Marcel Desilets
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Music
Press
What you see...is what you get, just Desilets' voice and guitar on 10 songs dating back to 1981. The overall feeling is laid-back and rootsy, as the singer-songwriter creates a cosy vibe, bringing you into his world where the fishin' is easy and there's an endless array of possibilities outside his window. No subject is too mundane for Desilets, who finds inspiration in everything from the maple leaf on his umbrella to the boredom of a waiting room. Desilets truly shines with his skilful guitar work, which recalls the fleetness and passion of no less than Bruce Cockburn. - Winnipeg Free Press
Remember Bob Ross, the oil painting instructor whose dulcet tones and "happy little clouds" made sick days more bearable? Well, What You See..., by St. James resident Marcel Desilets, is the singer-songwriter equivalent of a particularly laid-back Ross episode -- and yes, we mean that as a compliment. Desilets seeks to recreate one of his solo shows, offering up 10 unadorned, voice-and-guitar musings on themes both weighty (New World of Mine, Take Me to Cuba) and completely inconsequential (Wishin' I Was Fishin', Big Umbrella). Bonus points for rhyming "never fail ya" with "paraphernalia." - Winnipeg Sun
A capable acoustic player with an excellent half-sung/half-spoken voice, Desilets writes disarmingly simple folk songs that should appeal to fans of Keelaghan, Cockburn and Lightfoot. - Winnipeg Free Press
Supported by strong musicianship, Marcel Desilets debut, Turtle Highway is a
comforting reassurance about living in Manitoba. It's a very personal album, dedicated to his late father, full of subtleties that are common to his and all Manitobans' stories... A "Manitoban Minstrel" he is, and captured something that is deeply personal to all Manitoba he has."
- Winnipeg Stylus Magazine
It would be rather natural to categorize mellow Manitoba singer/songwriter Marcel Desilets as just another laid-back local folkie. The difficulty is that upon listening to his third full-length album, To Be Here, it's obvious he has so much more going on inside his songs that they can't be easily labelled. Indeed, his quiet delivery is very folk-inspired. His hushed vocals are caressed by plenty of skilful dobro, mandolin, fretless bass and "parlour" guitar shadings and lyrically he is more a pure poet than a rhyming dictionary enthusiast. Listening to his placid stories about smooth - starting summer days and the unquestionable enjoyment of wearing comfortable slippers bring a sense of peace and definitely won't require your soul to do any heavy lifting. As he explains in the uncomplicated lyrics of the moving Simple Words, sometimes everything we really need is right here, right now and right in front of us.
**** (four stars)
- Jeff Monk (Wpg. Free Press)
- Winnipeg Free Press
Discography
2008:
"To Be Here"
1. To Be Here
2. Simple Words
3. Something We Did
4. Pajama Prowl
5. Something In Between
6. Lick The Spoon
7. Summer View
8. Slip On Down
9. It's Good To Know
10. Another Light
11. If I Could Write A Country Song
12. First Time For Everything
2007:
"What You See..."
(performed solo, guitar and vocal)
1. Casey's Cat
2. The Wind In The Window
3. Wishin' I Was Fishin'
4. New World Of Mine
5. Long Day
6. Big Umbrella
7. Take Me To Cuba
8. Fingers And Thumbs
9. Waiting Room
10. In Your Company
2004:
"Turtle Highway"
1. On The Boulevard
2. Little Things & Small Change
3. My Lucky Day
4. In Your Company
5. These Things Are Love
6. Where Does It Go From Here
7. Just A Little Fountain
8. Before You Know
9. Saturday Morning Kitchen
10. Broken Pieces
11. Take Away The Stone
12. Turtle Highway
13. Dragon Fly
14. If I'm A Puppet
15. Flashback
Photos
Bio
(Short Bio)
Folk, Rhythm & Poetry.
Marcel Desilets has blended these elements into one to provide an enjoyable listening experience for the thinking ear. Some of his songs are humorous, some are sweet, and some are downright cosmic, but all of them are loving celebrations of life. Marcel adds to his poetic sense of lyric just a beautiful touch on guitar, giving way to original songs that come with over thirty-five years of writing.
