Biography :
Franck Moorthamer : Drums
Fascinated by drums from an early age, Franck Moorthamer discovered the instrument at the age of 9 and taught himself to play, driven by an immediate passion for rhythm. Three years later, encouraged by his parents, he made his stage debut, performing an eclectic repertoire ranging from Jimi Hendrix to progressive rock (Genesis, Ange, etc.).
In the 1980s, he became involved in several musical projects in a variety of styles, from progressive rock to new wave. Driven by a desire to perfect his technique, he then enrolled at the École Régionale de Batterie (Regional Drum School) run by Adriano Zampieri, following the Dante Agostini method. This period, rich in encounters and learning, also marked the beginning of a long collaboration with the band Blue Ketchup, which lasted for about ten years. The repertoire, combining Eric Clapton, Robben Ford, Toto, Tower of Power and Steely Dan, allowed him to explore a wide range of sounds. It was also during this period that he benefited from the teaching of Philippe Leroux (drummer for Bernard Lavilliers, Catherine Lara, etc.), with whom he studied for more than two years.
The 2000s saw the blossoming of a prolific career, marked by projects in contrasting genres: Eddy Live (tribute to Eddy Mitchell), Neon (tribute to John Mayer), Impair et Passe, Mortician Moles, Yao, Fujaro… These experiences were accompanied by memorable encounters with renowned musicians such as François Constantin, André Ceccarelli, Loïc Pontieux and Francis Arnaud.
Today, Franck Moorthamer continues his musical adventure with the MLB (Marc Librecht Band), alongside Marc Librecht (guitar/vocals) and Stefan Boret (bass), a project where complicity, groove and passion come together in every performance.
Stefan Boret : bass
From the age of 12, Stefan developed a passion for the music of Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, AC/DC and other rock icons, which quickly led him to trace the roots of this sound back to the blues. At 15, he took up the bass guitar and played in several school bands, before his studies and other passions, such as motorbike trips, temporarily relegated music to the background.
The musical bug never left him, however, and he took up the bass again at 25, first in cover bands, then rediscovering his initial love for the blues. He joined The Smokin’ Chillums and then Maxwell Street alongside Marino Noppe and Willy De Vleeshouwer. Curious and versatile, he also devoted himself to the double bass and studied jazz for several years at the SMAK in Roeselare.
His career has taken him to numerous blues venues across Europe with Last Call, Maxwell Street, Lightnin’ Guy & The Mighty Gators, The Shagadeers… and to accompany big international names such as Carey Bell, Louisiana Red, Hook Herrera, Ian Parker, Sista Monica, James Hinkle, Rob Orlemans and Filiep Ketels.
In 2010, Stefan participated in the reformation of TEX with Marc Librecht on guitar, before recording a mini-CD with him in 2012. Today, he forms a solid, tight and groovy rhythm section with drummer Franck Moorthamer, providing the ideal backdrop for Marc Librecht’s guitar playing in the Marc Librecht Band.
Marc Librecht : guitar & vocals
Marc Librecht began playing music at the college in Mouscron (Belgium) in 1970, taking lessons in music theory and flute. As a classical music lover, he persuaded his parents to buy an old upright piano on which he played the works of Beethoven, Bach and Chopin, his favourite pianist. At that time, he had little interest in other genres such as rock and pop and was devoted solely to classical music. However, one day in 1973, while visiting his cousin, a fan of the Rolling Stones and blues in general, he heard Jimi Hendrix’s blues song “Red House”: it was a revelation! The guitar became a priority, and at Christmas, Marc’s grandmother offered him a small folk guitar on which Marc made his first attempts at playing.
The very first piece he learned was ‘Angie’ by the Rolling Stones, and Marc quickly became interested in blues and rock, learning songs by bands such as Led Zeppelin, Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, BB King, and others.
But electric songs are difficult to play on an acoustic guitar. Soon, the old piano was sold to buy an electric guitar at the local ‘Grand Bazar’, a low-end CBS model with an awful sound connected to an old “handmade” amplifier with no brand name, but nevertheless Marc evolved, and when the opportunity arised to play in a dance band, ‘The Rockets’, he borrowed money from his parents to buy his first Fender Stratocaster, the beginning of a long love affair. He also began playing with other musicians and formed transitional bands such as ‘NADA’, with which he made his public debut.
In 1975, Marc founded the band “MARBLE ARCH”, a rock band that performed extensively in Belgium and France for 11 years, notably opening for professional bands such as SCORPIONS (in their early days) / TRUST / MANFRED MANN, and Alain BASHUNG.
