Québec's Spirited Musical Heritage
Showcased at Festival du Bois
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LA VOLÉE D'CASTORS from Québec. |
COQUITLAM - The annual Festival du Bois delivers a weekend of great music focusing on the venerable squeezebox plus a Big Night Out on Saturday night featuring La Volée
d'Castors!
The 2008 version of Festival du Bois, which runs March 1 and 2 at a new park location in Coquitlam (Mackin Park), delivers a weekend of great world, Celtic and franco-flavoured folk music and much more - with a virtual firestorm of dancing music set for Saturday night's Big Night Out (La Grande Viellée)!
This year, the festival's eyes and ears focus on the accordion, one of traditional music's most popular instruments - and the musical lineup showcases some of the best squeezebox players around.
Raynald Ouellet, at the fest with group Club Carrefour, is a diatonic-accordion master of
Québécois music here for a rare appearance you don't want to miss.
Newfoundland's Frank Maher has been playing The Rock's traditional music on the vertical keyboard for more than a few years - another must-see musical treat, and Rob Curto's accordion delivers the eloquent fire of Brazilian music. These folks are but a sampling of what's in store.
And for the sheer joy of a kick-up-your-heels good time, check out Saturday night's Big Night Out in the heated Grand Chapiteau or main stage tent, with Johnny Cajun and one of Québec's premiere traditional music groups, La Volée d'Castors.
With the soulful sound of the accordion and driving rhythm courtesy of some pretty fancy footwork, La Volée d'Castors are virtuosos that magically meld technically brilliant playing with musical fun and frenzy.
Fuelled by Québec's spirited musical heritage of reels and call and response songs, this quintet also borrows and fuses influences from around the world to create a uniquely high-energy sound. Between them they play violin, accordions, guitars, mandolin, banjo, bass, piano - with the podo-rhythmia (foot music) of the Québécois tradition that just inspires your own feet to tap along.
Audiences all over the world have been incited to dance, so here's your chance to find your inner high-stepper. Join Sébastien Parent, Frédéric Bourgeois, Mathieu Lacas, Frédéric Beauséjour and André Dupuis as they ramp up the festival's festive spirit.
For full information on Festival du Bois, go to www.festivaldubois.ca. Advance tickets for Saturday night's Big Night Out on March 1 can be purchased by calling (604) 936-0039.
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