River Man by Genevieve Marentette

This is the second single in a series of songs from 1969.

I first heard "River Man" on Nick Drake's album Five Leaves Left in my early teens, and it became one of my sonic sanctuaries.

When I was 15, I experienced unfathomable loss.
My 17-year-old step-sibling and beloved friend Emily passed away.

Emily was a teenage punk poetess who, as an older sister, positively influenced me. But Emily grappled with intense existential crises. She had suicidal tendencies, and darkness eventually consumed her. We lost her when she overdosed on her prescription of Halcion, which is no longer prescribed in such cases.


That year was the most challenging year of my young life. Consumed by crippling grief and my own existential questions, going to school and musical creativity were beyond my grasp. I spent most of my time listening to music alone in my bedroom. Nick Drake was a refuge, and it wasn't until years later that I discovered he, too, had passed away similarly from an overdose of his anti-depressant.


I sing "River Man" for you at the intersection of heartache and relief. An elegy to the lost loves of our lives - my dear sibling and best friend Emily, and all the untimely separations we experience. "Oh, how they come and go." Nick sang of life's transience. Indeed.


This recording features Eric St-Laurent on guitar, George Koller on bass, Ben Wittman on drums, and Rob Christian on sax. As jazz musicians, every time we play is unique, and this is what we laid down one lovely day live off the floor at Canterbury Studios in Toronto with Jeremy Darby on the console. The song was mixed and mastered by saxophonist and co-producer Rob Christian.

Cover photo by David Fine, shot by the Marentette Marsh, in Leamington, ON.


This project could not have taken place without the generous support of my incredible community and my label, Vesuvius Music. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the privilege of making and releasing music.

Singing professionally under her mother's wing since age 5, Gigi sings with a rawness and soul that one might attribute to a unique hippy parentage and her teenage exposure to the Detroit music scene. She's known primarily for her fearless live approach to song interpretation and her many diverse recordings and collaborations. She's found in Toronto, Detroit, Hong Kong and Berlin.