www.musicnetwork.ie

“Impeccable musicianship, vocals and arrangements” – The Living Tradition

“The leading exponents of Québec’s culture” – World Music Network UK

Time to kick up the heels and gladden the heart with French-Canadian group Le Vent du Nord. A driving force on the world’s folk music scene, they capture the revelry of a Saturday night kitchen party with their boundless enthusiasm and playful showmanship. Add to the mix impeccable musicianship, stunning vocal arrangements and breakneck tunes – with dancing between verses to boot – and it’s no wonder this amazingly versatile band gets heads bobbing and feet tapping from the first few notes. On tour from 8 – 15 May, details at www.musicnetwork.ie.

Le Vent du Nord have blazed a trail across the globe with their gritty, modern twist on French-Canadian roots music, whether performing a repertoire of Québec traditional folk and original material or sharing a stage with the likes of The Chieftains, Breton musical pioneer Yann-Fañch Kemener or Scottish folk band Breabach. A punk-like sense of wild abandon to their music has earned them a host of prestigious awards along the way, including two Junos (Canada’s Grammys), a Canadian Folk Music Award, and Artist of the Year at the North American Folk Alliance Annual Gala. Be warned, audience participation is positively demanded – bring your dancing shoes!

The band consists of singers / multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Boulerice, Simon Beaudry, Olivier Demers, and Réjean Brunet and is now one of the best-loved Québec folk outfits throughout the world. They have performed all across Canada, in over 40 US states, and in over 15 European countries.

Music Network’s mission is to make live music available and accessible to as many people as possible providing an opportunity to see some of the world’s foremost musicians throughout the country at affordable prices. During this tour, the musicians will host a variety of outreach activities for music students around the country. Music Network tours are funded by the Arts Council and are presented in association with RTÉ lyric fm. Tickets for all regional concerts are available from individual venues around the country.  Single tickets for Dublin are available from €15 and can be purchased by calling Music Network on (01) 475 0224 or booking online at www.musicnetwork.ie.

FOR LISTINGS EDITORS:

Le Vent du Nord
French-Canadian folk group
Nicolas Boulerice, vocals, hurdy-gurdy, piano accordion
Olivier Demers, vocals, fiddle, guitar
Simon Beaudry, vocals, guitar, Irish bouzouki
Réjean Brunet, vocals, button accordion

On tour 8 – 15 May:
Sun 8 May: Fiddle Fair Marquee, Baltimore, Co. Cork (9pm, €25, 086 3753380, fiddlefair.com) ) In association with Baltimore Fiddle Fair
Mon 9 May: Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar (8pm, €16 / €14, 094 902 3733, www.thelinenhall.com)
Tue 10 May: Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny (8pm, €12 / €10, 074 9120777 (An Grianán), www.regionalculturalcentre.com)
Wed 11 May: The Sugar Club, Dublin 2 (8pm, €20 / €15, 01 6787188, www.thesugarclub.com) Promoted by Music Network
Thurs 12 May: The Dock, Carrick-On-Shannon (8.30pm, €15 / €12, 071 9650828, www.thedock.ie)
Fri 13 May: glór, Ennis (8pm, €20 / €18, 065 6843103, www.glor.ie)
Sat 14 May: The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely (8.30pm, €16 / €14, 0402 38529, www.courthousearts.ie)
Sun 15 May: The Model, Sligo (6pm, €16 / €8, 071 9141405, www.themodel.ie) In association with Con Brio
Full touring information at www.musicnetwork.ie

NOTES
Nicolas Boulerice

Boulerice grew up with the family repertoire and the songs collected by his father. His passion for traditional music led him to Ireland and to France, where he learned to play the hurdy-gurdy. A young, talented, charismatic musician, Nicolas has been roaming the folk circuit for the last ten years, starting out with groups Ad Vielle que Pourra and Montcorbier. He then went on to record the album Le vent du nord est toujours fret… with Olivier Demers, and this was the genesis of Le Vent du Nord. He has also worked alongside several other artists such as the jazz septet Ovo, Le Batinses, Dobacaracol, Les Zapartistes, Benoit Charest and Michel Faubert. He is co-founder and co-organiser of La Veillée de l’avant-Veille, a major dance event in Montreal, and the Chants de Vielles festival in Québec.

Simon Beaudry

Hailing from Saint-Côme, Québec, an environment where tradition is still very much alive, Simon inherited a solid family musical background from both his grandfathers (one a fiddler, the other a singer) and went on to polish his craft by earning a music degree at Joliette College. He started out by performing traditional repertoire and songs from the great québecois songwriters in many cafes around his hometown, as a solo artist and in a duo with his brother Éric. Later on, he accompanied the “Petits pas jacadiens” dance troupe of Saint-Jacques-de-Montcalm before joining Le Vent du Nord, with whom he now travels the world, displaying his sweet voice and his rich, personal guitar & bouzouki playing.

Olivier Demers

Trained as a violinist and also a solid guitarist, Olivier started out in chamber music and later moved on to jazz. His great versatility allowed him to work with a wide range of artists (La Bottine Souriante, Michel Faubert, The Bills, Dany Bédar, Boom Desjardins, Les Ours, Mario Pelchat, Ovo) as well as to compose music for the NFB and commercials. Having devoted the past ten years of his life to traditional music, he now describes himself as a violoneux (fiddler). He has played with Montcorbier, and was part of the Boulerice-Demers duo (two albums, among which Un peu d’ci, un peu d’ça was awarded as Canada’s best traditional music album for 2006). Olivier has been very active in promoting the tradition as co-founder of La Veillée de l’avant-veille, Roues et Archets record label and as co-organiser of the Chants de Vielles festival in Québec.

Réjean Brunet

Réjean grew up in the village of Lacolle, Québec, and started playing québecois traditional music as a very young boy. After performing with his brother (André, well-known for his work with la Bottine Souriante and the Celtic Fiddle Festival) as a duo and recording three albums, Réjean joined La Volée d’Castors. He toured with them for 8 years, performing in Europe, Canada and the U. S. and releasing five albums. Réjean is also frequently invited by traditional musicians such as Sabin Jacques, Richard Forest and Gaston Nolet to join them on stage or in the recording studio. Since 2007, he has been showcasing his great talent around the world with Le Vent du Nord.