Festival Interviews
Le Vent du Nord
1. Le Vent du Nord made an acclaimed appearance at Celtic Connections; is the band looking forward to playing in Scotland again?
Olivier Demers: It as always been a great joy to play in Scotland, the audiences are very warm all over Scotland. Especially this time after our crazy (4th) visit at Celtic Connection (you had to be there to really trust it!!!), it is an honor to come back again to your beautiful country and for our first visit to the Isle of Lewis.
2. The band has grown in reputation since its inception in 2002. Whose idea was it to form Le Vent du Nord and is the band pleased with its deserved success to date?
Olivier Demers: The band started 7 years ago when Nicolas and I wanted to form a group out of the duo project we had. We recorded an album named Le vent du nord est toujours fret peu importe de quel bord y vient! which meant ‘North wind is always cold wherever he's coming from!’ and it became very naturally the name of the group. We consider that we are very lucky to have toured the world so quickly AND so intensively! We've met so many nice people as well as musicians, learned so much out of touring and the evolution of the group is fully colored by that experience. The contact with audiences and the return we have from the fans is pushing us to continue our rehearsals and recording. The fact also that we can live out of our own project is fabulous. The direction and effort is there to make that wheel turn!
3. The music of the Québecois is growing even further in popularity, why do you think it thrills audiences around the world?
Olivier Demers: I really think it is because the atmosphere of Québec music is transcending!!! Also the way we conceive our life, our laughter, our society, you will be able to find a part of it in the way we play our traditional music. That makes this music exotic in a way because it is different. In the mondial economy, everything tends to be identical, we want to stimulate an opposite direction and try to look to the specific of our country and share it with people.
4. Yours is a hard working band with over 100 concerts per year; you must enjoy playing live very much?
Olivier Demers: Yes a lot!!! If we didn’t would like it, we would go for something else!!!!! To be able to visit nice places, nice people all around and present our traditional music from Québec is a big part of the fun too. There is a part of magic in all that to be able to visit on the Isle of Lewis and sing our call and response in French! We are in a fantastic period right now, working on our 5th cd and realising how lucky we are.
5. Can you tell us an unusual fact or story about Le Vent du Nord that audiences might not know?
Réjean Brunet: Last January when we came to Scotland we almost got caught in a snow storm, it's funny because we usually have a lot of snow in Québec we're used to it, but were not expecting that in Scotland.
Nicolas Boulerice: LVDN are working for a new Symphonic concert which will be ready on December 2009!
We have had 8 members (already!!) in our short history… though now with same line-up for 3 CD’s. In addition to the band members, LVDN have 6 persons who work all year long in offices!
LVDN did, a few years ago: one concert in Denmark, the day after in L.A. (USA) and the day after in the UK … a long ride!!
6. How would you like the HebCelt audience to describe Le Vent du Nord after hearing the band play this year’s festival?
Nicolas Boulerice: We hope they will find our musical tradition is a unique mix of joy, fine colors and powerful energy. I hope they it will encourage people to come to Québec to visit our country and listen to more of our rich music scene.
Réjean Brunet: I hope audience will keep a good souvenir of the band, and that we'll wish to come back in the future (soon). Our goal is to give the people happiness and a way of living.......close to what we are.
Hook up with us
Spread the word