Musique du Bout du Monde: A Festive Journey Through Traditional Music and International Performances

2023-08-15 03:30:35

The Musique du Bout du Monde festival launched its 19th edition last Thursday. For three evenings in a row, the Hydro-Québec Stage, under a marquee, welcomed various artists until dawn at midnight, each having succeeded in their own way in setting up a distinct and recognizable atmosphere, yet always keeping this festive color throughout. performances.

In good French, when you find La Bottine Souriante in the square, you have to expect that “the party poke”!

The popular traditional music group closed the festivities on Friday, August 11, as the group prepares to make its return to the ears of Quebecers next fall, with a 12th studio album to be released.

*Photo by Alexya Crôteau-Grégoire.

La Bottine seems to be around and occupying Quebec radio stations during the holiday season for a long time; not wrong, since its formation dates back to 1976.

Born during the period when independence sentiment reached its climax, the trad group bears no resemblance to the line-up of its beginnings: no more Denis Fréchette, no more André Marchand, but above all, no more Yves Lambert in the ranks of all.

The gossips might say that, without the original members, and formed too long ago, the group might not reach this new generation of music lovers in Quebec.

Really, gossip.

For almost two hours, La Bottine Souriante alternates between old classics and new songs, even presenting a handful of titles from their next project.

The musicians of the formation manage to animate the crowd with a masterful hand, suggesting to the public to participate in the usual songs to answer, to dance, to jump.

And we notice that both young and old appear to be deeply affected by the proposal.

While one of the members of La Bottine maintains that “these songs are also yours”, a palpable pride seems to emerge from the crowd.

That of belonging to the people of Quebec, and of simply being happy to share this feeling with so many people around.

According to the notes of the violins, percussion, brass, etc., the evening is in full swing to constant cheers, before La Bottine ends around 11:30 p.m.

After the rain, the good weather the reggae

Following a driving rain that soaked the Gaspé festival-goers present to the bone, dozens of brave people gathered to attend the performance of Ammoye, a Jamaican singer residing in Toronto, beginning the evening of Friday, August 11 at 8:30 p.m.

For his first time in the region (but not the last, in his words), the artist offers himself a solid opening concert, mixing reggae with soul in committed music, always with a smile on his face as he sings.

*Photo by Alexya Crôteau-Grégoire.

Without being the most memorable performance of the festival, Ammoye’s talent proves to be undeniable, and it is good to underline it, while some lazy rappers mumble a few words per minute on stage, the singer manages to chain more than one hour of often complicated melodies, always with the perfect voice and technique.

African power

After an excellent performance of regarding an hour by the Bon Enfant quintet, brilliantly combining several musical genres such as rock, pop, psychedelic or even blues, and ending with a great mosh-pit in front of the public, the Moonshine collective, accompanied by artists Pierre Kwenders, San Farafina and AKAntu, crowds the stage for this last performance at the Hydro-Québec Stage, on Saturday, August 12.

And, madness.

A fiery atmosphere, but above all, particularly constant.

Pierre Kwenders takes care of the first quarter of an hour of the performance, interpreting more relaxed titles from his latest album, José Louis And The Paradox Of Lovewinner of the prestigious Polaris Prize in 2022.

Then, he is joined by a DJ, playing Afro-beat melodies during the evening.

The heat rises once more, without respite, the artists follow one following the other.

The end of the Bon Enfant concert seemed synonymous with the next performance.

Young people do not stop jumping and causing turbulence in the crowd of the marquee, exalted, almost in a trance in front of the power of this music and these dances.

One of the highlights of the festival.

Moonshine and the other performers wrap up shortly before midnight, leaving festival-goers with two choices as to how the rest of their night unfolds.

First, try to get a few hours of sleep before Klô Pelgag’s concert, the next day at 5 a.m., or dance until the wee hours of the day, without interruption before the performance of the musician in Cap-Bon. -Friend.

By this simple decision, we manage to disentangle the revelers from the “casés”.

If the regional festivals generally focus on a local and traditional Quebec scene in their poster, it is clear that the FMBM manages as much to marry the artists of the territory as the music from elsewhere, an eclecticism which makes it possible to shine the choices of the programmers.

As if we were inviting the other continents to Gaspé.

The Instant On A Time.

Festival time.

The end of a chapter

This Friday, August 11, the climate of Gaspé does not side with the wishes of festival-goers.

Like the day before, with Lara Klaus, the rain forced the FMBM to move the Elliot Maginot concert to the auditorium of the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles, normally scheduled at the top of Mont-Béchervaise.

Beginner with Easy MorningMaginot presents in a room full to bursting his sweet folk, hovering, rock, sometimes.

In itself, the place appears logically to the eyes of the listeners tinged with an overly usual character, a bit bland, but garlands on the stage make the moment all the more magical, an admirable touch.

*Photo par Roger St-Laurent.

Close to his audience, Elliot Maginot performs part of his repertoire on guitar, also note the magnificent solo piano cover of to see a friend cryby Jacques Brel, while this moment means a lot to the artist.

The talented Quebec musician admits that this concert is the last performance “with this gang”, his musicians, visibly moved that a page has been turned today.

“Maybe it means it’s time to move on,” he confesses.

Elliot Maginot finishes as an encore, following just over a memorable hour spent by his side, with Amongst othershis newest single.

Indeed, the musician seems to be looking forward.

*Photo par Roger St-Laurent.

Was the concert enjoyable? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt.

Would it have been more so if Mont-Béchervaise had hosted Elliot Maginot and his musicians? Yes, that is also certain.

This is the intrinsic difficulty of a festival.

To enjoy the music of a setting as enchanting as that of a region like the Gaspésie, you have to know how to deal with the risks of the trade.

Despite the unfortunate cancellation of Pamela Rooney, supposedly opening Friday of the free shows offered on rue de la Reine, we must still salute the efforts made, as well as the ability to react among FMBM employees.

We will have known how to have Maginot, in the end.

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