About Me

Martin Levac is a singer, drummer, keyboardist, lyricist and composer, best known for his onstage impersonation of British singer/drummer Phil Collins.Martin was born in Longueuil, a southern suburb of Montreal, Quebec on November 10th, 1971, and received a toy drum kit at 8 years old. At age 13, armed with a real drum kit, he and a group of schoolmates formed his first band: “Chester-Phil”. It would not be the last band! To his role of percussionist, he soon added those of singer and keyboardist.From his earliest days, Martin has continuously expanded his musical horizons, adding both the study of many other musical styles and collaborations with renowned artists such as Daryl Stuermer, Ronnie Caryl and Amy Keys among others.

 Composer-Lyricist-Performer

Martin’s first compositions arose in 1988 with The Bobs, a band playing both The Beatles and other groups’ greatest hits, as well as original group numbers.In both 1996 and 1998, Martin was a finalist in the Granby International Song Festival, and went on in 2000 to release his first album of original compositions, “L’Amour ou le Sexe”.A second album appeared a year later, simply entitled “Levac”.In 2006, his third CD and first one in English, entitled “Influences”, was written while on The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tour with The Musical Box.

Phil Collins & Genesis

Martin’s passion for the music of Genesis and Phil Collins took root in his teenage years, when he changed his drums from right-handed to left-handed to better reproduce the subtleties of Phil’s style. Thus began the journey of perfecting his impersonation. Martin’s first professional Phil impersonation was with The Musical Box, the Peter Gabriel-era Genesis tribute band. Playing drums and doing vocal harmonies just as Phil did in Genesis, he performed the song More Fool Me in the Selling England By The Pound show. The Musical Box re-created many of the 1970s Genesis tours (Foxtrot, Nursery Cryme, Selling……and The Lamb…..) which gained them international attention with tours in both North and South America as well as Europe.

Validated by audiences, critics and Phil Collins’ own claim of him being his greatest impersonator, Martin then had the opportunity to work with some of Phil’s collaborators: In 2008, Phil’s guitarist Ronnie Caryl joined Martin on stage during a New York performance by his Genesis tribute Turn It On Again, and then again for the whole 2010 European Dance Into The Light tour. Also in 2008, Genesis and Phil Collins guitarist Daryl Stuermer invited Martin to become the singer for Daryl’s project, “Genesis Rewired”

Meetings With Phil Collins

2002 In Montreal, in the studios of CKOI-FM, during Phil’s promotional tour for the album “Testify”

2005 In Geneva during the Musical Box’s “Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” tour. Phil spent the day with the group, and took Martin’s place for a performance for The Musical Box (encore).

2010 At New York’s Roseland Ballroom for the Going Back show. Martin also met legendary drummer Chester Thompson and other group members.

2010 In Montreal, during the broadcast of the Radio-Canada show “Tout Le Monde En Parle”, as part of the promotional tour for the “Going Back” album.

 

BANDS

1986-1987 Chester-Phil Members : Yanick Cloutier (drums) / Éric Prieur (bass)/ Michel Vachon (guitar) / Réal Julien (saxophone) / Steve Durand (trumpet) / Daniel Veilleux (trumpet) / Martin Levac (drums and vocals)

1988-1990 The Bob’s Members : Roger Lecle (keys) / Éric Prieur (bass)/ François Tétreault (guitar) / Martin Levac (drums and vocal)

1990-1995 C-225 Members : Luc Dumouchel (keys) / Julie Lamontagne (keys) / Jean-François Doré (bass) / Jean-Pierre Roy (guitar) / Bruno Coulombe (guitar) / Pierre-Valéry Boissé (drums) / Francis Filion (drums) / Martin Levac (vocals and percussions)

1996-2005 Robert Rail Orchestra Members : Robert Rail (musical director and keys) / Denis Labrosse (bass) / Yves Bouchard (guitar) / Robert Pigeon (vocals and drums) / Janis Greenberg (vocal) / Jean Fréchette (saxophone) / Jocelyn Lapointe (trumpet) / Martin Levac (vocals and drums)

2003- Jurassik Rock Members : Bob St-Laurent (vocals and drums) / Denis Labrosse (bass) / Mic Myette (guitar) / Dan Mongrain (guitar) / Julien Valiquette (keys) / Sébastien Cloutier (keys) / Martin Levac (vocals and drums)

2001-2008 Turn It On Again Members: Jean-Pierre Roy (guitar) / François Larouche (bass)/ Joey Ayoub (drums) / Jean-François Laprise (keys) / André Lepage (drums) / Éric Provost (bass) Martin Quintal (bass) /Claude Sergerie (drums)/ Martin Levac (vocals and drums)

2002-2007 The Musical Box Members :Denis Champoux(guitar) / Denis Gagné (voc) / François Gagnon (guitar) /Christian Hébert (guitar) / Sébastien Lamothe (bass) / David Myers (keys) / Éric Savard (keys) / Martin Levac (vocals and drums)

2002-2009 Whatever Blues Band Members: Bruno Coulombe (guitar) / Martin Rhéaume (bass) / Martin Levac (vocals and drums)

2007- Freddy & Les Mercury’s Members : Frédérick Doiron (voc. & guitar) / Mathieu Gagné (voc. & bass) / Martin Levac (voc. & drums)

2008- Dance On A Volcano Members: Sébastien Cloutier (keys)/ François Larouche (bass)/ Éric Savard (guitar)/ Mathieu Groulx (drums) /Martin Levac (voc. & drums)

2009- Dance Into The Light Members : Sébastien Cloutier (keys)/ François Larouche (bass) / André Lavergne(guitar)/ Mathieu Groulx (drums) / Martin Levac (voc. & drums) / Sébastien Grenier (saxophone) / Jocelyn Couture & Pierre-Luc Labelle (trumpet) / Serge Arsenault & Jacques Boisclair (trombone)

2009- Daryl Stuermer- Genesis Rewired Members : Daryl Stuermer (guitar) / Kostia Efimov (keys) / Eric Hervey (bass) / Alan Arber (drums) / Martin Levac (vocals & perc.)