R.I.P. Jean-Paul Fecteau (1974-2013)

The Sault Metal Scene sends it's deepest condolences to the family & friends of veteran local metal guitarist Jean-Paul Fecteau, who reportedly passed away on Saturday. While not a recent sight at local concerts, Jean-Paul played in local bands dating back to at least the early 1990s, when he was the lead guitarist in the local hard rock quintet J.A.B. (short for Just Another Band), alongside singer Gigi Micelli, guitarist Gerald McKinnon, bassist Dan Jones, and current Flat Stanley drummer Glen Thomas. Though I can't 100% source any other bands that he was in before & after J.A.B.'s run, I believe Jean-Paul still jammed occasionally with local musicians in recent years. Details on his arrangements or any related notes have yet to be made public, but there are many condolences on his personal Facebook page confirming the news, and his passing does sound sudden, judging by the shock in posted condolence messages. I didn't know Jean-Paul, but everything that I've heard indicates that he was a great & kind person and father, and I especially feel for his young daughter, as no one should lose a father this soon.

Following the losses of Andres Duchesne & Justin Fratpietro this winter, I hoped we wouldn't have another local metal musician death for a long while, but hopefully Jean-Paul will be fondly remembered over these next couple of days! His work in J.A.B. points to a lot of clear talent as a hard rock & classic metal guitarist, and Glen Thomas has uploaded a few J.A.B. audio tracks from 1992 onto his YouTube channel & personal Facebook page which back that up. I've embedded their cover of Judas Priest's "Solar Angel" below to check out (Jean-Paul's on the far right), so give it a listen, and when more comes out on this sad news, we'll have it here for you guys. R.I.P. Jean-Paul!