Five Questions with musician Marc Thompson of Castles

Interview by Jason Setnyk | Submitted Photo

Cornwall, Ontario – Castles comprises Marc Thompson on guitar and vocals, Tayla Leblanc on vocals, Adam Gibeau on bass and backup vocals, and Blake MacDonald on drums. The current lineup has been performing together for approximately one year.

The band hails from Cornwall, and their sound can be described as a fusion of acoustic, rock, and folk music. While they play a variety of covers, they also feature original songs in their setlist. Castles has been making music together for around five years now and plans to hit the studio in 2023 to record some original tracks.

Five Questions with The Seeker

1 – What made you want to become a musician?

“I’ve always been surrounded by music. Be it in the car singing along to my parent’s music or stealing my brothers CD’s without his permission to listen to them in my room. It’s always been a part of who I am. I took piano lessons early on, but quickly realized I wanted to play the guitar instead.”

2 – Describe your creative process when you write new music.

“We like to get together once a week to jam and see what comes from it. We also tend to record everything to avoid forgetting anything the next days. I’ve been lucky to have Adam as a writing partner for almost 15 years. Within this last year, our 7 originals we’re written in a week’s span by Tayla and I. We simply took my acoustic guitar and started writing anything and everything we could.”

3 – Tell me about your favorite performance in your career.

“We have had many, many shows in and around Cornwall. But the one that comes to mind was our Halloween Show in 2022 at La Maison. We put a show together with Senorita Sin and Subtle. We all got dressed up as well. It was an amazing night!”

4 – Did you learn music through classes schooling or were you self-taught?

“I first started getting guitar lessons at Rainbow Music, I believe around 12 years old, then I moved onto Melody Music and met Cornwall legend Marc Muir. Eventually I just started learning by myself. The internet is a wonderful thing. I still have very much to learn. Practice, practice, practice!”

5 – If you’re in a band, tell us about your bandmates and what it’s like working with them.

“Adam and I have been in bands for the last 15 years or so with bands like Tomorrow’s Downfall and Kings Bishop. We have always worked very well together. Tayla brings out the best in us. She holds us accountable for our mistakes and pushes us to be better every day. Blake is a true talent; he’s the best guitar player in our band, and he’s on drums. We’re truly lucky to have him. After years of searching for the best mix of talents, I believe this is it.”

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See Castles at “Rock Til U Drop Cornwall” coming to The Port Theatre on Friday, May 12th. The show features an incredible lineup of music, also including Escape The Population and Don’t Tell Sarah. Early bird tickets are available for $20.00 until Saturday, April 15th, after which the price goes up to $25.00 for advance tickets and at the door.

Follow Castles on Facebook.