Christian Bechard

(Lead Guitar, Vocals)

Born in Trenton, Ontario in 1958, the son of a career air force officer Charles Andre Bechard and opera singer Edithe Tremblay, Christian Bechard bought his first guitar at the age of 14 and has been playing ever since. His early influences included the Beatles, the Who, Grand Funk Railroad and the Rolling Stones.

While stationed in Kinston Ontario during the 70’s, Christian formed his own band called Frostbight. The fledgling band won a talent contest hosted by the Musicians Union and as a result, also caught the attention of booking agent Bernie Dobbin. Frostbight, supported by Dobbin Agency, played throughout eastern Ontario high schools, often 2 or 3 times per week.

In 1980 Christian moved to Toronto to pursue a career as a booking agent, working for the prestigious rock n’ roll agencies Platinum Artists and The Agency. During the 80’s, he was the responsible agent for recording acts such as Lee Aaron, & Uzeb. Christian, fluent in French, also booked tours in Quebec for recording acts such as Brighton Rock and Edgar Winter. During this period, he also managed Clearlight (tribute to Pink Floyd), successfully touring the band throughout Canada and the United States.

In 1989, Christian was hired to assemble a house band with celebrity guests for an Ontario Place venue called the Jamz. The result was the Jamz Allstar Band, which featured some of Toronto’s top R&B musicians such as Michael Fonfara (Lincolns & Lou Reed), Pat Carey (Downchild Blues Band), Chuck Jackson (Cameo Blues Band & Downchild Blues Band), Stephan Ambrose (The Lincolns) and others. Celebrity guest singers including the likes of Molly Johnson, Hock Walsh, Shirley Eikhart, and many more. Christian managed the band, guest bookings and played guitar with Jamz Allstar band during the summers of 1989 and 1990.

Following the success of the Allstar band, Christian left the Agency business to play music full time again. He formed a band called One Step with Paul Mason, a new colleague he recently met at Jazz Dancing. The band became a regular featured act in Toronto clubs like the Sheraton Hotel – 42 floor Sky Lounge, the Chicken Deli and Downtown Browns to name a few.

In 1996, Christian was hired to play rhythm guitar and keyboards by Canada’s most successful John Cougar Mellencamp tribute band of that time, "Rumble Seat" (a Labatt Brewery sponsored act). The band played primarily in Universities and Colleges in Ontario and Quebec. Rumble Seat also appeared regularly at  prestigious venues such as Barrymores in Ottawa, Le Club in Montreal, SuperStars in Mississauga, The Highlands in Kitchener, Rock n’ Roll Heaven and the Gasworks in Toronto.

Over the years, Christian has also worked as an audio technician, has sung in a Barbershop Chorus, studied guitar & music theory with Micheal Leibson and has owned and operated his own recording studio, Song Factory. Christian composes and sings his own songs and has recorded over 50 original compositions, including several songs written in French. 

Currently, apart from playing and singing with Fossil Fuel, Christian leverages his past involvement in many aspects of the music industry along with specialized training in his current role of Partner and Senior AV Designer at Novita, an audio visual consulting firm located in Toronto.