Marc LaFontaine’s music journey started with playing drums for a cover band he formed with his friends in high school. But life got in the way and the bandmates pursued other paths when they graduated. Then, Marc discovered progressive outfits like Genesis, which inspired him to learn the keys and play the complex riffs of keyboard virtuosos like Tony Banks and Ray Manzarek. He eventually reunited with his high school bandmates, honed his keyboard chops with Pianote, and continues to play as much as he can despite Meniere’s disease.
This is Marc’s piano story.
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My musical journey goes back to Grade 6 when I got my first drum set at 12 years old. It took a year or two for me to figure out how to follow music on the radio. But eventually, I was playing to Beatles records and records from popular bands of the 80s like Queen, Foreigner, and Kiss.
This led to my first high school band in ’83 when two guys from school wanted to start a band. They came over to my house and asked to start a beat. Next thing I knew, we were playing AC/DC and I wasn’t even familiar with them at the time!
The guys had another hockey buddy who wanted to be a part of the band; he bought a bass and took lessons. Then, a neighborhood guy heard us playing in my mom’s basement and showed us he could sing like Brian Johnson. He became our singer, and our first 80s cover band, Dark Shadow, was off and running. We played covers of everything: AC/DC, Van Halen, Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Canada’s own Triumph, Ratt, and even complex, progressive music from our Canadian icons Rush.
We were invited to open the high school’s “Café Étudiant”—which basically translates to “chill-out hall for students”—between classes. This became our first gig. It even got featured in the local newspaper at the time.
This led to performing at a roller rink in Dorion, ON that October in front of 800 people—the biggest crowd this place had ever seen.
So, high school was a fun time! But eventually, we all graduated and moved on.
Before moving on to college, I stayed back to complete extra courses I needed. Popular music was taking a different direction by the late 80s, with bands like The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Tears for Fears, U2, Billy Idol, Loverboy etc. dominating the airwaves. This was when my passion for keyboards first developed—when I discovered Tony Banks and Genesis, and when I first saw the Three Sides Live show on video and that infamous “In the Cage” medley.
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I was hooked. I sold my massive drum set and bought my first Korg DW-6000 61-key synthesizer. I knew nothing about music theory; I simply reproduced what I heard on records and tapes, starting with simple solos like Genesis’ “Home by the Sea” and other late 80s music in bits and pieces. It got me far enough to join my former guitarist’s new “late 80s” cover band BTT for a couple of years with a different rhythm section. We ended the ’86 school year with a big show at the high school theater at the time.
We did a few other gigs, including with the local boys and girls organization. They invited us to play many of their larger banquets. It lasted a couple of years, but eventually the realities of life started hitting some of us. Knowing we were not going to make a career out of this, a few of us went to college to get a degree so we could make a living.
Music was left on the back burner for many years from that point on. But my love for complex music of the 70s like Yes, Genesis, ELP, Jethro Tull, Supertramp and early Styx still remained. By the early 2000s, I was earning a comfortable living and in a nice, stable environment. That was when I realized how much I missed playing in a band and making music with others.
I had a coworker who was a guitarist and his brother played drums. They knew a bassist and low and behold, a new project was off and running! I took some piano lessons during those years in hopes of living up to the complex music we were playing (early Genesis, Yes, even Elton John). My lessons only lasted a year or two, but they led me to start my own Genesis tribute band, Slippermen. We began in 2003 and played many places throughout Quebec and Ontario—from Alma, Q.C. to Trois-Rivieres and all the way down to Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls.
That project ran its course in late December 2011. I simply didn’t have the training to keep up with the demands of the music: it was complex, I had to remember it all by heart, and I was learning everything by ear. I needed a break.
I stepped away from music completely for about two years. Then, a local up-and-coming teenager was interested in Genesis and started his own band. As I had the gear and remembered a large portion of the repertoire, I joined in. And even though it was never expected to be taken seriously or to the level of a tribute band, it kept me playing for a little while. Two to three years later, this teenager was off to Julliard to study jazz guitar. If anyone has the education and training to make a living out of music, it would be him.
In 2016, I again took time off and focused on other things. Until February 2020—right in the middle of the pandemic.
One of the guitarists (who also sang) from my original high school heavy metal band thought it would be fun to do a one-time reunion gig. So I thought why not? It got me back into playing. And with the advancement in learning methods online, I decided to give it a go.
We started rehearsing in the summer of 2020 with one minor change: the lead guitarist wasn’t given “permission” from his spouse to commit to a project of this level, so he was forced to step away. That was when we were approached by the then-bassist of our ’86 late 80s cover band (though he was a guitarist first). He stepped in and we haven’t looked back since.
Our “one-time reunion band” is still going strong nearly four years later! We keep adding new material all the time to keep it fresh and interesting. We play quite a variety of music from the late 60s through the early 2000s. And we play about a half dozen gigs a year, including the annual Canadian Grand Prix festivities in Montréal.
As soon as I was committed to the project, I started practicing scales, arpeggios, and chords again. But most of what I have learned and continue to do has been by ear. This eventually led me to Pianote.
Though I knew there was a whole world of styles, genres, and techniques to learn and discover, I had no real structure on how to progress and improve. Pianote has definitely helped with that. I can definitely see improvements in what I can do now compared to last summer. I’ve been learning new genres and styles, from rock’n’roll to blues to ragtime, all the while improving my sight-reading skills.
Will I ever be as good a sight reader as I am at playing music by ear? Who knows! Do I hope to play more complicated piano pieces one day? Definitely! I look forward to evolving and improving on all levels, especially after being diagnosed last summer with Meniere’s Disease in my left ear.
It’s the same disease that Huey Lewis recently talked about in PEOPLE magazine. Many other celebrities have disclosed getting diagnosed with this. Basically, it’s an inner ear disease that causes episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, ear fullness, and partial or complete hearing loss. I’m being monitored by several specialists and on various meds, but there is no cure at this time. My live performing years may be limited, but I’m taking it one year at a time.
From Victoria’s classical path to Ben’s ragtime lessons, Pianote’s variety of genres and teachers with different backgrounds have really helped me expand my musical vocabulary. Kevin’s In Theory series and his blues course has helped me develop improvising skills, which is still a work in progress. And now we’re getting technical know-how from keyboard wizard Jordan Rudess himself! Can’t wait for that.
I have definitely seen improvement. Last year, when Gowan released his “Come Sail Away” lesson, I couldn’t for the life of me keep that Alberti bass in the left hand going. (It’s similar to what Ray Manzarek from the Doors does in “Riders on the Storm.”) Now I can play “Come Sail Away” and most of “Riders on the Storm”! Though the keyboard solo needs to be a bit better before I consider it done…
One day, I hope to play the Doors’ “Light my Fire” or Debussy’s “Clair de lune.” I want to get through Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” from start to finish, and I want to play the Charlie Brown theme and Christmas music from Vince Guaraldi. These are all longer term goals.
Hopefully, when I retire, I’ll be able to focus on getting my skills to this level—preferably before I lose my hearing altogether. Like I mentioned, one year at a time.
It almost felt like I was starting over in February 2020, but it did come back fairly quickly. If I have any regret, it would be that I took so many years off from playing for as long stretches as I did. Today, it’s about taking small steps to achieve greater heights. I intend to continuously expand and grow my musical vocabulary on every level!
Cheers!
ML
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