Pleased To Meet Me: Martin Saint
Introduce yourself… (Where are you from, what band do you play in etc..)
I’m Martin Saint, Montreal-based indie rock solo artist. I sing, write, produce and arrange songs, and play a few instruments. I’m deep in the production phase of my next album called ‘Seekers’, scheduled for release sometime in February. I used to front The Ember Glows until we split up earlier this year. My solo project started taking shape a few years back but has now become my main priority. I’d been playing solo acoustic for years, sometimes as an opener for shows, but in 2024 I put a band together to back me up and play fully electric shows. I like to get involved in other side-projects and collaborations with talented people I know. During the pandemic I dabbled in electronica even though my knowledge of the genre was very limited. What came out of it is a collaborative duo with Montreal’s DJ Sarcastic, called Portmanteau. We released an E.P called Stick To The Script. We sometimes perform at Acid Nights events at Le Ritz. A few months ago I co-wrote and produced a French-speaking single, ‘'Hélas, hélas’’ with Ursa Minor from Montreal’s trip-hop duo SU. In the past Ursa and I also put out another single called ‘Sagittarius Moon’ under the name In Camera. I’m also remixing one of SU’s older tracks set for release sometime this winter. I also like to work with Delphine Dupont, vocalist with another Montreal band, the all-female power trio Lagora. We’ve been working on an E.P for a while but since we’re both quite busy elsewhere we take our time. The project is called Ego Mortis. At times I like to take a backseat and just play guitar under someone else’s direction. These days I’m a member of the surf-rock band HJ & The Constellations and have been playing with the one and only Johnny Couteau for the last ten years. I try my hand at spoken word here and there too (my experimental album Fly Tales came out in 2019). I’m looking forward to some new project along the same lines soon. I like to renew myself and remain always curious and open to new ideas, new ways of working, learning from others. The last thing I’d want is to become so predictable that even I, would get bored hearing myself.I’m not afraid to fail and I find that very liberating. A certain sense of detachment and not caring too much. That about sums it up for now.
Why do you play music?
This sounds like an open-ended question but to me… it’s fairly simple when I think about it. It boils down to self-expression and communication. The need to express what I feel, what I see, the good, the not so good and the in-betweens in ways that others can relate to. There’s a certain rawness about going out there and stripping your soul bare in front of strangers. If it’s heartfelt and sincere, it will show. The opposite is also true. Over time I’ve learned to embrace that vulnerability. On some level I find it easier to communicate in an artistic way than I do in so-called real life. The best compliment I can ever get isn’t that I sang or played well. The ones that really get to me emotionally are when someone says that the performance or the song, the lyrics, whatever it is, touched them on a visceral level. That it made them feel something real. When I’m told that something I took part in became a part of someone’s life soundtrack. That’s the real reason I do music. t can also just be a lot of fun but speaking for myself, this could only last so long if that was the only reason.
What was a major influence on you as an Artist/Band?
I have to divide this answer in a few categories since I tend to wear several hats. As a guitar player Wayne Hussey (Sisters of Mercy and The Mission) and Johnny Marr had the most impact on me. To a lesser extent, The Edge, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Jeff Buckley are also worth mentioning. Though not a real classical or jazz guitarist by any stretch, I’m greatly indebted to these two schools as I dabbled in each just enough so that they prove immensely helpful to this day. I also must mention my musician father who gave me a taste for weird chords! Again, I’m very curious about anything that might expand my horizons as a songwriter, musician and person. Vocally, I started singing along with Elvis, The Doors, Bowie, The Smiths, U2, The Mission (again). Then later on I became obsessed with crooners like Sinatra and Dean Martin. *More of that in the ‘favourite album’ segment. A lot of what left a deep impression on me in my formative years and still inspires me to this day, came from outside music. Like film, art, poetry. Lyrically, I’m very indebted to Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Matt Johnson (The The), Jim Morrison, Patti Smith, Morrissey, beat and romantic poetry in particular. Several movies and books have also triggered ideas I then worked on.
What’s a favourite book or film?
