About Marc

Basic:

  • I'm almost 40.
  • My home since 1999 is Cocoa Florida on the Space Coast of Florida, due east of Orlando.
  • I was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada.
  • If I had to pick a favorite color it would be "shades of tan and brown in a natural wood finish"
  • Some of my favorite quotes:
    "If you are not making mistakes, you are not doing anything"
    "Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people -- Eleanor Roosevelt"
    "The only stupid question is one not asked."
    "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
  • Day jobs... I've never held a day job for a long period of time. Honestly I got fired from the last one I had and went back two weeks later an apologized. It was not working and I should have quit before they fired me but I don't like giving up.
  • The most difficult things I've ever done:
    - Become a One Man Band.
    - Being a parent.
    - Becoming clean & sober (since 1997).
    The above are also the most rewarding things I've ever done.
  • My favorite music is the newest stuff in my set list. For the most part I love the music picked by Rolling Stone Magazine as the 500 best songs of all time. Beatles, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton and more are top on my list.
  • What's my life goal? In my 20's I wanted to be a monster musician. In my 30's I decided being a monster entertainer was more important than musicianship. Now I pursue being percieved as monster musician and entertainer working as The One Man Band. I hope to become the most popular One Man Band in the world someday. 

Musical Instruments:

  • Vocal - I sing better than most and there's a bunch who sing better than I.
  • Guitar - I got a love and hate relationship with. Guitar has always been my main thing and I own 5 right now.
  • Harmonic - I own 30+ harps and they are a pain to maintain.
  • Back Pack Contraption Drums, I think I play these better then I could play a drum kit.
  • Chapman Stick, I got an old 1979 10 string. I love it Stick but it's real hard to play.
  • Bass Guitar, love the Bass, I got a 5 string Tobias
  • Keyboards, Got 3 synths and when I need to chart music, think harmony or record I use the keyboard.

My Acoustic Guitar Story

 

Acoustic #1 – Quest QA30C - Dead on the wall.

Got this guitar used from a pawn shop in Halifax NS when I was in High School. I had a sound hole pick up in for amplification.. Played this in my 1st band “Phact”, my 1st bar bands and learned how to sing and busk (street perform) with it. I did a lot of other 1st’s with this guitar not far away. This Quest Guitar played year round through rain and snow on the streets of Halifax and hitch hiked across Canada with me in my last summer vacation of high school in the summer of 1989 as I busked (street performed) all across Canada. 

It was not black when I got it but I did beat it up. A friend of mines dad refinished it for me and did a great job. It got beat again and I decided to paint it black when I lived in Victoria BC with a drummer who had a wood shop. I’m pretty sure I sanded off to much of the guitar to get rid of the dings, I was young. 

About 3 years into playing this guitar, on a fall night busking on Argyle Street in Halifax NS, the guitar started to really lose pitch. The bridge section had been coming up for weeks. As I tuned it up, the bridge section started to come off more until it was un playable. I think putting it in a wet or snow frozen guitar case and other like factors for 3 years loosened the glue under the bridge. 

This Quest QA30C guitar was only in production for a couple years. I’ve had a search running on eBay trying to find another one for at least 6 years.

 

Acoustic # 2 Seagull (6) - Dead on the Wall

I bought this one new from “The Halifax Folklore Store” and remember it was less of a guitar then what I wanted. I used a sound hole pick up with it. I played bar gigs, busked and not one cruise ship gig ?  The cedar top did not hold up well. If you can see in the picture, I scratched off a lot of wood under the strings around the strumming area. I did want to see how far the hole would go but it died before I made it completely through the wood.

About 3 years into playing this one, on my way to a cruise ship gig, British Airways baggage handlers managed to snap the neck clear off the body. The British Airways baggage claim sticker is on the guitar now. The airline insurance did help me buy my next guitar. The carpenter on the cruise ship found out what happened and did a great job gluing the neck back onto the body, however the truss rod would not pull the neck straight and the crack on the top would not fix up. It hangs on the wall now.

