PICK OF THE WEEK

LE VENT DU NORD

Francophonie Celebration in WEST L.A.

with Trad Music from Québec

Saturday, March 29, 2008 - 7:30pm

Since its founding in 2002, Le Vent du Nord has exploded onto the folk music scene and has quickly become one of the most recognizable and esteemed bands of the Québec traditional music world. Offering an enlivening concert experience, they have crowds dancing to the sound of fiddle and hurdy-gurdy, singing original songs taken from the traditional repertoire, as well as their own compositions, all in their native French.

Characterized by its authenticity, sensibility and humor, and sprinkled with a touch of romanticism Le Vent du Nord is permeated by the spirit and roots of Québec traditional music, infused by Celtic sounds:

Photo credit: Baptiste Grison / Spectacle Dans les airs (2007) 

frenzied podorythms, fiddle and accordion, as well as refined orchestrations colored by a savage-sounding hurdy-gurdy, superb 4-voice harmonies, traditional airs, original compositions, ballad, complaints and call-and-answer songs.

Le Vent du Nord consists of four singers/multi-instrumentalists: Nicolas Boulerice (acoustic/electric hurdy-gurdy, piano, accordion-piano), Simon Beaudry (guitar), Olivier Demers (violin, guitar, foot tapping) and Réjean Brunet (acoustic bass, diatonic accordion, piano).

The group's first recording, Maudite moisson! , was awarded the Juno for traditional album of the year in 2004 and was nominated for the same award by ADISQ. Their second album, Les amants du Saint-Laurent, was also nominated by ADISQ in 2005 in addition to being chosen album of the year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. 2005 was also the year that saw the group being rewarded as North American traditional artist of the year in Austin, Texas. Their show was nominated for an OPUS award and was named Show of the year by the American radio-concert series Bound for Glory. The group also appeared on the top-ten charts of a few radio stations, as high as #1 on CIBL Montréal and #5 on BBC3 in the UK, ahead of such well-known artists as Youssou N'Dour and Peter Gabriel.

Le Vent du Nord has toured extensively across the US, Canada, Quebec and in Europe (Finland Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Spain, France, UK and Norway). They were featured next to the Chieftains on CBC television, next to Flook on BBC television in Scotland, and performed with Michel Faubert and Yann-Fanch Kemener for Les Grands Concerts Radio-France in Paris, as well as on the album Feast, by the Danish group Haugaard and Hoirup.

"Le Vent du Nord debut album, Maudite Moisson! is one of the most impressive first release you're likely to hear" - Rob Weir, Sing Out!

"This band has risen to the very top of its field" - Steve Winick, Dirty Linen

For more please visit:

www.leventdunord.com and www.rockpaperscissors.biz/go/levent

LE VENT DU NORD

Francophonie Celebration with Trad Music from Québec

Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 7:30 PM

Adults: $35- Students: $20 (Ticket includes pre-show reception)

Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles - Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz

10361 West Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Tickets: (310) 286-0553 or www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com