The Obelisk Questionnaire: Frederic Couture of Sons of Arrakis
Posted in Questionnaire on February 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Frederic Couture of Sons of Arrakis
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
It’s always hard to define what I’m doing as a musician, but let’s put really briefly. I’ve always played heavy rock music based around riff ideas and very structured songs. Most of the time, the writing process begins with one riff. Those riffs are often developing when I play my old acoustic guitar at home. Sometimes, I have riffs, beats or melodies in my head that I want to try on the guitar, but I’m not talented enough to nail them. They evolve into something else and after that, it’s like bringing pieces of a puzzle together.
I’ve always been doing this, sit and compose music since I’m 13 years old. My first band was Crazy Head when I was 14 years old. Then, those guys invited me in their band called People Who Care and they were tight for 15 years old guys. They had bases in music and needed a singer and rhythm guitarist in their rank, I immediately accepted the contract. People Who Care morphed in Reckless Ride and this is where we recorded our first decent EP. This band was on the classic rock side with fast and heavy riffs that jumped right in the face. In those bands, I’ve always been the singer and rhythm guitarist. I think I fit well in this role because I’ve done it since my teenage years.
To define what I do and how I came to do it, I also have to talk about my inspirations. I’ve been inspired by so many things and there’s been so many musical epiphanies, but the most significant moment was the first time I listened to Master of Reality by Black Sabbath. Riffs after riffs is the kind of vibe I’m searching for when it comes to music. This is where I come from as a musician. I also like proto-metal music from the late 60’s like Hendrix, Cream, Mountain, Blue Cheer, etc.
Another influence would be more progressive stuff like the album Close to the Edge and The Yes Album by Yes. Hemisphere and 2112 by Rush would be worth mentioning here. I really like concept albums and variations in songs. It makes it more intriguing and fascinating. Lately, the album Innate Passage by Elder really blew my mind!
When I was a kid, I also remember playing guitar over Angus Young on the Live at Donington concert DVD. It’s where I develop my chops and my interest for Gibson SG! Epiphany moment I would say! I also love Metallica’s first three albums because my father introduced me to those when I was just 11 years old. Puppets would be my favorite. Thanks to my old man!
But the ultimate reason why I’m a musician is when I saw Jack Black in School of Rock when I was 11 years old. I was at the beginning of high school and we were a bunch of kids who listened to Metallica, Megadeth, Nirvana, Sex Pistols, etc. We were outcasts in our musical tastes at that time. Dewey Finn was the ”man” (direct reference to the movie) who open the gates and brought the moral caution to rock it!
At the end of Reckless Ride in 2011, there was a musical hiatus for me, but I was just preparing the ground and building my own studio in Montreal that was called Reel Road Studio and then Gamma Recording Studio. From 2011 to 2016, I’ve been in different projects that never took form, but developed ideas and jamming songs and riffs ideas. I was cutting my teeth to say so. Then came Mick Martel from The Hazytones in late 2015. We started this band as a trio and we were motivated enough to start from scratch and put it all together. The first record was out in September 2016, I think. We went on tour in Canada and Europe for a couple of months following the release of this debut LP. This experience changed a lot of things for me and defined a what I do in my actual band Sons of Arrakis.
Ultimately, what’s fun about Sons of Arrakis is that we can’t only fit in one category of genres and styles of music. Everyone has their own point of view and ‘’appellations’’ for the music that we play, starting with the expression Melange Rock. I think that critics and people categorized our music that way because of the universe of Frank Herbert in which we immerge ourselves in. Actually, Melange Rock isn’t one style of music, it’s a vast spectrum of sonorities and genres.
In reality, we play some kind of a stoner-”ish” and desert-”ish” kind of rock. Francis Duchesne, SOA’s lead guitarist, came up with ”Cinematic sci-fi rock” once to differentiate us from ”the vast ocean of stoner rock bands”. It’s also because Francis introduces keyboards and guitar melodies that sound retro-futuristic. For example, on Shai-Hulud, the harmonized slide lead guitar brings this aspect forward. We also have a dual harmonized solo (keys and lead guitar) at the end of Temple of the Desert that is really mysterious and reminds of a laborious walk in the deep desert. In Abomination, in the chorus and the second verse, there’s a wonderful guitar orchestration that almost sounds symphonic.