Just like with music, I like to be as diverse as I can when it comes to subject matter or style, both for books and film. I’m fascinated by Russian literature. So I’ve read lots of it. For now I’ll mention Dostoyevsky’s The Gambler simply because it partly inspired one of my new songs, ‘Lucky 7’, on my upcoming album. The psychology of pathological gambling is brilliantly dissected while at the same time painting a scathing picture of the European aristocracy of the time. Turgenev’s ‘Fathers and Sons’ is also a favourite of mine. Generational conflict is a universal and timeless topic and in this case it’s set against a backdrop of pre-revolution rumblings under the surface. ‘Voyage au bout de la nuit’ by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Kerouac’s ‘On The Road’ and ‘Dharma Bums’, James Joyce’s ‘Dubliners’. Oscar Wilde’s ‘A Picture of Dorian Gray’ is particularly relevant today in this youth-worshipping and ageist culture we live in. Pretty much anything by Milan Kundera….well, I could go on and on. I also took a very enlightening African Literature class while at University. I got to discover Okot p’Bitek and Wole Soyinka in particular. It was a literature I’d never been exposed to and it opened my eyes in lots of ways. In non-fiction, I really enjoyed Michela Wrong’s ‘In The Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz’ , ‘Survival’, Margaret Atwood’s riveting essay on Canadian Literature and I’m always interested in any of Bob Woodward’s behind the scenes reporting on American politics. Books on occultism and spirituality, also. I’m a generally curious person.
Just a few of my favourite movies; Chinatown by Polanski. I love how what starts as a routine detective case escalates and how each new layer peeled off reveals one ghastly truth after another until all the ugliness is exposed in the face of an indifferent world. Out Of The Past, a relatively obscure film noir with Robert Mitchum. Don’t Look Now, a Nicholas Roeg horror classic with zero special effects, no gore, hardly any violence at all and filmed in broad daylight. The horror is emotional and psychological, with various references to psychic phenomena. If you can bypass the ridiculous sex-scene without dying of laughter, then this is a perfect fall movie starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie..The French Nouvelle-Vague, anything by François Truffaut in particular.
Do you prefer the recording process or performing live?
I couldn’t have one without the other. Performing is the life blood and a form of exhibitionism. It’s a sprint of sorts. You give all you’ve got - hopefully that is - no time to think. It’s more of a bare knuckle approach. There’s also the possibility of an element of surprise, unpredictability. Depending on the style of music, the orchestration, it might be necessary to strip down the sound compared to the recorded versions. I like that. It’s a different animal. I’m totally cool with being at a show and the live renditions differ from what I’m used to hear. As long as the main components of the songs are there and the spirit is intact. Recording is more akin to a marathon. Lots of time to overthink, everything comes under intense scrutiny. It might even become disheartening to repeat the same section over and over again until you get it right. The recording is unforgiving as you’ll live with it the rest of your life. Then again, there’s a lot of freedom to experiment but that’s also a double-edged sword. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. The line is very narrow between creativity and self-indulgence
What would be a dream collaboration?
In my wildest dreams, having Johnny Marr play on one of my tracks! Apart from that, not necessarily anyone famous. I just like working with open-minded and creative people, unafraid to step out of their comfort zone. I’m open to many forms of collaborations, supergroups, co-writes, duets, more work with DJs, guesting on other people’s albums, whatever. I would love to do a movie soundtrack, among other things. Or write one song specifically for a movie, even. I’d like to take part in a multi-disciplinary event with other art forms. An artistic happening. Live painting, dance, projections, improvised theatre, something like that. Again, stepping away from the usual routine.
Describe a favourite album.
If I had to answer this question any other day I’m positive I’d pick something else, as there are so many options for so many reasons. I’ve decided to opt for something completely out of the indie-rock, alternative realm.I love albums that take you to a specific time and place, a time-capsule almost. ‘In the Wee Small Hours’ is a landmark album for Frank Sinatra. It marked a return to form after a lacklustre period. All songs are what were then called torch songs, tales of loneliness and heartbreak. While Sinatra is often associated with swagger and bravado, here he’s recovering from major loss and makes no secret of his vulnerability. The album feels like you’re sitting alone in a 1950’s bar at last call about to make your lonely way back home. I also visualize William Hopper’s famous Nighthawks drawing too. His mournful voice had gained a maturity you can only gain the hard way through real life experience. He was among the first to really introduce the album as a medium, as opposed to just singles or a series of unrelated songs. ‘In The Wee Small Hours’ runs like a cohesive whole, a movie almost. Nelson Riddle’s arrangements are just beautiful and so is the evocative album cover. Although this has no direct influence on my sound, I took a page from Sinatra’s book when it comes to the importance of the rhythm of the words, the phrasing, the enunciation and doing your best to make a song come to life. This album is a perfect late-night solitude soundtrack as the title indicates
What's your favourite local haunt?
