A guy who loves to play music
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 7 years, 11 months AGO
By DEVIN HEILMAN
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — Hilarious. Fun. Sexy.
These words are often used when discussing the music and lyrics of Coeur d'Alene musician Ricky Deschamp.
"Fun is how I would describe it, that kind of encompasses the whole thing," said Aaron Birdsall, CEO of the record label Flying Mammals INC. "Lyrically he's great; he has awesome storytelling lyrics. He just makes his music fun and interesting and he can command a crowd."
Deschamp was the first artist Birdsall signed to his label and the two collaborated on Deschamp's first full-length album, "Hilarious, Fun, and Sexy." which was released in early December.
With his versatility, enthusiasm and ability to captivate audiences, it's no surprise Deschamp will be taking his act on the road in February for the "Hilarious, Fun, and Sexy." tour. He will be joined by Spokane ska band the Ragtag Romantics and hitting 20 Northwest venues in 20 days with more stops on the way to Portland.
"I'd like to tour consistently and meet more music communities and share the Coeur d'Alene/Spokane scene," said Deschamp, 29. "It's really fun when I end up in these small towns where bands don't go … I'm ready. I actually get to enjoy the towns I'm in and really be a tourist and spend money in these communities."
Deschamp, who performs under just his last name, really dived into songwriting and learned guitar in his early 20s.
"I grew up in music,” he said. “My mom’s side of the family is Filipino and they love karaoke. My sisters in high school were into New Kids on the Block. My mom raised me on Sinatra and old standards, Motown, like the Temptations. I sang all the standards for karaoke and it was fun, but it wasn’t until I got into skateboarding when I was 16 that I got into the songwriting idea."
When he was 18 and living in California, he tried out for "American Idol" and went before the judges as a regional finalist.
"It’s bad, it was a bad performance, really bad,” he said, laughing. "This was before vocal coaching or learning an instrument and basically they just told me the truth. It opened my eyes that I didn't want to do glorified karaoke and sing other people’s songs."
He was advised to go out and entertain the people and follow his desire to create original music, so he disciplined himself to write a song a day and be persistent. When he moved to Coeur d'Alene three years ago, his determination was fierce and he was drawn to music circles where he could expand his talent.
He met Birdsall at a songwriting workshop and their friendship blossomed into a collaboration opportunity that set Deschamp on his path. Birdsall's band, the Flying Mammals, is the backing band on Deschamp's album.
“It was a really good collaboration with the Mammals, especially because they're all brothers," Deschamp said. "It was really easy to tell them how I wanted the sound. We wanted an alternative pop punk sound that anybody could listen to."
Birdsall said Deschamp has the drive and promotion know-how to represent FM INC as well as the talent to make the most of his tour ahead.
"He played the Knitting Factory solo and got a mosh pit going on the floor," he said. "That's pretty hard to do when you're solo and acoustic."
Deschamp can be found playing gigs in the area as well as hosting open mic and karaoke Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays at the
Hogfish. His opening tour performance in Coeur d'Alene will be March 1 at the Hogfish, 1920 E. Sherman Ave.
"I don't take myself too seriously," Deschamp said. "At the end of the day, I'm just a guy who loves to play music."
Info: www.deschampmusic.com