Since August 2021, I have had the pleasure to be part of the live line-up of ce qui nous traverse, a post-rock instrumental band led by Paul Zakarivan and Hubert Gendron-Blais. Le Sacre de Sainte-Barbe is the band’s 8th release: it is an ambitious concept album revolving around the soundscapes of Sainte-Barbe, a small rural village in southwest Quebec. It was officially released at the Centre culturel barberivain in Sainte-Barbe on August 28th 2021.
Paul and Hubert came to me in 2021, shortly before their album release. The guys were looking for someone to play and manipulate some of the field recordings from the album during their live shows, to recreate some of the vibe and ambiance of their record on stage.
Having been in a band with Paul for three years, he knew that I was fit for the job and that I would be thrilled to join this incredible show (which features an even more incredible line-up of musicians: Elyze Vennes-Deshaies, Marilène Provencher-Leduc, David Dugas Dion, Benjamin Tremblay Carpentier, Joel Gorrie and Andrea Mercier, with live visuals from the great Guillaume Vallée). After being given the original field recordings from the album (recorded by Pierre-Martial Gaillard), I only had two rehearsals to figure out how to merge them with the rest of the band. It was fast, but it was fun!
On stage, I use a 1010music Blackbox sampler, paired with a Launch Control XL. The Blackbox allows me to easily launch and manipulate samples live, and has a granular engine for even more sonic goodness. The Launch Control, on the other hand, gives me lots of tactile control on the Blackbox. This combo is very powerful yet portable, and is a joy to use live!
Check out ce qui nous traverse‘s website for info on the next tour dates!