Might As Well Jump: Prog Rocker Martin Larose Scales New Heights On “Skyscraper Jumper”
When an artist has been in the game for three and a half decades, there’s often nowhere to go but down. And then there’s Saguenay, Quebec’s Martin Larose, whose elevator has instead landed him on a brand new floor with his latest album, Songs from the Kite, and its appropriately upward-facing first single, “Skyscraper Jumper.”
The album represents a self-admitted leap into the heavens of prog, folk and even pop for the Saguenay-based guitarist/songwriter, after years spent performing his fretboard gymnastics largely within the idioms of rock and blues. The evolution is especially apparent on “Skyscraper Jumper,” which has the airy, dizzying feel of climbing to the roof of the tallest building you can find and daring to look down.
Musically speaking, the track is a sightless guitar-oriented than one might expect of a player who was inspired by Michael Hedges and Eddie Van Halen and only recently released a solo acoustic rendition of “The Spirit of Radio” by Rush. This one is more of an equal blend of guitars, keys, atmospheric electronics, and ethereal vocals—a mix that perfectly matches the heady lyrics Larose has concocted with co-writer Qual Ix (the nom de plume of emerging Canadian artist Felix Dionne):
Fifty stories, then fifty more
Concrete tower as a sky door
Grasp the star light with your feet
Taking the clouds as a seat
If you were told you could fly
Would you jump from the skyscraper?
If you knew you couldn’t die
Would you jump from the skyscraper?
The acrophobics are going to have a field day.
“Songs from the Kite is the album I have always wanted to create,” LaRose says. “It represents everything I have developed over a career spanning 35 years, both in terms of my craft as a guitar player and as a songwriter.”
To help him realize his vision, he’s pulled in collaborations from all over. Future single “I Laid Low” features the legendary British bassist Tony Franklin (who’s played with Jimmy Page both solo and in The Firm) and German singer Ben Jud (of The Martin Miller Band), hammering away at a number Larose co-wrote with Canadian lyricist Nath Farley. There are also compositional team-ups with British lyricist Roger Penkethman and a cover of “Accordingly” by the late Texas blues rocker Chris Whitley.
“Chris’s massive legacy has always been close to my heart, and this particular song has always stayed with me,” Larose says. “It’s my tribute from up North.”
Speaking of “up North,” the album’s title doesn’t refer to kite flying as an actual hobby, but rather to the Saguenay-Lake St. John area LaRose hails from, the geography of which makes it resemble an upside-down kite. The title is also a metaphor for “finally taking off and flying after years of struggling,” he reveals.
It’s interesting to hear him refer to the past as a struggle, when anyone else looking at his résumé might only see achievement. A musician since the age of 7, Larose studied classical guitar and double bass at the Chicoutimi Conservatory of Music. His skills were soon being hailed everywhere from the pages of Guitar World magazine to the International Guitar Show in Quebec, where he became a regular guest artist.
Over the years, he has been a warmly welcomed presence at jazz and blues festivals and shared stages with the likes of Richard d’Anjou (Too Many Cooks), Matt Starr and Fred St-Gelais. And he’s made eight studio albums, including the new one and its predecessor, 2021’s NORTH.
When he isn’t recording or performing his own material, Larose’s dedication to music education and production has epitomized the plaudit “works well with others.” He founded an arts-and-crafts program at a local school that became the talk of Quebec, and from his own Studio Septentrio—a state-of-the-art recording facility in Jonquière that he co-owns with his spouse— he continues to produce albums for artists from Canada and Europe. His mentorship work includes training and recording Jeanick Fournier, last year’s winner of Canada’s Got Talent.
Peer relationships are important to him too, as he showed when he collaborated with Glenn Lévesque of the Montreal Guitar Trio on “Boreal Ritual.” And he’s done it all while hosting and performing on the show Studio Boréal on MAtv.
Right now, though, his focus is on Songs from the Kite and the stratospheric achievement it represents. “Throughout my career, I have explored guitar pyrotechnics, acoustic music, rock, and blues,” Larose says, “but this album is the best representation of who I am as a musician, songwriter, and producer.” In other words, onward and upward.
Hi Martin, good to see you again! Care to introduce yourself to the readers who might not know you?
Hey! Thanks for having me again! I’m doing wonderful.
I’m a Canadian guitar player, singer-songwriter, producer, and owner of a commercial recording facility living in the upper northern part of Quebec, more precisely in Saguenay. I’ve been playing music since the age of 7, as learning the piano was mandatory in our household. At 13, I disappointed my mother by asking for a guitar and learning Beatles songs. My life has never been the same since then. (I eventually made my mom proud…
)
I’ve been doing this for a long time. The last 10 years have been filled with a lot of producing, helping various artists like Canada’s Got Talent winner Jeanick Fournier, among others. I also did a few guitar clinics here and there. I’m an acoustic guitar player first and foremost and will be until my last breath. My main influences were Michael Hedges, Eddie Van Halen, and Pete Townshend. I’ve put out a couple of instrumental albums, but I have consciously shifted to more radio-friendly music. Owning a recording facility and producing other artists helps me a great deal with my own journey as an artist. Daniel Lanois, without obviously daring to compare myself to him, remains a massive inspiration in what I do. He’s the ultimate goal for me.
