1. What made you decide to start doing the One Man Band thing?

Well, I’ve been recording myself for some years now and there was definitely something in that sound that I really liked. And ever since I started playing guitar, I’ve been keeping the beat with my feet. So, with some free times on my hand, I decided to record myself more seriously. Also, I was tired of writing songs and not do anything with them. So, I decided to do it right here at home, keep it simple and easy to do, natural. For my feet I wanted to try something different than a drum set. The recordings I had of myself playing with a drum set didn’t fit my idea of the sound I wanted. I thought that a piece of wood taped to one of my feet could sound good and for the other foot I tried a tambourine. I don’t know if it’ll always be the same way to play and for how long. I just know that for now it’s alright with me. With my feet I want to make it sound like people are clapping with the music. Like in some gospel recordings.

So, I went in my bathroom and worked on my songs for hours, I came out with some recordings that I thought sounded alright. But still for a pretty long while I didn’t have the guts to get them out in the open. After some more weeks or months I finally sent the recordings to some labels I knew. Some liked it, others never answered. But, it’s fun that some people liked it, because for some years I was the only one listening to my tapes.

2. Do you find it easier to write songs when you have complete artistic freedom?

I always have complete artistic freedom when I write a song. What’s different now is I decide alone which songs I want to play. With a band it’s a commune decision. Most of the time you write a song at home and bring to the band, if they both like it, we’re gonna try to play it. If only one likes it then we’re probably gonna try it anyway, just to see the result. But, in the case where both guys don’t like it, well then you go back home wondering why they didn’t like it. Some of the songs that didn’t make it in Scat Rag Boosters set list, I ended up playing alone.

So, I find it easier because I’m more free to play what I want when I want. But, it has good sides but bad ones too. It’s fun to be in a band a lot of times. But with a one-man band project you need more discipline to push yourself to practise. And you’re alone when you play music, it’s a different thing because most people (like me) started making music with others. I like both, but if I had to choose I’d probably choose playing in a band, because playing a show with your friends when it’s going well. It can get immensely fun.

3. How many instruments can you get rockin' at one time?

I would say four, both feet, the guitar and voice or harmonica. But, this is not a one-man band circus kinda thing. I just try to make it sound good and natural, if I started playing fifteen different instruments in one song it wouldn’t make sense for my music. But, playing many instruments could be special, like a one man band doing Raymond Scott covers. It would be crazy.

4.Do you have to over-dub anything when you record?

Not yet, anyway I recorded only on two tracks, all at the same time. Maybe in the future I would, but I’m not sure it would be necessary. Handclaps, maybe. I don’t know in what case I would need it. Maybe if gets more “professional”.

5. So you got two 7"s coming out sometime soon on Yakisakana Records, is there anything else in the works?

Well, I’m doing a split 7” on Solid Sex Lovie Doll Records, I’m sharing the record with Johnny Cancer One Man Band. An ex-member of The Blacks.
Apart from that, I don’t know, I’ve talked with Roy of Kryptonite Records and we might be doing something together. A split label 7”, his label and mine, it would be my try at starting a label. But, for that I need to record again and right now, I just keep on procrastinating. Also, I wanted my first 7” to come out before I’d do anything else, but they’re taking forever to come out, so… It’s just a lousy excuse not to record anyway.

6. There's a lot of One Man Bands popping up these days, Do you think there's a reason for that?

Well, stripped down music is getting more popular these days, I guess, and it can be a hard to be in a band or to find people to play with, so for loners, like me, it can be an
outlet. It’s not for everyone though. In my case, it’s also because I wanted to try a less rock sound. In the bands I play we always play pretty loud, so a lot of stuff gets buried in the wall of sounds. I love that too, but I wanted to try something different, more stripped down. This is the only way I found.

7. Are you big fan of any of them in particular?

Well, one of my all-time favorite is Doctor Ross, he’s very good, I find. I wonder if there is any overdub in his solo work, I’d have to give it another spin. I like King Louie, BBQ, Hasil Hadkins, there are others here and there but these are the ones I remember off hand.

But, on a lot of records you have songs that are done in pretty much the same way as a one man band thing. Some Rolling Stones blues songs, Jessie May Hemphill has some crazy stripped down music to offer. I don’t listen to a lot of one-man band music, it’s not a fixation for me, it’s only a way of making music.

8. What do you think of Hasil Adkins?

I like a lot of his stuff, not everything though. His first lp, Out to Hunch is fabulous, some of his later, more country stuff is lovely too. He has a great voice, very beautiful.
He’s an iconoclast, a lot of people don’t know about him and that’s too bad. I never saw him play live, I hope I will, one day soon.

9. You're obviously a big fan of the blues, who are some of your favourites/biggest influences right now?

I listen to a lot of compilations, like on the french label Frémaux et Associés, there is one called Gospel vol 3 Guitar Evangelists & Bluesmen. This one is very good, this is the kind of stuff I love. My favourites are probably Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Wille Mctell, Fred Mcdowell, Dock Boggs, Charley Patton, Son House, Jessie May Hemphill, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson people like them. There are a lot more, but I won’t name any more, compilations are a good way to start, I guess.

10. I notice you've never sung in French, have you ever thought about doing a song in French?

I think about it every now and then, every time I tried, it didn’t sound right. I didn’t try that hard though. It’s something that has to come naturally and it doesn’t right now for me. I guess it would help me a lot here in this province(Quebec), but I was never a big fan of music sang in french. English comes the easiest for me when I sing, it’s the music I’ve always heard, I started learning english by reading lyrics with a dictionnary. It’s the music I love, it might looks weird not to sing in your first language, but for me it’s actually more natural in english, I know more about music sung in english than in french. It’s what I want to be a part of, all the musicians I like sing in english. I want to keep doing what they started. I’m just not a big fan of music sang in french. I might be a traitor to the french speaking people, I might be a victim of american colonialization, but I do what I like and it’s something which I really love.

11. I know you've already got two shows under your belt, do you have plans for any more right now?

Not at the moment, it would be better to get out of Montreal for awhile, I can’t play here all the time, it’s start feeling weird. I don’t know how Hound Dog Taylor could play a couple of times a week in Chicago for so many years. I should have a car, so I could go play in other cities, but I don’t, so I’ll see. I want to go tour Europe in 2003, if my singles can come out.

Playing live alone was a complete different experience though, I played for like 150/200 people once, it was weird. I felt alone up there on stage. It’s not easy doing tours when you don’t have real support, you feel a little miserable a lot of the times, dirty clothes, not enough showers, lack of sleep, sleeping on floors, bad food, etc. It’s not that easy for this kind of music, it’s not
worth it a lot of times.

12. There's a lot of great bands and records coming outta Montreal right now and they're getting a lot of good press, how do you feel about that?

Good press where? It’s not comparable to what’s happening in Detroit. There are more records coming out of Montreal nowadays, that’s for sure. Now, bands, that exists for only a couple of months, put out a record. When Scat Rag Boosters started, we had all the trouble in the world getting heard. Now I see shitty bands are getting good rewiews and I don’t get it. Music critics seems to like almost everything, little generic bands flips their lulus. The fact is, I don’t like a lot of stuff from Montreal. There’s been some decent bands, but not many are gonna make history. I like The Spaceshits/ Les Sexareenos bunch, that’s pretty much it.

13. Last question, So what are your plans for the near future?

My plans is to release good music, I want to put out good albums. I like singles, but I want to make lp’s too. Some of the songs I recorded alone, now I want to try to play them with a band. I would like to tour a couple of months a year, with a band or alone.