Furthermore, there are parts in some songs that is more on the classic heavy rock side like the riff in the verses of Omniscient Messiah for example. Sometimes, we like to introduce some heavier parts in hommage to Thrash Metal, like in the bridges of the songs Temple of the Desert and Omniscient Messiah. Another hidden nugget is this doom metal bridge in The Black Mirror that has an overall straight forward desert rock feel. In short, we like to mix many genres and explore different sonorities. That’s why it’s more relevant to call it Melange Rock than stoner or doom I think. These are just few examples.
In short, this is the evolution. The point where I started to play music until now, with my band Sons of Arrakis. It’s hard to develop what we do, but it’s always been about the search for the riff, the sound of rock n’ roll that we all vibe and trip on.
Describe your first musical memory.
I was really young, maybe 5 years old. I remember that father used to play Nirvana Unplugged in NY on our way back from Lake Champlain, upstate New York, to Montreal. He had an old boat in the US, near Plattsburg and he had those cassettes. He also played Neil Young, I think it was a ”Best of” K7. I just remember the vibe and how it made me feel as a kid. The music felt like a haven and I felt safe with my parents and my sister. It almost felt like a fresh breeze from the Northern part of the lake.
In my childhood, I also remember that my mother was a really huge fan of this musical icon in Québec, called Jean Leloup. He was, and still is, the odd yet incredible figure in music and is a true artist. His album ”Les Fourmis” (The Ants in English) was the album that I remember the most, because my mother had the CD and always played it. There were also Daniel Bélanger, who’s also a important figure in the québécoise culture that was defining for me, back in the mid 1990’s.
I would say these are the first musical memories that I have. It was at a very young age, but I remember how it felt and I think my love for music come from childhood.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
I remember listening for the first time to the album “Reflections of a Floating World” from the band Elder. It was back in 2017, I was on the road in the Canadian Rockies and the first riff of the song “Sanctuary” started to play. Images, sounds and emotions merged together and it was a colossal feeling. When I listened to their new album, ”Innate Passage”, I found the same feelings that when I heard ”Sanctuary” for the first time. The song ”Endless Return” is a perfect reflection and a culmination of their work, I think.
There’s a lot a subtlety and refinement in this piece of art. One of the aspect I like the most is the marvelous crisp guitar arpeggios supported by this extremely solid rhythm section that never stops rolling. Elder has a surprisingly sharp melodic sense on this album achieved by the well thought lead guitars and vocals that smoothly float above the mix. Another aspect that I particularly like is the present of this vintage strings sound (Mellotron) that brings this nostalgic 70’s progressive feel to the songs.
Plus, this summer, I had the chance to see them live for the first time and meet them in person on September 6th at the legendary Montreal’s Foufounes Électriques. I think this maybe one of my best musical memory.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
There’s one big life event that deeply changed my vision of life and tested my ingrained beliefs in the summer of 2017. I was with the band The Hazytones at that time and we were gone on tour for a couple of months for this two legs tour. In March and April 2017, we were in Europe for a whole month, then came back for 10 days to leave for a Canadian tour for 40 days.
I was in an important relationship at that time and the tour was really painful because I felt I was away from home, I missed my wife, and felt that the relationship was slowly degrading. I felt insecure, I was scared and angry the distance would have created a chill between us.
When I got back from tour, my ex-wife left the house at the end of May. I felt powerless, but I knew that it was the end and there were no coming back. I blamed it on me for being far from home, too goal oriented, forgetting to take the time. I was stressed out and anxious, and feel that I was one thousand light years away from her, even when I was at home.
It shook my beliefs because I realized at that time that if you want to be part of the music business, it’s not only a lot of money and work, but it’s also a lot of pressure on your love and family life. It’s a lot of sacrifices and it’s often a long desolate road.
I questioned myself a lot at that time, I dropped The Hazytones in June 2017 and I decided to quit for a while and didn’t want to form a new band anymore. I was on the mend. I took care of my studio with my partner for a while and build something that we could be proud of. After a couple of months, I found the inner force to go back in the studio and record those songs that I had in my head while I was with my ex-band: The Black mirror and High Handed Enemy (that will figure on Volume II).
