In the city of Panjachel, Guatemala a band of musicians played to an unexpected cyclone of bats. The bats circled the musicians adding a unique layer of high-pitched screeches to the music. As Martin Charlebois played his guitar it seemed as if all the events beforehand had been leading up to this moment with an affirmation that this pilgrimage was just the beginning of his musical quest. Born in Quebec City, and growing up in Buckingham Quebec, Martin decided to leave Canada in 1990. His only company was a pen, paper, a cassette player and the inspiration Led Zeppelin II gave him.

Martin left Canada with other musicians in a decommissioned school bus with the promise of a warm winter in Central America. They focused on the challenges of live performances by playing over a hundred shows. They had a great deal of homesickness by the end of the journey heightened by their continuous lack of money, everyone except Martin returned to Canada. Martin was alone in a foreign land with nothing but the songs he had written and the new found understanding that his inspiration did not come from opportunities or amazing events but, rather, by the struggles and heartache he faced along the way.

Martin continued to travel until he created Speech Machine and made a home in Seattle. He remained heavily involved in the music industry and as such met skilled musicians such as Krist Novoselic, Jeff Buckley, Fiona Apple, Yoko Ono and Tommy Chong, who gave him tips and advice to better his skills. He turned his concentration away from live shows and eventually focused on recording.

Most live shows are a solo performance by Martin, which allows the listeners to hear a new perspective into the music, while presenting it in it’s original form. In contrast to the solo performances all the albums are recorded with various session players. Most notably, Ben Smith on drums who plays for the band Heart.

Speech Machine III was released January 1st 2012. The album was mastered at Airshow mastering by David Glasser, in Boulder Colorado. Speech Machine III features cello, bassoon, saxophone, piano, backup vocals and three epic session drummers, all playing along with Martin Charlebois’ minimalist and yet monumental compositions. The original title ‘Secret Society’ was scrapped and changed to Speech Machine III inspired by Martin’s favorite band Led Zeppelin and their album entitled Led Zeppelin III. With some internet radio backing down on incorporation into the Genome project and the distributors demanding last minute changes to the album cover, Speech Machine III has been making an impact on the industry in true Classic Rock form. With this controversy surrounding Speech Machine III, it has been rated “Explicit”, mainly because of track #7 entitled ‘Sweetest Of Lies’. It is the only track on the Speech Machine III album that has any questionable lyrics despite the ‘Explicit’ rating.