On April 6 2007 I had the pleasure of sitting down with musician and singer Marc Bernier of Westerly RI for an interview. Marc was born in October 1961 in Manchester New Hampshire. My wife Valerie and I were fortunate to catch several of Marcs performances over the years, the latest opening for Robbie O’connell and Aoife Clancy at a sold out show on March 24 2007 at the Seamen’s Inn in Mystic CT. A fundraiser for The Mystic Irish Parade as always Marc did an outstanding job. Here is the dialog from our interview

 

When did you get into the music scene?

 

As a little kid, I enjoyed singing songs….I sang songs as long as I can remember. 

 

What was your first song?

 

It probably was something I sang in church.  I went to Catholic School, so we went to mass every morning.   In the first grade, I got in trouble for messin around in church or something like that.  The First Grade teacher told me I couldn’t go to mass anymore.  The Principal over-rode her, because she liked my singing voice in church.  I spent the next two years sitting next to the Principal,  Sister Margaret Rose, every morning at mass because she liked the way I sang.

 

When did you start taking music seriously? 

 

Throughout school I took advantage of all the music classes.  I was involved in band and music theater where I grew up.   I was involved in musicals, I never wanted to it professionally, however.  When I was younger I knew there was something sacred about my music, and I never wanted to grow up and go to work.  I was asked to join the Zydeco Zombies.  That was really my first experience.  I really didn’t gig much at all.  I was about 25 or 27, when I was asked to join the Zombies.  It was a very successful band at the time.  When the band broke up is when I began to really want to do solo stuff.  The solo thing, I’ve been only really doing for 15 years.  I took drum lessons when I was in the second grade.   When I was in the third grade, my father joined the Essex Fife and Drum Corps.  Any time an instrument came into the house…I played it.  It was pretty clear to me when I young that the Drum Corps was for grown ups.  Kids didn’t belong in the corps.  I wasn’t allowed to join the Drum Corps. Kind of the fact that I wasn’t permitted to do it as a kid, when I turned 18 I joined one.  I didn’t gig for money, but in my twenties I was traveling around and playing in some pretty elite fife and drum circles.  I was getting to benefit going throughout Europe and what not.  Even though I wasn’t getting paid for these gigs, I definitely was playing on a professional level.

 

Who Is your Biggest influences musically?

 

My father.  He is a musician.  He was an idol for me.  In my younger rebellious rock and roll period, I was a high school teenager.  I would have to say the strongest rock influence would be Pete Townshend of The Who.   The way he writes and the way those four guys interpreted that music, blew me away 30 years ago and still does.   Being a teenager, I got to a point where it wasn’t cool to do the music my parents did.  Earlier than that, it was church.  When I was 10 or 11, I grabbed my father’s old silvertone guitar and started playing it.  I was playing spiritual folk music.   The folk songs were common then in the mid seventies.  I got good on the guitar. 

 

Love for the guitar, when did that come about?

 

The guitar was in the house, so I played it.  Ever since I was born, music was in me.  Any instrument I put in my hands, I played.

 

What groups did you play with?

 

Zydeco Zombies – seven or eight years.  Shortly after leaving that band, the guys in the Zydecats, who always had respect for my percussion, (it was the re-structuring of the band actually)  A couple of Irish bands that have been “all  for me Grogg”   Another one, “The Reluctant Patriots”.  Then off and on, I was a member of a swing band.  For the past few years, I have been performing not infrequently with RI flute maker and player, Skip Healy, in a band called…..generally they call themselves the Cartel. 

 

What is your most memorable music experience?

 

Standing arm and arm with Liam Clancy at Mystic Seaport singing the Patriot Game.  That was a landmark moment.  It was 2000 or so. 

 

How would you categorize your music?

 

I don’t like to do that.  But people ask.  I am very careful to not call it Irish folk music.  I am not Irish in any shape or form.  The majority of songs I sing definitely come from there, but mainly I call what I do American Folk music and Pub music.  I do draw on other sources of folk music too.

 

Any advice to other musicians?

 

Everybody is good at something.  Those of us who are good at doing something useful are much more ahead of the game.  I am very fortunate I can make my living at something I enjoy doing.  There are a lot of people who don’t have that.  I purposely didn’t want to play music for a living for a long time, but now I am glad I can. 

 

Is there a quote that comes to mind?

 

If it feels good do it. 

 

Anything else you would like to add?

 

In addition to what I just said, I in no means, don’t want to imply that what I do for a living is easy.  You got to work at it.  If you want to do music, it’s worth working at it.  Carnige Hall is not going to knock on our doors.  You have to knock on its doors.  Even living in a small community, I have to knock on doors.   It’s not easy. 

 

For More information about Marc Bernier go to 

http://marcbernier.com/

 

Robbie O'Connell

http://robbieoconnell.com/

 

Aoife Clancy

http://aoifeclancy.com/