Reprinted from the Lac Du Bonnet Leader

One Man Does It All

By Valerie G. Connel

He’s a one-man band.

With only a few guitar lessons when he was seven years old, Grant Leutschaft taught himself to play several instruments.

Leutschaft was on hand to help Pinawa celebrate its birthday July 19. He often plays the Pinawa Motor Inn.

Leutschaft also sings, does impressions and answers requests.

"One by one I learned more instruments over the years" he said.

Although this talented guy said he prefers the guitar, Leutschaft plays piano, saxophone and sometimes a piano/mouth organ duo.

Leutschaft, who hails from Vermillion Bay Ont., played in bands in high school then just continued on, later moving to Winnipeg.

With the wide repertoire he offers, Leutschaft said, he finds it easier to go solo, but, he still plays with a trio, the Grind, from time to time as well.

"I have a wide repertoire. I like everything from Kenny Rogers to Van Halen. I can’t expect a band to follow me on the wide a repertoire, but, there’s more energy with three guys," he said.

In any performance, the listener may hear Elvis, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, or Harry Belafonte.

More freedom to perform a variety of music is the main reason, Leutschaft said, he’s gone on his own.

"When you play the band circuit of clubs … it’s streamlined into the top 40. I felt as a band we were losing our individuality. Every band is expected to play the same. I decided to move to a different scene," he said.

Leutschaft’s repertoire of music is always changing as he hears new songs or performers, but learning new pieces remains easiest when it’s for the guitar, he said.

"It’s forever changing, right now I do the Gypsy Kings a lot. I’m most at home with the guitar, I can learn a song quickest on the guitar. It takes quite a bit of time to learn on the other instruments," Leutschaft said, but you would never guess by listening to him play.

Constantly adding numbers to his repertoire, Leutschaft picks up tunes from listening to the radio.

"I sometimes learn from a book," he said.

But the main thing is Leutschaft is enjoying what he’s doing.

"I’m having fun, I like doing both (solo and playing with the trio). I have such a wide repertoire I can play for anyone from kids to seniors and that’s Pinawa in a nutshell," he said.

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