Also, another thing that I learnt from that experience is that I have to take my time more and breathe deeply, enjoy every moment. If I can’t do that, I agitated and feel anxious, it’s not the right thing for me to do. Every step is an effort, but if you want to persevere, you have to take it soft and slow. I don’t want to feel the anger any more, it gives pretty good lyrics though (lol).
One of the most important thing, people who appreciate and love you will stay in the long run. If they don’t, it’s their choice, but as long as they’re present, take it as a gift and be grateful. I’m grateful that my bandmates are here in my life. I’m grateful for the success that 2022 brought us. I’m grateful that I have a good job and contribute to more justice and equity in our society, etc.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
After our debut album, Volume I, was finished recording in December 2020, I was really eager to work on new material for Sons of Arrakis. But, it is really hard to start somewhere… During the pandemic, I had a lot of time to sit down, take my old acoustic guitar and search endlessly of some new riffs and ideas. It was really a moment to take a step back on the agitation of our daily life to breathe a little bit more. At least, it’s the way that I say it at first.
With Sons of Arrakis, we took the time to jam every once in a while during the pandemic to stay in touch, but the main idea was to go forward and I booked some studio time in April 2021 to demo some new songs with my friend Luc at Red Tube Studio in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, near Montreal. I recorded five song ideas that potentially land on Volume II.
A second album is really defining for a band I think. It indicates if the band is creative enough to continue. I feel that there is an artistic progression in the songs I write. I think that SOA has its own identity and I have to find a way to evolve even though we have a strict framework and are stuck with the Frank Herbert’s known universe (haha!).
What I can tell you is that SOA’s new songs will be more straight forward, maybe shorter songs in general. I keep the riffs at the center of the songs, and I try to develop a more progressive side. The riffs are more complex, What I came up first with the recording in April 2021 are evolving in more well thoughts songs because they had the time to mature. There’s a big accent put on vocals and there will be a lot of harmonization and arrangements that will feel larger then life. There will be more harmonized guitar parts and solos, etc.
The last song that I’m working on will be more on the metal side. The song is brutal and there will be many different parts in it. I want this song to be a never-ending progression of riffs. It always takes time to achieve, but it’s worth it. And it’s what keeps it fun!
How do you define success?
Success isn’t something that can be measured, it’s something that you feel and defined by the goals that you set in the first place and their achievement. I think that when you are realistic or pragmatic enough and set objectives that you can reach, it’s always a success. There’s also another element that defines success: hard work. The goals have to be hard to reach in order to feel proud of what you achieved.
With Sons of Arrakis, this year, we have our load of success, especially after the launch of our album in July 15th. We increased our followers, fan base and listeners in a dazzling way. Our debut album has been well received by the critics and stoner rock enthusiasts. It feels like we’re on the map and it’s just another motivation to jump forward into the adventure of a second LP.
But even before that, we introduced a new drummer, Mat Root (Mathieu Racine), to Sons of Arrakis. The first project we did with Mat was the recording of two songs (Omniscient Messiah and Lonesome Preacher) in a live session at Studio Dandurand in Montreal in April 2022. Mat has become the cement of the band and he’s we can rely on him. We feel that we’re on a solid ground with this guys in the equation. In short, we succeeded to introduce this new member in a positive way and create a vibe where we feel that we can go in the right direction and move forward in new projects.
Our album release show was also a success! Even with the gig being canceled on July 15th, we postponed the show on October 14th to play at Turbo Haüs in Montreal for our second show in 30 months. It was sold out! This is what I called a success for us! Even if it’s a small venue of 140 people, it’s the first that we feel that people have a keen interest.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
It’s the hardest question that I had to answer so far to be honest. I’m lucky enough to live in Montreal, a beautiful and secure city that has a lot of wealth. In Quebec, the social security system is made to regulate the inequity and we are not submitted to the phenomenon of poverty that often.
In the other hand, I work in the public school board system and I witness sometimes the hardship that some kids and teenagers are going through. As a teacher, I have the feeling that I have the role to be a positive figure paternal and a caring figure for those youngsters. Sometimes, I wish I hadn’t witness some cases where I say: “There’s nothing left to do”. It breaks my heart every time.
