Jaden Cote of Belleville turns to spoken word to keep himself grounded through his father’s illness. Photo by Greg Murphy
By Greg Murphy
BELLEVILLE – Michael Cote has been sick with cancer for four years, something that has taken a deep toll on his family, according to his youngest son, Jaden.
“He’s young, you know. He’s 52. He never smoked when he was younger or did drugs or anything like that. He was a good Christian guy, you know?” says 21-year-old Jaden Cote as he sips hot chocolate in a bustling Front Street coffee shop on a chilly late afternoon.
For Cote, a Belleville resident, the journey with his father, who suffers from brain and lung cancer, has been one of discovery and self-reflection. For comfort, he has turned within himself for comfort as a spoken word artist.
“I’m at the point now where I’ve seen him on his deathbed, where I’ve looked into his eyes and have seen him keep going. I don’t see many fears any more, or many problems approaching life. I see things getting better because I feel like I’ve been through the rough,” said Cote.
In underground art cultures, Cote says, spoken word is a form of contemporary – usually freestyle – poetry, sometimes blended with ambient music. Any recorded noise – like a dripping faucet – can be used as an accompaniment, to turn the poetry into music.
Writing and performing spoken word is all about reaching deep within yourself to pull out raw emotion as a means of release, Cote says.
“You have a bad day; you want to talk about it. You talk to your mom, your dad, your sister. Some people bottle up their feelings, like anger. Instead of taking it out on others, you can write it down instead and turn it into spoken word. Anyone can do it. And it’s a little-known gem in the rough.”
Growing up as what he calls a troubled kid, he turned to poetry to express his inner feelings. He performed spoken word for the first time when he was 15.
“I delivered a lot of emotion through what I could do” back then, he said. “Obviously, now I have a lot more to work with.”
Jaden Cote (right) with his father, Michael. Photo courtesy of Jaden Cote
Cote is no stranger to the local music scene. He vocalized as the frontman of many bands, playing shows in and around the greater Quinte area. He also promoted shows under the company name JC Promotions, something his father often would lend a hand in.
Over the years, Cote says, his musical tastes have changed. When he was young, he used to listen to the classic rock his father enjoyed. The kind of day he was having matched the music he’d listen to. On a good day, he’d listen to softer, more relaxing music, and on a bad day, something a little darker and louder was in order.
Music would often make him happy when nothing else could, Cote says.
Spoken word is the newest chapter in his musical history. Right now, Cote practises spoken word privately without musical accompaniment, often in a freestyle manner. His first public performance is on Feb. 6 at the Parkdale Community Centre. Under the stage name Forced Feelings, he’s opening for Prophets, a metal band from Hamilton, Ont.
Cote says he’s unsure how receptive the audience will be to spoken word because it’s not something most are used to listening to. For some it can be uncomfortable listening to someone else’s deep personal feelings in such an outward, vocal way, he adds.
“Spoken word is a very personal thing, I think. People are maybe even ashamed, in a way, that they like it. I don’t know why you don’t see many artists coming out and doing it here in Belleville, you know. No one is really ready to take that chance living in Belleville.”
Larger cultural centres like Toronto and Montreal are better to perform spoken word in, says Cote, explaining that people there tend to be more open-minded about music.
He listens to other spoken-word artists like Levi the Poet and Hotel Books. Cote has written three songs and is currently working on a fourth. Right now it’s just a hobby – he has little time to put into it because of almost daily trips to his father’s bedside at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kingston and working busy jobs. Currently in the process of academic upgrading at Loyalist College, Cote plans on taking courses in business to help him market himself as an up-and-coming spoken-word artist. It’s something he plans on taking further; he dreams about touring and recording professionally. He says it keeps him on his feet when he sees his sick father.
“People’s prayers have been keeping him alive, it feels like. I’m at the point now where I’m praying he has a good end.”
QNetNews tried to reach other members of Cote’s family to talk about coping with their father’s illness, and was told no further comment would be available.
Watch Jaden Cote perform spoken word:
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