It's funny how things turn out sometimes.
For instance; take musician Marcus Martin, creator and frontman for the band Arctic, playing the Brew Pub Saturday (July 10) at 9:30 p.m.
Born in the Northwest Territories, Martin moved to Toronto to play music and, after playing in all sorts of bands from metal to jazz and rap, decided he wanted to work only solo - and headed west.
"I was just sick of playing in bands - all the politics and frustrations," he said.
He started performing using a looping device that allowed him to record, modify and layer his acoustic guitar performances, essentially eliminating the need for a backing band.
"I only had to depend on myself," he said.
Arctic was born of that desire to play solo, but as has been earlier noted, it's funny how things turn out sometimes.
"I was on tour in Montreal and this guy from Vancouver was putting together a musical and asked me to perform," Martin said. "I pulled together a band for the performance and although I had had no intention of ever playing in a band again, it was just so much fun playing with a band."
The audience loved it as well, and a local promoter picked Arctic up on the spot.
"Arctic sort of morphed into what we are now," he said.
The music has mostly stayed the same, although perhaps becoming a bit more collaborative, fusing progressive rock, jazz and elements of electronica to create sometimes moody, sometimes thunderous aural landscapes reminiscent of Thom Yorke.
But old habits die hard, as well.
"Sometimes when the members aren't all readily available, I still do solo shows," Martin said.
The solo gigs also tend to have a slightly different sound, he admitted.
"The songs don't actually change," he said. "But because I do looping when I play solo I have different freedoms than with a band. I can change the tempo or change anything as I go.
"It's the same songs," he said. "It's just about how they come out."
Following the band's show in Squamish, Arctic plays the Railway on Vancouver on August 7, then begins a cross-Canada tour with a French band before heading off to Europe.
"We take care of the Canadian leg of the tour and they take care of the European part," Martin said. "It works out great."
So from a dedicated solo musician to a semi-world tour with not only his band, but another one to boot
It really is funny how things work out.
Catch Arctic at the Brew Pub on July 10 at 9"30 p.m. and best of all there's no cover!