I wish I had enough energy and inner resources to say the right thing and to give a helping hand. The reality is this: we something is too deeply rooted in darkness; it may be not possible to help. When there is abuse, traumas and emotional exhaustion, parental alienation, etc. it makes you feel powerless.
During the Covid-19, the public system in Quebec, but it’s the same situation all over the Western World, suffers from the lack of initiative, the lack of funding, personal that are overwhelmed by the pressure, etc. I which things were different, but I notice and see that things are slowly falling apart.
Not considering that we’ll have to face may other crisis in the 21st century that we aren’t ready to face because we deny, as a specie, the urgency to act differently and change our old habits. In this era of YOLO attitude, individualism push to the extreme, the cult of image and collective narcissism and the polarization and the public opinion, we lost the sense of community. We want peace, love and understanding to be popular again.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
Sometimes, I dream that I compose a song or that I’m working on the recording for one song. This song is killer. This song is fresh and new. It has something special and unique. I feel liberating just to hear it. It’s been such a long time since I haven’t heard anything musically that feels this way.
So if I had something I’d like to create would be in that kind of feel. Something that would be some kind of a musical renewal. But it’s completely silly to pretend that it’s possible in a world where the musical offer is beyond anything people would’ve imagine in the 90’s and the 2000’s. A lot of people that I know have the feeling that everything has already been made. We feel like it’s the end of history and evolution and that we can’t move into a new era.
If I had to create something, it’d be something innovative, that would be a synthesis of every record I know, something progressive and an ultimate concept album. Singles that would be intertwined with a long atmospheric transitions and a mysterious feel. It would have really hooky vocal melodies that would feel a little bit ”poppy” but well balanced. It’s would have harmonized guitar parts and a lot of orchestrations. Heavy, heavy riffs, with distorted fuzz, but not pushed over the top. Well thought and fluid rhythms to would feel transcendent.
Briefly, I don’t have something concrete here, just like in my dreams. It’s just a feeling, a special innovative and well thought of songs with crazy turnarounds and cool permutations. I write too much haha!
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
For me, art has always been something that would have a profound philosophical signification. Art has the function of criticizing the society in which we live in and illustrating its contradictions. To be honest, I will never be a fan of music that talks about partying life style and sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.
I think that poetry has an important role to change people minds about issues in the society and hope for the better. I think music has the role to congregate people in a world where we are more and more individualistic and isolated from each other.
In Sons of Arrakis, we base our music and lyrics around one of the most epic series of novels ever written. So, literature has a huge importance in my life. Not only the universe of Frank Herbert, but I also read Camus, Dostoyevsky, Kafka, Lovecraft, Orwell, and so many others. What I like the most about literature is that books are often a window that allows us to see the world on a different light. Fantastic and sci-fi novels often are allegories of the society in which we live in and usually consist in a dystopian depiction.
I also really like visual art, especially conceptual art. I like things that can make you reflect and think. Something that goes beyond just the superficial things in life. I like art for the way it tries to explain the world in an innovative and original way.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Lately, I’ve been craving to travel to be honest. The last time I travel was at the end of February 2020 in Morocco. We were with a group of friends and got back to Montreal on March 9th. It was 4 days before the first lock down on March 13th. In Quebec, everything shut down even the school at that point. It had an effect on me as a elementary school teacher, I had to go back home and leave my students.
It was the last time I travelled outside of Canada. I went to explore the province of Quebec and went to Toronto a few times, but I miss discovering new region of the world, meet new people. I think that travelling and see other cultures and speaking other languages widens you mind and opens it. It is the best way to see the other side.
It’s the best way of creating a dialogue between ”US” and ”THEM”. It’s a way to comprehend that human beings are all the same after all. We all need to be understood, accepted and loved. It’s a quest for harmony and universality.
I’m eager to travel the world and there are many destinations that I aiming for : South Amercia, Maghreb, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle-East, China, South-East Asia, etc. One thing I’d like to do is to learn to play Sitar properly and to meditate in Nepal. If I have enough time and money, that would be a dream to explore those areas for fore.
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