The duo adapts well to the influx of festival-goers and tourists. At this time of year, he swaps the car for the bicycle to avoid the traffic problems that this traffic brings, which frightens some of his fellow citizens.
After a free yoga session at the Jardin de François, Julie and Patrice took to the Quai Bell stage to discover Kanen’s moody rock.
The North Shore Aboriginal artist released his first album, Mitshuap, last April.
“It’s beautiful back. “I look at the river and it reminds me of my homeland,” the singer-songwriter admits to the audience.
Kanen started with the powerful Assi, a song that gives the impression of feeling the power of the wind and the sound of the river.
“Assi is very militant. It’s a lot about eco-anxiety and tribal reclaiming, with an almost apocalyptic approach,” she previously explained in an interview with Le Soleil.
There is something magical about the mixture of French and Innu offered by the artist. Sometimes our brain needs a moment before we realize that she has switched languages and thanks to some assonances we hallucinate words in French.
“It doesn’t matter what language I sing in, I have the same tone. “I think it’s also because of how I interpret the song,” she notes.
“When I co-wrote the lyrics with Pierre-Hervé Goulet, who doesn’t speak Innu, he often told me it sounded like words in French,” adds the rocker.
Da Sofia Nolin on Sunday morning at Festif! will be giving a concert at dawn, we hoped to see her to interpret this song, but no. She wasn’t in Baie-Saint-Paul on Friday and Kanen will be back on Sunday.
As the two artists are busy with their respective commitments, they haven’t had the chance to perform Dead Shopping Mall together on stage.
It’s a big year for Kanen! Beyond the release of his first album, one of the highlights of 2023 was the big National Day show on the Plains of Abraham.
“When I sang Innu on the national day in the plain, it gave me a special feeling,” she admits.
On the way to the quay
Festival-goers who headed to the quay were treated to two small shows along the way.
Steve & Ginie Jackson and Forêt Marine were installed along the road leading to this scene to brighten up the short 26 minutes it takes to get to the beach from downtown Baie-Saint-Paul.
On Saturday it’s Gawbé’s turn at the wharf at 11:30 am. This Quebec singer-songwriter released her second EP, ciseau zigzag, last month.
The title refers to a childhood memory. Gabrielle Côté, her real name, had used DIY serrated scissors to trim her forelock. What she remembers from that moment on is the great sense of freedom she felt, she explains in an interview with Le Soleil.
“I think it represents the energy that went into creating the EP,” she adds.
Gawbé is seated on the steps of a flight of steps overlooking Baie-Saint-Paul’s main street and is greeted by several friends who have traveled from Quebec to attend the Festif! to enjoy. Some, like her friends from Camp Kéno, came specifically to visit her.
After a more folky first EP, the musician quietly turns to alternative rock, music closer to what she listens to like Karkwa, Les Trois Accords and Green Day, bands that have influenced her career.
Despite the urban aspect of her intimate skirt, Gawbé is a girl made of wood. In addition to the many summers she spent at Lac-Kénogami, she completed a Bachelor’s degree in Environment and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Forestry.
“It’s my double life,” jokes the artist.
Therefore she is not afraid to play outside, even if some rain is announced. She just hopes people show up. But judging by the number of people who called her during the interview, we’re not too worried about her.
Gawbé had received the festive! during his participation in the Francoouvertes in 2022. This prize is in a way an invitation to play at the festival.
On this first visit, the rocker presents herself as a trio. No battery! Just a bass, a keyboard, his guitar and his voice. Anyone who already knows his music will discover a new side to it.
After the festival! Gawbé will be in Rimouski on August 25th, Anse-Saint-Jean on August 26th and Quebec City on September 2nd.