One of the most creative and unique bands of the latter part of the decade is, The Blue Seeds. This French Canadian released a self-titled EP in the early part of 2008 in Canada, but was only recently released in the US on October 12, 2009.With the exception of “My Fair Weather Friend”, their debut self-title album is an ensemble of beautiful, yet almost gothic-like lyrics sung by Amélie Laflamme with a wide musical range of guitar melodies from, Francois Dufault and Roger Miron, bassist Martin Farmer, Eric Rathe on keyboard and melodica, and Marc Chartain on drums.
Amélie’s angelic and somber voice can easily be compared to the likes of Mazzy Star, Jewel, and Niko Case in one beautifully wrapped package of alternative-folk music.
While The Blue Seeds has remained to be an unsung gem in folk music and almost a complete shadow in the US, they aim to set their sights on the American music spotlight.
The song that has invaded the American airwaves is, “My Fair Weather Friend” as heard in the teen-movie, “Degrassi goes to Hollywood” which premiered on August 13. This is just the beginning for this six man band.
I met with guitarist Francois Dufault to talk about the future of his band:
For the people that have never heard of you, tell us how you guys met.
Amélie and I (Francois) met back in 2004 in Montreal. We both were looking for someone to collaborate with. We worked on a few songs together and really enjoyed the experience so we decided to form a band. Shortly after, the other members joined and The Blue Seeds came up with its first full length album in 2008, in Canada. The album was then released in France and the USA in 2009.
From the time that you met and 2008 when you released your debut album, what did it take to finally produce that record?
Once we had about a dozen of original songs, we toured for a year in Canada and that's how we pre-produced the album, worked on the arrangements and final songs structures.
Did you record all your tracks in Montreal or did you produce music in other countries? How did that happen?
We recorded all the basic tracks in Montreal and then went to Faenza, Italy, to complete the album with American musician/producer Dustin O'Halloran from The Devics. We had met in Montreal when his band was touring and thought he would be a great match for what we were trying to achieve with the record.
Is your primary language French-Canadian or do you prefer speaking in and singing in English?
I, Francois, am fluent in both languages. I lived in the US for about 5 years and also in Toronto for a while. And Montréal is, to a large extend, bilingual. For some reason, it felt more natural to write and sing in English
Are you planning on producing a French-Canadian album?
Not really but we do have a new song in French
Have you performed a lot in the US or are you just getting started?
Just getting started. So far we've played in Germany, France and Canada
Your band has received a lot of recognition there. Is your goal to get the same recognition in the US?
Our goal is to spread our music as much as we can where ever people will appreciate it. The US as so much to offer on so many levels, it'd be great to find some recognition over there
What is your biggest achievement so far, besides producing a great album? For example, have you been recognized by any big names, given any awards, had venues with large crowds, etc?
Well, we were invited to Popkomm and Printemps de Bourges, in Europe, two vary important international events. It was very flattering
From working in the studio and performing on stage, which is better? Why is it different to you?
Both are very stimulating. The energy you get from the crowd is probably what makes playing live so fulfilling, plus the chemistry that arises between band mates. Working in a studio is very stimulating too but more from a creative perspective. It's sort of a lab where you can try many different ideas and see what works and what doesn't
So, who is the writer of the band?
I, Francois, write the songs and then, as a band, we work on the arrangements to bring it to the next level.
Do your lyrics have a personal message to your listeners? Are the songs sharing a piece of something private to the audience?
I think everybody can find their own meaning to the lyrics. I'm not really into sharing a very intimate personal diary
Are you currently working on another CD?
Yes, as we speak
When can fans expect new material from your band?
Most likely in the fall of 2010
Where can fans buy your album?
iTunes and eMusic for digital downloads. Cdbaby for CD's
More of The Blue Seeds
For a 4-track sample preview from The Blue Seeds self-titled album, go to The Great Unknowns Presents
The Blue Seeds website
The Blue Seeds on MySpace
"Lost and Delirious" directed by Stéphane Fournier
No comments:
Post a Comment