Acoustic #3 Yamaha F6-411CE - Still works!

This is a low mid price range Yamaha Acoustic. After killing 2 other acoustic guitars I did wonder how long this one would last through the abuse I can put an acoustic through. I did not do as much busking (street performing) with this guitar as the previous two but it still got frozen and thawed out in Canada many times, got laid in a wet or frozen guitar case and then spent years playing gigs in Florida being stored way to many times in the back of my van through the crazy summer heat and humidity. I can’t say how many things I did with this guitar. It still plays today however the bridge has come unglued enough that the piezo pick up has very little volume which increased the likely hood of feedback problems. It also makes this cool squeaky sound if pressing down on different areas of the top, the bracing underneath has come unglued. I still practice with this guitar but it got hung in the wall last year.

Acoustic #4 Woodsong - 1 year old and hung on the wall.

My Woodsong guitar sounds great. I bought straight from Wayne who owns and build Gold Tone Banjos, a decent size musical instrument company with USA assembly shop 10 miles up the road from me in Titusville.  I also bought my son a ¾ size Woodsong Guitar that is a close match to mine. I am proud to play a Florida built guitar.

I bought this because I was afraid. With the additional abuse I’ve started to put on my guitar from using the guitar head as a drum stick while performing as The One Man Band, which my already weakened Yamaha might die. Plus the Yamaha had the low volume, unglued bridge problem. The price on this guitar was great for what it is. It’s like more like a Taylor with a little bit of Martin thrown in and has neck length that I like. But…

Look what I have done to it in one year time. I did drop it once causing a good crack (bottom left in picture) and it cracked all by itself half way through between the bridge and bottom on the top. I’ve started to chip away wood with my pick strumming. It’ll still remain a gigging guitar for me but I had to get guitar #5 to try with the One Man Band.

 

Acoustic #5 Godin A6 Ultra. Brand new as of this writing.

This guitar I am at least the 3rd owner of according to the description on eBay. I wanted to try a guitar like this back when I bought my Acoustic #2 Seagull (6). I did buy another Godin guitar, the LGX SX which has an acoustic output but it has a solid body and does not (and I think cannot) play like an acoustic like this one should. I’m going to try this guitar for the 1st gig tonight, Nov 10, 2011.

 

Education

  • To present: "Life on Life's Terms"
  • 1992 Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Bachelor of Music Degree on Guitar. (incomplete)
  • 1990 Millwood High School, Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada. Grade XII Academic Diploma