Two 45s were recorded by the band during this period, including ‘I NEED A WOMAN’ in 1983. From 1975 to 1978, Marc also played with another dance band, Atlantis. In 1986, MARBLE ARCH split up. This gave him the opportunity to play for a while in an electro-acoustic guitar duo with his friend Bruno Wielfaert under the name “Duplicata”, with a jazz-rock and flamenco repertoire (inspired by the music of Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco De Lucia, etc.). During this period, Marc began to grow increasingly fond of the acoustic guitar. The duo played mainly in bars and concert cafés and even opened for French singer Pierre Vassiliu.
At the end of 1987, Marc finally decided to form a new band to play the music he had always loved : ROCK-BLUES! A bassist and a drummer were recruited: ‘TEX’ was born !
With a repertoire of covers and original compositions, TEX played for the first time at the Braderie de Lille in 1987. The band played intensively in bars and youth centres and built a live reputation on both sides of the French-Belgian border.
TEX played BOOGIE BLUES, with obvious influences from Texan music such as STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN and JOHNNY WINTER, but also from JIMI HENDRIX, BB KING, RORY GALLAGHER, and ERIC CLAPTON.
In 1991, the band signed a recording contract with a new Belgian blues label: TIGHT & JUICY, distributed by CNR.
The first compact disc, ‘ONE MORE NIGHT’, was released in December 1991: 15 songs written by Marc and produced by FRANK VAN RAMPELBERG.
The year 1992 confirmed TEX as one of the leading BLUES-ROCK bands in Belgium, which resulted in a host of concerts and major festivals such as Handzame and numerous opening acts : among others Big Joe Louis, Blues and Trouble, Screaming Jay hawkins, Elliot Murphy, Luther Allison, Nine Below Zero, Patrick Verbeke, Blubinos, Maxwell Street, Jimmy Davis, Eddie Kirkland, Anson Funderburgh, Dave Hole, Golden Earring, and even the legendary Johnny Winter and John Mayall !
At the end of 1992, TEX returned to the studio and released their second CD, entitled ‘HOT & BLUE’, in April 1993. This new album contained 17 tracks, 16 of which were composed by Marc and one by the SCABS.
The year 1993 was also a great success : participation in the PEER festival, the largest blues festival in Belgium, in front of an audience of 10,000 people, opening for big names such as ALBERT COLLINS and JEFF HEALEY !
Other opening acts followed, such as BUDDY GUY in ECAUSSINES!
The third album, recorded in July 1994, was released in December 1994 with fourteen blues-boogie and rock compositions by Marc. The album title ‘Boogieland’ refers to the numerous concerts performed by the band in Belgium.
In 1994, TEX opened for ALVIN LEE, the famous guitarist from the band “TEN YEARS AFTER”, in Le Havre (France) at the ‘Volcan’ venue.
In June 1995, ‘Voodoo Hours’, a mini-CD tribute to Jimi Hendrix, was released with a personalised version of four of the master’s tracks.
In 1996, TEX played at the ‘Cirque Royal’ in Brussels as the opening act for the legendary American band LYNYRD SKYNYRD.
The fifth CD, entitled ‘Ready’, consisted of 14 tracks by Marc produced by Jo Bogaert (the producer of the global hit ‘Pump up the jam’) on the Rowyna label and was released in November 1998.
In May 1999, TEX opened for SCORPIONS in Leuven, the second time for Marc (at that time, Scorpions had become famous worldwide).
During the following period, Marc felt overwhelmed by all those years of music and concerts…His full-time job at an industrial weighing company took up a lot of his time and left little room for anything else. He decided to slow down and TEX split up.
Marc continued to play occasionally when organisers contacted him for a concert or festival, under the name “Marc Librecht Band”.
In 2012, TEX reformed for a short time. The band returned to the studio to record a single 4-track mini CD featuring new versions of TEX songs, “Strike Back”, released in March 2012.
During this period, they opened for two nights for one of the world’s best acoustic Dobro (slide) guitarists, BOB BROZMAN, giving Marc the chance to meet one of his favourite acoustic guitar heroes.
The band played their last concert during the ‘Fête de la Musique’ on 21 June 2014 at the Magic Mirror in Brussels’ Parc du Cinquantenaire, as part of a live recording for RADIO 21’s CLASSIC 21 Blues program.
On 27 September 2018, Marc released an acoustic CD containing 18 original compositions (15 instrumentals and 3 songs). The album was called “Legend of the Forest”. It was the result and summary of 45 years of acoustic guitar compositions, a kind of synthesis of all Marc’s musical influences. The album is available on streaming platforms.
In 2020, Marc retired from his professional career and decided to return to the stage by relaunching his blues-rock band, the Marc Librecht Band.
Today, after several changes in line-up, the band has found its groove and has just released a new CD entitled ‘Hands up !!!’. The band has evolved and is playing more and more, with its sights set on bigger concerts and festivals. So far, the band has already performed at festivals, notably with Irish musicians Seamie O’Dowd and Pat Mac Manus (formerly of Mama’s Boys), giving Marc the opportunity to jam with the guitarists from both bands – a fond memory!