Exposed Vocals Interviews Canadian alt/rock artist Marc Earl
Born in Ottawa, On., Marc Earl is Canadian alt/rock artist, a multi-instrumentalist, and a hard-nosed songwriter with distinctive vocals. He applies the roots of the Blues, Rock n’ Roll, Rock and Rap as the basic fundamentals to music.
In late 2014, a digital release of the H8F@#$ing EP was made available, to which he is currently recording videos to support this. The full-length album is slated for release later on this year. Marc will be performing at a private event in Ottawa on July 11th, 2015.
In 2006, TMEx was launched as Marc Earl’s solo project, after five years of working with his previous band Faded Echo. He produces his own music from the bottom up, and is actively seeking new members to form a backup band to his project. “I’m not your monkey”, and I’ll be “slammin’ doors and break everything” to make it in the industry. Quotes are curtesy of his songs H8F@#$ing and Keep Walkin’, which are available on the EP.
A video release of the private event will be available to the public in August, 2015. Look forward to the upcoming videos to the H8F@#$ing EP, as well as the completion for the full-length album, slated for release later on in 2015.
Exclusive Interview:
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Marc Earl: I heard about Exposed Vocals through online reasearch. I signed up because I enjoy networking with industry professionals and other indie artists.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Marc Earl: I grew up in low-income housing in Ottawa, Ontario. I was constantly searching for a creative outlet. Music just seemed to fill that void once I got started.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Marc Earl: I got the idea from the movie La Bamba. Figured it would be a good idea if I came up with a catchy name. Jean-Marc, so hard to spell, and not so easy to pronounce, lol.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Marc Earl: I think for indie artist it’s important to share music online. It gives people an opportunity to engage in your tunes in hopes to build a following. I don’t mind giving away my music. It’s exciting to know that people want it, and having that kind of engagement can be motivating.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Marc Earl: Networking is a major factor in pushing your music forward, both online and in person. Making connections at local bars and venues gets you the gigs. There are alot of College and University radio stations to try and get radio play. It’s who you know that gets you places.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Marc Earl: As a performer, there are always hick-ups when playing live. It’s how you deal with it that gets you through it. I try to keep focused on the task at hand, not to get overwhelmed or look back. I push forward with the song and improvise if I make a mistake.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Marc Earl: Currently seeking new members to form a backup band, and would like to tour. It’s been a dream of mine for awhile.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Marc Earl: Inspiration comes in so many forms. I sometimes have a beat stuck in my head, or a melody, and I record it on the iphone, cause I know i’ll forget it if I don’t. The process usually starts with the acoustic, sometimes with a drum loop.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Marc Earl: No website at the moment, however, I use many online platforms such as ReverbNation.com, IndieCharts.com and Facebook.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Marc Earl: Some 80’s hairband stuff such as Loverboy, and maybe some Elton John (did I download that?)
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Marc Earl: I would definately hire a professional backup band and start my tour in Japan. It would depend on the album’s success as to whether i’m thumbing a ride home, or flying first class! “Would you like some Gray Poupon?”
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Marc Earl: I have two dedicated computers, one for music and the other for video production. I’m currently upgrading the video production PC. For the music, I use Cubase SX 3 with the E-Z Drummer.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Marc Earl: Online promotion works well at this point, whether it be updates on Twitter or Facebook.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Marc Earl: It would have to be with Eminem in his hometown! When I first started writing lyrics, I was writing rap and learning about song structure. Eminem is a lyrical engineer!
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Marc Earl: For sure, currently working on a couple of online music videos for YouTube. Always creating new waves for listeners to engage in.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Marc Earl: Entertaining people is my passion, so I would want to be an actor!
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Marc Earl: I remember like it was yesterday. It was Nirvana – Nevermind, awesome album, still is today! As an adrenaline junkie, I was always looking for that “turn it up” tune, and they sure fed that rush.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Marc Earl: Life can get busy, you do what you can to balance it. I always put aside the time required to stay current with music life.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?
Marc Earl: Definately the up and coming music videos, which will be posted in Sept., 2015. Also, the H8F@#$ing full length album will be available in Dec. 2015.
