Am writing you from home with colourful memories of Rouyn-Noranda. Recap of FME’s day 3 and 4.

11h15. Downtown Rouyn, Marché Public. Rosie Valland performing songs from her next album set to be released this September. Jesse Mac Cormack backs her on guitar. Her music demands attention. She is not the most extroverted of performers. Doesn’t mean her emotions are hidden.

Saw her play a cover of a Bob Dylan song on piano at the Quai des Brumes, I hope it’s not the last time I see her on piano. It’s good.

5pm. Downtown Rouyn, Le Cachottier. Corridor. I absolutely adore them. Watched them play a few weeks ago at the Quai des Brumes. Don’t enjoy their performance as much this time. Not their fault. Isn’t a 5 à 7 type of music. The crowd’s laid back, we’re not in a partying mood. The singer even jokingly asked us to do some crowd surfing on one of their songs. I would’ve scheduled them for later in the evening. Just saying.

8pm. Agora des arts. Jesse Mac Cormack. A must see if ever he stops in your town. Promise you (on my cat’s head), you won’t regret it. In a beautiful church, the 45min set is as good as usual. Just don’t go looking for eye contact. He’s in his own world.

Saw a few other performances but only shortly due to the heat. It got to me. Jeanne Added, the Dodos and Galaxie regrettably for only a song or two. Couldn’t even stay at the Cabaret de la dernière chance for Marie-Pierre Arthur.

Day #4
Sadly, last day of the FME. First performance is Julie Blanche in a beautiful garden, Parc botanique à fleur d’eau. Am there early with a book. It’s not wasted time.

ParcBotanique

Julie Blanche begins, you’re transported into her world. The lyrics, written by Antoine Corriveau and Stéphane Lafleur (for “La vie facile”) are beautiful and a perfect fit to her unique voice.

Early afternoon. Either I watch Hein Cooper perform on a downtown Rouyn street or I get a tattoo with friends at Cabal Tattoo on Perrault. Although Hein Cooper’s music is intriguing, I choose tattoo.

Finish in time for Elliot Maginot at Le Cachottier. The guy is sweating like crazy. Poor thing. Jesse Mac Cormack backs him on guitar. This one doesn’t seem completely alert.

The heat intensifies at the Agora for Safia Nolin’s live act. One song and am out the door unfortunately. She’s launching her album September 9th in Montreal. You should go. After miss Nolin is Seoul, they mention arriving from the Dominican Republic on a 35h trip. Performance is still energetic.

Last event of the night before bed is Kid Koala. Loved loved loved it. His version of Black Keys’ “Tighten Up” is actually better.

Kid_Koala_NB

Went to bed, slept extremely well, woke up at 5 the next morning for the ride back to Montreal. Love you Rouyn-Noranda.

RouyenNoranda

Réagissez à cet article / Comment this article

commentaires / comments

About The Author

Collaborator - RREVERB
Google+

China used to avoid going to shows because she felt uncomfortable in crowds. Then in 2005 a friend convinced her to go to a White Stripes concert. That changed everything. In an ongoing attempt to recapture that magical moment, she has become an avid concert-goer and decided last fall to share those experiences in her personal blog. She is happy to join the RREVERB team to further share her love of the music scene.