Canadian Music Trade - October / November 2019 | Page 20

FACES
Carl Langevin
By Andrew King
I
t would’ve been quite the sight: a three-year-old Carl Langevin
and his older brother, faces covered in Kiss-inspired makeup,
rocking out with shovels in their childhood home. Add a few
decades, subtract the makeup, and swap a real six-string in
for the gardening tool and, really, it doesn’t look like much has
changed…
As the new Canadian sales manager for Paul Reed Smith, the
guitar is essentially Langevin’s life and livelihood – as has been the
case going back to his teens.
“Music was always omnipresent at home,” he says, thinking back
to his formative years in the suburbs of Quebec City. “When we were
kids, we had a collection of vinyl that my mom would spin every day.”
That said, it was his brother’s influence that had the biggest
impact on his eventual career path. “He was the cool one making me
discover new music,” says Langevin – which included those classic
Kiss records. In his early teens, he’d watch his brother jam with his
metal band in the garage for hours at a time. Eventually, he just
couldn’t resist the urge to pick up a guitar. “And that was it,” he says
plainly. “I just fell in love with the instrument.”
He took some guitar classes in high-school to pick up a few
basics, but has been entirely self-taught since, sometimes playing
non-stop for over 10 hours a day. “Back then, there was no YouTube; I
had to pick a song and use the play, stop, and rewind buttons on the
tape deck or CD player, and learned pretty much everything I know
by ear, with occasional help from some friends sharing their chops.”
Within a year, he was playing in a metal band, then started his
own stoner rock outfit that earned some recognition. Eventually,
he moved west to Canmore, AB for a few years, in part owing to its
strong music scene.
Upon returning to Quebec, he reluctantly took a job on the
floor at Future Shop, but quickly discovered a penchant – and
eventual passion – for sales, becoming the store’s top earner in just
a few months. “All of that was pretty cool,” he admits, “but music was
still calling me.” Soon, he was back on the stage, performing with solo
vocalists, a cover band, and a world music trio – sometimes gigging
several times a day.
With the birth of his first daughter in 2006, he sought a steadier
income stream. “Luckily and thankfully, in 2007, Roland Canada
noticed me while playing a gig and offered me an opportunity that
would change my life and put me where I needed to be,” he says.
Starting as a contract clinician and then going full-time as the Boss
product demonstrator, he worked his way up over seven years to
eventually combine his love of music and sales as product sales
specialist for all of Canada.
From 2015 to early 2019, he worked with Godin Guitars, first as a
sales rep and then as North American Sales Manager, and looks back
as fondly on that stint as he does his time with Roland. “I made really
good friends and am thankful for the years I spent with both of them,”
he says candidly.
In late February 2019, he accepted a “new and exciting” chal-
lenge with Paul Reed Smith Guitars, and was just recently promoted
to the post of Canadian sales manager, still based in Quebec City
and interfacing with colleagues at the company’s head office in
Stevensville, MD. In his new role, he’s executing sales strategy, brand
development, staff training and events, relationship management,
and more.
“I travel somewhere in the country about every second week to
meet with staff and owners at some of Canada’s coolest music stores,”
he enthuses. “All of my retailers are really important to me and I’m
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dedicated to giving them my best and totally supporting them. In
my opinion, it’s all about relationships.”
That’s just as true when it comes to his personal life, which he
says is “as busy and fun as work.” He still performs about 20 shows
a year with The Unplugged Band, but otherwise tries to maximize
his downtime with friends and loved ones. “I have an amazing wife
that supports me through all that travelling and two beautiful girls: a
13-year-old and two-year-old. Quite a difference in age, but it’s awe-
some as my oldest is taking care of her little sister and is so good at it.”
Last year, they purchased a house close to the water in Lac
Delage, QC, and love being surrounded by nature. “This summer,
we did a lot of things around the lake – paddleboarding, canoeing,
swimming, and also riding bikes, hiking…” he says. “I always enjoy
good times with friends and family.”
Considering the importance of music and, specifically, the
guitar in Langevin’s life, it’s no wonder he relishes working with one
of the industry’s most respected manufacturers – quite a far cry from
strumming a shovel.
“Paul Reed Smith Guitars is one of the companies with the high-
est quality standards that I know, and I’m really proud to be part of
the team. There’s always a lot going on,” he says, before a little tease
for other enthusiasts: “And we’ve got some awesome new products
coming for 2020!”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Music Trade.