Gig Experience

  • 2010 to present - The One Man Band
    Position: Entire Band
    Gigs: Bars, Restaurants, Resorts, Private Parties, Special Events, Fairs and Festivals.
  • 2009 to present - Vagabond Troupe
  • Sweeney Family Band, VagaBond Pirates & The Wild Irish Boyz
    Position/Characters: "Pic Sweeney" on Guitar and Harmonica, "Pirate Roc" on Guitar and Wild Irish Boyz as myself in a Kilt :)
    Gigs: State Fairs, Festivals, Gatorland, Corporate events and more. 
  • 2008 to present - added Chapman Stick to instruments played. www.stick.com 
  • 2007 and yearly - Webcast Producer (and more) for the Sunburst Convention of Tribute Artists. 
  • 2003 to present- Neil Diamond Tribute
    Position: Neil
    Gigs: Casino Boats, Weddings, Corporate events and more
    2001 to present - Marc & The Rocs Band, Tropical Rocs and solo "One-Man-Band-Geek".
    Position: Vocals, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards, backtraxx and producing the shows.
    Gigs: Casino Boats, Tiki Bars, Lounges, Restaurants, Resorts, Weddings, Corporate events and more.
  • 2001 to present - Hired Gun Guitar Player
    Subbed in with many Central Florida Bands and acts.
    Backed numerous older national acts (sight reading charts) such as Johhny Thunder, Platters, Drifters, Temptations, Coasters and Crystallites. 
  • 1999 to  2001 - FYI - A five piece variety band with 4 lead vocalists.
    Styles: TOP-40, R&B, Disco, Rap/Hip-Hop, Classic & Modern Rock, Country and Modern Latin.
    Position: Lead and Harmony Vocals, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Bass Guitar, Bass Keyboards, Keyboards and program BackTrax. 
    Gigs: Hotel lounges, clubs and Casinos throughout the USA.
  • 1999  - RadioDaze - A five piece modern rock band.
    Styles: Modern, Classic & Hard Rock. 
    Position: Bass Guitar and Harmony Vocals. 
    Gigs: Hard Rock Cafe Live, Orlando, FL and Pierre's, Fort Wayne, IN.
  • 1999 - Heartland Community Church - A 40 piece choir with a 17 piece band. 
    Position: Guitar. (Reading charts)
    Styles: Christian Pop.
    Gigs: Church Mass.
  • 1999  - Panama - A six piece Rock'n' Roll cover band with 4 lead vocalist.
    Position: Lead and Harmony Vocals, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Keyboards and Percussion. 
    Styles: 50's, 60's, Classic, Hard & Modern Rock'n'Roll. 
    Gigs: House gig at The Rock and Roll Beach Club, Pleasure Island, Walt Disney Fl.
  • 1997 to 1999 - The Sam Moon Band - A three piece band plus Sam. 
    Sam Moon is a recording artist with Canadian hits, entertaining for over 30 years. 
    Position: Lead and Harmony Vocals, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Bass Keyboards, Keyboards and soundman.
    Styles: 60's & Classic Rock, Country, Reggae and Celtic.
    Gigs: Across Canada in small clubs to concert arenas.
  • 1997 and 1998 - Assistant Technical Director for the Atlantic Fringe Festival
    Creation of seven theater venues in downtown Halifax, sound and light technician, stage manager and technical rehearsal director.
  • 1997 - Left Field - A four piece cover band with 3 lead vocalists. 
  • Position: Lead and Harmony Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards and on stage soundman. 
    Styles: 60's & Classic Rock and Country.
    Gigs: Across Atlantic Canada.
  • 1988 to 1996 - The Marc Dobson Band, Duo, and Singles Act
    Position: Lead Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars and some Bass Guitar. 
    Styles: 60's & Classic Rock, Country, Folk, Celtic, Reggae and TOP-40.
    Gigs: Across Canada and Scandinavia. Pubs, Lounges, Cruise Ships, Arenas and Concert Clubs.
  • 1990 to 1998 - Part time and Session Work With Nova Scotia Bands such as: The Persuaders, Full Circle, Civilian, Me & Him and Off The Street.
  • 1988 to 1991 (and part time to 1995)- Busker (Street Performer)
    Played guitar and sang on the bar infested downtown streets Halifax at night and in front of liquor stores, year round. Winter limit was -20 degrees Celsius. In 1989 I took a two month trip and hitchhiked across Canada to Vancouver (6,114 kms). I played on the streets of numerous Canadian cities along the way.
  • 1982 to 1990 - School Band System - Tuba - 1st instrument.
    Position: Tuba, Sousaphone and Bass Guitar. (Also: Trombone, Trumpet, Baritone, Alto & Tenor Sax and Flute)
    Styles: Classical, Jazz, Big Band, Marching Band and Pop.
    Gig's: Accross Canada and the Netherlands.
  • 1988 to 1990 - Choir Director - Youth Choir, Roman Catholic Church.
    Position: Lead & Harmony Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Bass Guitar and Piano.
    Styles: Souped up versions of standard Roman Catholic hymns. 
    Gigs: Church Mass.
  • 1987 to 1989 - Phact - High School pop band which won regional talent contests. 
    Position: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Harmony Vocals, Keyboards and Songwriter. 
    Styles: TOP-40, Pop and Rock. 
    Gigs: Talent Shows & Contests, High School and Junior High School Dances.