marcusdwayne + Musician in Montreal, QC

SEEKING

ABOUT

Recently relocating to Montreal from the U.S., Marcus Dwayne is an indie pop artist who releases albums and performs live with the intent to both inspire and challenge his audience. Marcus’ lyrics are often raw, honest and real, but with sparks of playfulness. “I’m a singer-songwriter at the core.  A story teller”. Marcus Dwayne also considers himself a “sonic architect” creating a finely textured lyrical and musical landscape for his honey soaked vocals to journey through. His mission is to connect with audiences on a deeper emotional/spiritual level and to give voice to the collective themes and experiences that bind us together as human beings. 

“I want people to really enjoy what they hear, but I want them to be able to see and feel what’s happening in the song.  So to achieve this, I often paint with words instead of saying everything flat out.  Sometimes I think that’s the best way to reach my audience.  I’m often writing about some of the darkest parts of the human shadow.  I think it’s a bit much sometimes for people to be hit over the head with all that!”
 
The lens that Marcus looks through to compose this sonic landscape is heavily influenced by growing up in the Bay Area during the late 80s and early 90s listening to bands like Pet Shop Boys, Erasure and Morrissey.  The grandson of a baptist minister, Marcus was also heavily exposed to gospel, blues and soul music.  “Musically, I was living in parallel universes because there was the music I was listening to with my family and then I would go outside with my Sony Disc-man to meet up with friends and the playlist would distinctively change”.  Marcus accredits this duality for his eclectic tastes and influences.  “I am influenced by and enjoy an odd mix of musicians.  Anything from Tori Amos to Marvin Gaye to Bollywood music.  I think it informs not only my writing but my vocal style”.
 
In 2012, under the moniker “Marcus D”, Marcus Dwayne released his debut project “Candy Coated Asylum” with Producer, Grammy nominated engineer and Latin Grammy Winner Jason Villaroman. The EP used a combination of indie-pop style melodies and harmonies set against an electronic/house instrumentation to create a full yet spacious sound. “I wanted the album to at times feel light and floaty like the haze of a dream, but then in an instant come crashing in with a more direct forceful sound. I think that’s life...in the asylum, which is just a metaphor for the world we create internally about our external experiences”.
 
For his next project, “Love, Hate & Other Myths”, Marcus Dwayne has plans to take a very different approach. Returning to his original roots as a true singer-songwriter, Marcus intends for this album to have a more “acoustic” feel. “I’m tackling things form a a new angle. This project addresses the external world a bit more and having the warmth and realness of live instruments take the forefront is what makes sense to me”.  
When speaking of “Candy Coated Asylum” in comparison to “Love, Hate & Other Myths”, Marcus has said, “So much of what we experience about our world happens inside our heads.  Our reality is shaped by our own camera lens.  So ‘Candy Coated Asylum’ is really the internal dialogue that happens about what we are experiencing and how we reconcile it within ourselves”.  This is most evident in tracks such as “Hey Dummy” and Who’s Gonna Save You?”. He goes on to explain, “Love, Hate & Other Myths is more about the social, emotional and physical constructs that have been imposed upon us and what we do with that.  It is speaking more to the external experience”.
 
The Candy Coated Asylum is currently available through CD Baby, and all major digital outlets: iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon etc.
 
Love, Hate & Other Myths is currently in progress and expected to be released in the fall of 2015.
 
 

Screen name:

marcusdwayne

Member since:

Aug 27 2014

Active over 1 month ago

Level of commitment:

Very Committed

Years playing music:

7

Gigs played:

10 to 50

Tend to practice:

2-3 times per week

Available to gig:

4-5 nights a week

Influences

Erasure, David Usher, Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, Elton John, Radiohead

Instrument experience:

Vocalist:

Advanced

MUSIC