Marco Arsenault
Music was always part of his life even though he was a late bloomer. He recalled that his mother had an old stereo on which he would play Led Zeppelin’s 45 rpm.
“I used to sit on the floor in the living room to sing along with the singer. This was something I did very often. I wanted to be a musician, but life didn’t happen quite the way I wanted it to happen,” he said.
At the age of 12, Arsenault went to live with his father. “It was quite a change for me. I had completed primary school in an Englishspeaking school and now I found myself in a French-speaking high school. At that time, I didn’t speak French at all. Then there was the difference in routine with my father. The directives were not the same as with my mother. I had a lot of trouble adjusting to all these changes and it left me with a good dose of rebellion,” he recalled.
It was a rough stretch for the teenager, and he claimed that period is still very clear in his mind. Somehow, he is glad he got to study in French even though it was really hard.
He is aware that the change of life was surely profitable in some ways. Arsenault is a very sensitive person.
He is very personable but insists that he is also a loner.
He really got exposed to music living with his father Yvon Arsenault who played a bit of guitar. He also had uncles who played the instrument.
“I think of Bill Shea who lived in Ontario back then. He would come visit and play the guitar and sing and I would ask for some Johnny Cash. Now he has moved to Newfoundland. These are happy memories to me,” stressed Arsenault.
He still wanted to learn how to play guitar but there was always something which prevented him from realizing his desire to learn. At one point when he was sharing an apartment with a friend who could play a mean guitar (like Hendrix), he started to learn but the friend was left-handed, so it was too complicated.
Later he met a woman, and all her family were musicians so again he was reminded of his dream to play.
“My friend Michel Cote is the one who finally made it possible. He showed me some chords and told me to practice them every day for one month. After I mastered that chord pattern, I was able to play a song and follow. From there all I had to do was to listen to a song and I was able to replicate what I was hearing,” said Arsenault.
He played with a few bands, but it was always for pleasure. He was never free enough to join a band and play every weekend. He had the chance to play with Vincent Arsenault the son of Steeve Arsenault (well-known country music artist). That was an experience that he enjoyed.
When his father died, he composed a song to pay a tribute to that man.
“I have written a few songs that I sang for my father, but the tribute song Was written for the funeral. Otherwise, I love sentimental ballads. I am definitely a lover not a rocker when it comes to my own songs,” he mentioned.
He likes to play anything from Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and his favorite Dwight Yoakam to CCR and others. He listens to Nirvana and Metallica to name a few but he’s got favorites in all musical genres.
“Without air or water there’s no life. For me it’s the same thing with music. I need it like the air I breathe. I choose my music according to my mood,” said Arsenault.
The man has another passion. He loves cars and restoring antique cars. He is quite a manual guy; he loves working with his hands. He owns an auto body and painting repair shop on Belvedere Street in Sherbrooke.
“This makes me very happy. I am way too busy to play music fulltime and if I did, it would be by myself, just me and my guitar. But I enjoy playing at private parties with friends, family or by myself,” he explained.
Arsenault has now come full circle. Five years ago, he moved back to Lennoxville. He has always loved this community.
“I live in the house next to the one I grew up in. I always wanted to go back. I love my life; I love cars and I love my music,” he concluded.
Marco Arsenault is a person with a big heart who has managed to keep his sense of wonder like little boys have, despite some years that have not always been easy. “Music is life,” he said.
Upcoming shows
Ives Hill Community Hall
The Country Swingers will play at Ives Hill Community Hall on Saturday, April 27, 2024, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Admission $10
Canteen on site and door prizes. Don’t miss the fun!
Stanstead Legion Branch 005
Dance on Saturday night April 27, 2024, with Brian and Chris Curtis and Gerry Goodsell. Admission is $10 starting at 7 p.m. Put on your dancing shoes!