(Continue for Long Bio)
Marcel was raised in Norwood, St. Boniface (Winnipeg). Music was around him from an early age in the form of Dobro guitar and harmonica (both of which his dad played), and his mom’s singing and harmonizing to the old standards. It was the seventies however, and “After The Gold Rush” that really started his love of music. The sometimes rock, sometimes folk song styles of Neil Young, and later the finger picking virtuosity and mellow song compositions of Bruce Cockburn, truly helped shape his appreciation of music and the direction his songwriting interests would take.
From his beginnings at learning to play guitar his interest has always been in creating his own songs, so with his first few chords taught to him by his dad on an old $10 guitar, he was on his way to developing his art. Marcel’s influences come from the profound and the usual, the deep and the day to day, what’s going on within, and what he observes around him. Marcel has added banjo, Dobro, harmonica, mandolin, and fiddle to the list of instruments that he enjoys playing.
As well as performing solo, his love of these other instruments has led him into an accompanying and collaborating role for and with other musicians.
Marcel accompanies Alberta's John Wort Hannam at the 2010 OCFF for John's featured showcase.
Summer 2010 saw Marcel accompanying Vancouver based singer-songwriter Sarah MacDougall at the Hudson Music Festival in Quebec and performing on Via Rail through On Board Entertainment.
The summer of 2008 saw Marcel accompanying Yukon singer-songwriter Kim Beggs at the Ness Creek Music Festival in Saskatchewan, as well as at a local Winnipeg gig at Candor Books & Music.
In March of 2008 Marcel accompanied singer-songwriter Lindsay Jane to Austin, Texas with his Dobro for Lindsay's showcase performance at SxSW.
In 2007 Marcel brought his banjo on stage to join Jesse DeNatale at the West End Cultural Centre for one of Jesse's tunes.
Marcel had the pleasure of opening for Vance Gilbert at a past performance at the West End Cultural Centre.
Marcel has also collaborated with Allison de Groot and Vanessa Kuzina (both from the band "Oh My Darling") in sets that feature original compositions from all three, and some traditional old time tunes.
Marcel's songs have been receiving regular radio play in Winnipeg, both on Red River Community College's 92.9 KICK FM, and the CBC. CKDM in Dauphin, Manitoba has also added Marcel's songs to their playlist.
Marcel was a featured guest on CBC Radio One's "Up To Speed" with host Margaux Watt for an in studio interview and live performance. He was also featured on "Made In Manitoba" with host Sheri Wilie, a half hour radio feature on Portage La Prairie's CFRY radio. Marcel has also been a guest on KICK FM's "Second Weekend In July" with host Ed Vorst for live interviews and playing.
Past festivals include:
Hudson Music Festival (Quebec)*accompanying Sarah MacDougall
SxSW (Austin, Texas)*accompanying Lindsay Jane
Harvest Sun Music Festival (Kelwood, Manitoba)
Trout Forest Music Festival (Ear Falls Ontario)
Fire and Water Festival (Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba)
Ness Creek Music Festival (Saskatchewan) *accompanying Kim Beggs
Past Venues include:
The Park Theatre
The Gas Station Theatre
West End Cultural Centre
Watson Arts Centre (Dauphin, Manitoba)
William Glesby Centre (Portage La Prairie, Manitoba)
Academy Food, Drinks & Music
Academy Bar & Eatery
Solid Ground Arts & Coffee Room (Lorette, Manitoba)
Harvest Sun Cafe (Kelwood, Manitoba)
Candor Books & Music
Hojo Coffee and Books (Kenora, Ontario)
Lydia's Loft (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) *accompanying Kim Beggs
Marcel is a member (past exec.) of the Manitoba Independent Songwriters Circle (MISC), MARIA and SOCAN.
Marcel's websites are:
www.myspace.com/marceldesilets
www.marceldesilets.com
Links
