was born in Prince George, British Columbia. Involved with music from a young age, Marcel started playing for dances, weddings and private functions, in the central part of B.C. He also played for radio shows in Alberta and B.C. as well as CBC's Molly's Reach. He was always writing his own music and performing it on occasion. Throughout this time he was an avid listener of Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Marcel's presentation of his music is often compared to Dylan and Cohen.
Deciding to record at the Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta was something Marcel feels was more than a stroke of luck. At the helm was renowned producer/engineer, John Sorensen and student engineer Devin Workman. Two incredibly talented men and dedicated to the music industry. Sorensen had worked on albums with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Elton John, Beck, Stones, Luis Miguel and others. Taking Marcel's music on was a plus for Marcel.
Marcel dedicated his first CD, CRAZY MAKER, to the Survivors of Residential Schools. Within six months of recording, CRAZY MAKER was nominated for a Juno, and the band was off to St. John's, NB, where they would play for a related Juno venue and take in the hype and excitement that surrounds such an event. This led to an appearance on CTV's First Story and the life Marcel dreamed of was now becoming a reality. CRAZY MAKER is a collection of songs with style ranging from blues to folk to big band and light rock, all with an Aboriginal twist.
Writing and performing was a priority for Marcel and he was inspired to move on. A year later his second album, THE WATCHMAN - TOM CROW, was ready for production. The album, also recorded in Banff, was completed under the direction of Sorensen and Workman. This album has a slightly different edge. It includes strings and horns in addition to the bass guitar, saxophone, drums, keyboard, lead electric guitar, acoustic twelve string and layers of vocals.
Marcel does performances as a solo, trio or with the full band. Regardless of the venue, audiences leave the show feeling they saw a good performance. In 2003 Marcel performed over One Hundred shows. He worked with Alcan on getting the 2010 Olympics to British Columbia. He also performed at the Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival, did several TV appearances and did an hour show for CBC Radio Two with Michael Juk.
In addition to dedicating his time to writing and performing, Marcel enjoys visiting schools to talk to students about his life, Using his life experience he portrays his feelings on how quitting school at fourteen was the start to a difficult life for him. His focus is to encourage students to work hard, stay away from drugs and alcohol and become the best they can be.
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