COULOMBE

COULOMBE is an independent rock artist from Medicine Hat, Alberta, built around one simple idea: real life makes the best songs. I’ve been writing and singing for about 30 years, and when it comes to songwriting, my life is pretty much an open book. Most songs begin with something that actually happened. From there, the lyrics and melody seem to work themselves around each other until the song takes shape. Over the years, I’ve built a catalogue of hundreds of songs, each with its own story, experience, or piece of real life behind it. My musical tastes have always been broad. I grew up loving 80s rock, pop, and country, with influences ranging from Bon Jovi, Journey, Foreigner, Bryan Adams, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, Def Leppard, INXS, Tears for Fears, The Police, and Phil Collins to Alabama, Restless Heart, Blue Rodeo, Garth Brooks, and many others. What comes out of all that is what I like to call clean, enjoyable rock for all. No explicit content and no profanity. Just songs that are meant to sound good, mean something, and hopefully make you want to hear them again. COULOMBE is the artist, but there is a real four-member band behind the music. The other members have intentionally chosen to stay mostly out of the spotlight for family, work, lifestyle, and personal reasons. The band grew over time after my longtime friend Lance and I realized there was only so much the two of us could do on our own. We searched across Alberta for the right musicians and eventually built the lineup we have today. We are independent and intend to remain that way. Music is something we take seriously, but we also have the freedom to make it on our own terms. Finding time to rehearse, get into the studio, and keep improving the music is more important to us than chasing industry pressure. Live shows are certainly possible, and we’ve already played a few, but for now the focus is on continuing to strengthen the music and build the catalogue. The goal is to have a first album of roughly 10 to 12 songs released by the New Year, with a few possible surprises along the way. Technology is also part of modern music production, and I’m completely open about using it. AI-assisted technology is used in parts of the production process. I write the lyrics myself, and the vocals are mine, supported by normal studio processing such as EQ, compression, layering, harmonies, reverb, and pitch correction. Some of the instrumentation comes from real musicians, while some instrumental elements are created or enhanced using AI-assisted technology to help build and shape the final arrangement. To me, AI is simply another production tool. It does not replace the people, the message, the performances, or the creative decisions behind the music. The final result is a combination of human writing, real vocals, musicianship, production, and modern technology working together. Music has been around me for most of my life. My father, C.E. “Bud” Coulombe, was a gifted country singer and guitarist who loved singing for family and friends and was always ready for a good karaoke challenge. We had very different voices and musical styles, but we shared a deep knowledge and appreciation of music. He gave me years of vocal guidance and support before cancer took him in November 2025. Choosing the name COULOMBE was deliberate. I wanted one word, I wanted it to be personal, and I could not think of anything more meaningful than carrying my father’s last name forward. Outside music, I’m an entrepreneur, business owner, husband of 30 great years, and father of five adult children. I also enjoy travelling, relaxing in our home away from home, and visiting new places whenever the opportunity comes up. At this stage of my life, I feel better about the music than I ever have. My voice is warm, emotional, high-energy, and sometimes a little raw. For me, emotion and meaning will always matter more than technical perfection. There is a story behind every COULOMBE song. Sometimes you just have to listen closely enough to find it.