Veranda

Veranda shares their debut album, Là-Bas (Interview)

Veranda

VERANDA Inspired by Mother Nature Release Album Là-Bas Featuring “La Visite”

Rolling hills, whispering forests, rushing rivers, and the kaleidoscope of sounds of nature’s inhabitants are a natural symphony that Mother Nature conducts for our great pleasure. The music that evokes all of these soul-stirring environments is where Francophone folk, country, and bluegrass duo VERANDA have staked their sonic claim with their first full-length album Là-Bas, and the focus single, “La Visite.”

It’s only natural that musician and actress Catherine-Audrey Lachapelle and multi-instrumentalist Léandre Joly-Pelletier would find each other in their great love for country, folk, and bluegrass music and set out to bring a distinctly Appalachian vibe to Québec’s music scene and beyond. Là-Bas is the full-length expression of their quest to blend the traditional and contemporary into a modern-day mélange.

From high lonesome bluegrass to intimate folk ballads, Là-Bas is a journey through 11 tracks or ‘milestones’ along a very interesting rural route. Sweet melodies, soulful harmonies, and fine-tuned playing à la contemporaries like Alison Krauss & Union Station, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Watchhouse are all part of the creative fuel. With its combination of human themes that resonate and the diverse beauty of the natural world, the album finds its perfect blend of outside and inside wonderment.

“Questions regarding the pursuit of happiness and human loneliness are approached through the eyes of forests, mountains and rivers rather than from the simple point of view of human experience,” notes the duo.

Perhaps being able to keep their troubadour spirits engaged during the pandemic helped Lachapelle and Joly-Pelletier settle into the themes of their new album. Just after releasing their first EP in French, Yodel Bleu, in 2020, the couple were able to split their time between a home base on the edge of the Rivière-Rouge near Parc National du Mont-Tremblant and playing shows on stages around Québec, Western Canada, and the Yukon.

While most of the self-penned songs on Là-bas are informed by observing nature and the human condition, the current single “La Visite” is, in contrast, rooted in the duo’s home province and its history.

“‘La Visite’ is a song inspired by Quebec’s traditional stories,” says Lachapelle. “It’s the whisper of a woman waiting for her lover, long gone to work in the northern forests.”

A brokenhearted, mid-tempo lament anchored by banjo, percussive acoustic guitar, and Lachapelle’s dusky lead vocal, “La Visite” rises up into a sweetly sorrowful chorus as Joly-Pelletier joins in on smooth and skillfully complementary harmonies.

“La Visite” follows two previous singles Veranda released this spring and summer leading up to the new album release, the title track “Là-Bas” and the toe-tapping “Toutes les Rivières.”

Là-Bas is filled with rollicking melodies that range from playful to poignant and the warm, intimate feeling of jamming on the front porch with friends who just happen to be virtuoso players. The album was recorded at Montréal’s Treatment Room with engineering and mixing by Gilles Castilloux. On the recording, Joly-Pelletier plays guitar and mandolin and sings. Lachapelle sings and plays autoharp. Rounding out the studio band was Marc Olivier Tremblay-Drapeau on contrabass, Tommy Gauthier on violin, Guy Donis on banjo and Joe Grass on clawhammer banjo and pedal steel, Charles Guay on drums, and Léa Jarry on additional background vocals.

Veranda’s visionaries and core duo, Catherine-Audrey Lachapelle and Léandre Joly-Pelletier, each carry some serious creative pedigrees. Lachapelle is a professional actress known for her long-standing role in Radio-Canada’s hit TV series “District 31.” Her star has been rising throughout the series, and she was nominated in 2016 for best actress in a supporting role at the prestigious Gala Québec Cinema. Even though her acting career was on the rise, she couldn’t deny her need to make music and found her way to Joly-Pelletier and Veranda. Léandre Joly-Pelletier is a sought-after multi-instrumentalist, working with many well-established folk, country, and bluegrass artists over the past decade, including Sara Dufour, Laurence Jalbert, and Notre Dame-de-Grass.

Together, Veranda has a clear, enticing vision of the place where their music lives, steeped in tradition but powered by new approaches.

“Imagine a place way out in the countryside, where there is a rustic cabin in the woods in front of which Dolly Parton, Ralph Stanley and Emmylou Harris are quietly swaying and singing under the pine trees; that’s where Veranda calls home.”

Listen to Là-Bas below, and learn more about Veranda via our mini-interview.

Care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi! We are Veranda, a bluegrass/folk band from Montréal, QC!

What’s it like being a musician in Montreal?

Montreal is very fertile ground when it comes to music! We have many musicians from all around the globe to either work or study here. The cost of living, the mix of cultures, and the francophone/anglophone heritage and mixicity make it a very unique city. We also have an amazing tight-knitted folk community with some of the best voices in the business!

How did you two find each other, and what’s the songwriting collaboration look like for Là-Bas?

We met at a (dive) bar called the Barfly here in Montreal. It’s a unique place where they host bluegrass nights every Sunday for what’s now been 23 years! Cat and I were regulars at the bluegrass jam, where we started learning all the classic bluegrass repertoire. It didn’t take long before we started writing our own material, and that’s how Veranda was born!

Over the last few years, we came up with a solid songwriting routine that works well for us: we start with brainstorming to come up with a subject, a general idea, or a basic structure, Léandre comes up with some chords, riffs, and melodies, Catherine writes some lyrics and then, we mix our ideas together. We work all songs together from A to Z, which we think really gives them the “Veranda” sound!

Who was the first artist to knock you out?

The first time I (Léandre) heard the Stanley Brothers, I was totally blown away. Similarly, for Catherine with Dolly Parton. We’re both really big fans of vocal harmonies. That’s one of the main reasons we got into bluegrass.

What’s the one album by a Canadian artist that everyone should have in their collection?

There are so many! One of the best Canadian bluegrass band out there right now are the Slocan Ramblers. They are redefining bluegrass and roots music with a beautiful Canadian touch. We also really love what Pharis and Jason Romero do. They really have a unique sound. To us, these are the classics of tomorrow!

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