My favourite kinds of watering hole are unfortunately almost extinct. For some reason I always preferred a really old-school, lowdown dive with a smelly rug, (yes, I have seen that) broken urinals, an Elvis frame on the wall, a beat-up pool table, a unique cast of characters, a place where you feel like anything can happen….and sometimes it does. All I’m going to say. There aren’t many of those left but I’ve seen a few still standing. The next time I don’t want to run into anyone I know I might just stroll in one of them and get my ass kicked at pool. I’m eyeing Morelli’s bar in Hochelaga theses days, haha! Apart from those I like several places, depending on my moods and budget. I like Bily Kun, Big in Japan, Café El Gitana, Taverne Pelican, Kabinet, to name a few. I’m not including the venues where I spend time anyway, either playing or watching shows
What's your strangest experience while performing live?
Every time I’m asked this question I always go back to the same incident because I still haven’t experienced anything remotely close to it. Considering it was one of my first gigs ever that was quite the baptism by fire. So with my teenage band, we were playing some very sketchy dive bar. Lots of our friends were present, including the doorman. At some point a very, very intoxicated woman started this very suggestive dance right in front of me, with her jeans fly zipped down. I didn’t make much of it and carried on playing. I wasn’t singing at the time, just playing guitar. So I stood near the left edge of the stage, where everyone walked by as they went to the bathrooms located behind the wall at the back of the stage. At some point I felt my leg being tugged at and pulled. Again I ignored it, sure it was one of my dumb friends pulling a prank. But it became more and more insistent. This is right in the middle of a song. I looked down and saw it was the drunk-high woman hugging and pulling my leg. I froze a little, then tried to shake her off. I didn’t want to hurt her so I’m not kicking too hard, just shaking my leg back and forth while trying not to miss a beat. I notice all my friends roaring with laughter, including the doorman supposed to be there to help me. Then finally I felt a sharp pain like someone biting me. And yes, that’s exactly what it was. She bit my leg. To this day I still can’t believe I didn’t screw up the song.
If I were pursuing anything other than music it would be…
I’m also a visual artist, so maybe I’d devote myself to drawing as a priority. I might have considered being an actor. Normally I’d say writer but with songwriting I get to use words a lot, it is a form of writing already. Let’s say completely out of the artistic realm, maybe a long-distance trucker. Something about the long hours of solitude and the travel I find appealing. I love water so maybe something related to the sea, sailor or shipmate on a cargo ship. I’m aware this is a very romantic way to idealize something I don’t know much about.
What are some of your favourite aspects of being a musician in Montreal?
Since the question is about what I like as opposed to dislike, I’ll focus on that. It’s hard to say when you’re right in the thick of it. It’s easy to take things for granted. I have played in many other places and have noticed differences. Some things were better elsewhere, some not. One thing I do like is the sense of a certain uniqueness, a certain style in the way people carry themselves, if only because you have vibrant franco and anglo scenes that now intertwine as opposed to being completely isolated from each other. Also, it seems to me like the scene is very diverse. There’s a large eco-system where there’s room for many genres. I love that kind of openness. If I spent an extended period of time settling down and playing music in another city maybe I could see a broader picture.
If you weren’t playing music in Montreal where would you be ?
Exiled in Europe, no doubt or trying to lead an international man of leisure existence. I’m allowed to dream, right? Possibly a quiet life in Prague or living in all-out decadence in Berlin…just joking. Maybe Istanbul. One thing for sure I wouldn’t stay in one place for too long.
Any sage advice for young musicians?
I have no wisdom to impart on anyone, that’d be presumptuous of me. It’s not like I had the most linear path myself, it’s rife with mistakes of all kinds. I’m no one to give advice. I can only share the approach that works for me. First off, I don’t try to please anybody, play to the gallery and try to go where the wind blows for cheap popularity. I try to be my number one fan and my number one critic. Never as good as I think I am, never as bad either. Staying even-keeled. To stop caring is immensely liberating. If at the end of the day I pleased myself then I’m happy. Of course I’d love for a large amount of people to connect to what I do and enjoy it but I can’t control that. So I detach and let go of the outcome. When I write I don’t even try to be good at first. I never hold back, I write in an almost stream of consciousness way, both musically and lyrically, then sort everything through a funnel and decide what to keep, what to discard. Also, I put in the work. For whatever accolade I get, there’s hundreds of hours behind closed doors that one sees. Sucking, failing, trying again. And enjoying that process. The reward out of this is that when it’s genuine, there will be people to connect with the music and it will be heartfelt. I find it important to pay interest to what came before our time too, not limit ourselves to what happened within the last two weeks and look down on everything else. A strong musical culture and knowledge of lineage can only enrich our evolution as artists and human beings. One last thing, I’d just say it’s ok to be kind and show interest in what others do. No need for acting too cool for school, depending on who we’re sitting with. It’s ok to be happy when others succeed. No need to be all friendly only with people you feel can help you advance and act all dismissive with others. There should be more collaboration, cooperation. Being kind doesn’t take anything away from being cool, on the contrary.