Your latest album, “Songs from the Kite,” marks a significant departure in style from your previous works. What inspired this shift towards prog, folk, and pop elements?
That music has always been inside me… it was time to let it out. I’ve always been a huge fan of bands like Yes and Rush, but also Irish traditional music like the Vallely Brothers. While I make sure I’m having fun exploring pyrotechnic guitar work that would resonate with younger audiences, I was aiming for a more accessible sound while retaining some folk elements. Right after my last album, I was pretty bushed… the batteries were completely empty. Then in October 2023, out of the blue, I became profoundly inspired. It was like finding a hidden chest in your attic, and the creative juices started flowing. Tom Waits used to say that writing songs was like going fishing—you need to be real quiet to catch the big ones, and I totally agree with that. The whole album came to fruition within 3 months, real quick. The music is also autobiographical at times. I wanted to tell my story. Numbers like “I Dance Alone,” “I Laid Low,” and “In Between” are me talking to you, basically. I had a Canadian mindset when writing the album. My songs reflect somebody living up North… I even reference Toronto in the song titled “Limousine” if you listen carefully.
Songs from the kite is a direct reference to the region of Canada where I live and grew up, which is Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean. Geographically, the territorial boundaries of this region form an upside-down kite.
How did the concept for “Skyscraper Jumper” come about?
Ha! Funny number, isn’t it? My friend Qual Ix, whose latest album I produced last year, is a young gun whose talent needs to be talked about. At 23, he’s one of the most amazing artists I’ve seen in years. I had the music and melody complete by January but no lyrics. I called him for a session, and he came up with the lyrics in about 30 minutes. It’s obviously NOT a song about killing yourself by jumping off a building but rather somebody flying in a dream over the city. Metaphorically, it’s the pleasure of leaving the tumult of the city and gliding over the dire reality of life. The world is in dire need of this type of escape right now. I wanted something ethereal, jazzy, almost Gilmourish, but that people would listen to with a let-go kind of attitude. I’m real proud of it.
Collaboration seems to be a central theme on this album. Can you tell us about some of the artists you worked with and how they influenced the album’s sound?
I love collabs! And it’s part of my everyday life as a record producer, so I’m quite used to the process by now. I’ve developed an approach that, after 20-odd years, works for me and the artist I’m collaborating with. I’ve been blessed to have worked with great artists, and for this album, I had a few names in mind. It’s always a matter of proposing something of high quality that the artist you’re trying to convince will enhance. They always have the liberty of saying no, but so far, I’ve been so lucky. For the song “I Laid Low,” I had a pretty rough demo, but I knew the song was solid. A few years ago, like a lot of people, I discovered the Martin Miller band based in Germany. They invite several artists and act as the house band. The first video I saw was “Superstition,” featuring legendary guitarist Paul Gilbert, and I was totally floored. What a powerful and talented bunch of musicians. Their bass player and singer, Ben Jud, is just out of this world. Amazing singer and innovative, soulful bass player. I contacted him in April, and he graciously accepted. You can’t think of a more down-to-earth human and gentle soul.
Then, I reached out to legendary bassist Tony Franklin from The Firm, Blue Murder, and Jimmy Page. He liked the song and accepted my offer. He was an absolute delight to work with. I feel privileged to have him on my album since I was a huge fan of him. I also collaborated with UK-based lyricist Roger Penkethman on the song “Harvest of Colour.” We had worked together a decade ago and reconnected this year. I’m real proud of the song, which is basically an ode to the fall season. Really folky, almost reminiscent of the Joni Mitchell/Gordon Lightfoot era. Other collabs include Elanee Johnson, a Lenape Algonquin singer, Nath Farley as a lyricist and my partner in crime, Frank Corneau, for the mixing process. My band comprises the usual suspects who have been working with me: Jimmy Bolduc on bass (Gone in April), David Simard on drums (Jeanick Fournier and Cirque du Soleil), and Jerome Munger on keyboards (Jeanick Fournier).
Now, I’m taking a chance here by telling your readers that I would absolutely love to work with Toronto-based singer Meghan Parnell from Bywater Call or Kim Mitchell or Amanda Marshall, so let’s see if the bottle gets picked up from the sea! Hey, one can dream…
Your dedication to music education and production is well-documented. How has your work in these areas influenced your approach to creating your own music?
This is something that is real close to my heart and explains a lot of who I am and my purpose in life. During my 30 years of teaching, I’ve worked with young men and women and have seen the hope of a better world in their eyes. I wanted to be the key that would open doors for them that were sadly once locked for me. I see busloads of insanely talented young artists in my studio, lots of them who will never be known unfortunately for various reasons I won’t discuss here. This is why I make it a statement, an obligation, and a conscious approach to hire and collaborate with young artists. They literally give life to what I do and to my songs.