The latest signing by Civilian Records is Calgary based Damian Marshall. A gifted
singer-songwriter, he’s a modest guy with the kid next-door kind of looks. The type
of person who would chase you down the street to return a quarter you dropped…maybe.
Born in Winnipeg and raised in Calgary, Marshall is the eldest of (count’ em) 11
kids of a musical family: “My dad would play a lot of rock music around the house,
but it was my grandfather who introduced me to country music. He had a band and
I would spend a lot of time at the house listening to records.”
Damian started performing in local bars and won a few local singing contests which
would eventually lead to tours around Alberta and BC as the singer for The Alamo:
“I was a hired gun. I really like those guys, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do”.
What Marshall wanted to do was to record and release his independent debut “Call
It A Day Tonight” (Spring 2000). With strong local and national radio support behind
the singles “Still Stirring Ashes” and “Lookout Below”, Damian toured the Alberta
region extensively, building a strong fan base and performing charitable events
like the Western Wish Foundation.
Starting production for his next release in early 2001, Marshall recorded another
three songs with seasoned veteran Tom McKillip (Lisa Brokop, Ian Tyson). One of
the tracks, “Don’t Say Anything At All” was co-written by Lisa Brokop and Billy
Crain and features Brokop on vocals. The recording found its way into Civilian Records’
boss Myles Goodwyn’s hands, who was immediately impressed with Damian’s vocals.
Already bitten by the country music bug, Goodwyn wasted little time convincing Marshall
to join the ranks: “I gave a friend a CD of three songs. He said he was going to
meet with Myles, who was working on a new Julian Austin record. I didn’t think anything
was going to happen, but it also couldn’t hurt. Myles called a week later and said
that he really liked the vocals. The rest happened really quickly. It was an answer
to my prayers”.
Damian Marshall continues to perform around the Alberta region with his band The
Unwound. His Civilian Records debut, a four song EP is planned for late Summer 2002
release. Expect the full-length release in early 2003.
Noteable Entertainment & Events is a Vancouver based
booking agency, party rental, entertainment services and
event production company. If you are interested in booking Damian Marshall please
contact us.