Two of Acadian music’s brightest folk-rock artists have joined forces for a remarkable 20 shows spread throughout the Maritime provinces and extending all the way to Quebec City and Montreal before the tour wraps later this month. But rather than having either Lisa Leblanc or Joseph Edgar undertake the tour with one being the opener for the other, both musicians will be appearing on stage together for the duration of the show, collaborating on some songs while they performing other tracks solo.
Catching up with the duo late last week, Leblanc says that the tour has been going great despite its launch date getting snowed out.
After hearing word of a snowstorm that was due to hit the province, she says that she and Edgar left for their Jan. 27 concert in Caraquet a day early. And though they arrived safely, their scheduled show ended up being canceled due to the storm. Both Leblanc and Edgar soldiered on despite that initial setback and have gone on to perform what Leblanc says have been some truly memorable shows.
With a glance at their tour schedule, its obvious the duo is performing in a rather large amount of small towns during their tour. According to Leblanc, getting to those smaller locales that might not normally welcome shows has generally been a positive experience.
“I think that people anywhere will appreciate the fact that you are playing a show in their town,” Leblanc says. “Playing in the smaller towns though, you’re actually helping create an event in the middle of winter when there might not be much happening otherwise. People appreciate that you are there and come out to support you; it helps bring the people out of their cocoons for a little entertainment.”
Despite being tour buddies and fast friends, Leblanc and Edgar are unquestionably at very different stages of their career. The former is in the midst of getting ready to make her recording debut later this year while Edgar is getting set to begin making his fourth effort.
“I am getting ready to make my fourth record but don’t have a release date or even a producer selected yet,” the amiable Edgar says. “I actually had interest from a producer in France but if I chose to pursue that, it could affect being eligible for grants and what not here at home. I’m a little unsure what I will be doing at this point.”
Leblanc is also in the planning stages of her debut effort but in spite of this, is fairly confident that it will see the light of day before the end of the year.
“Recording is such a big step. I want to be sure I have the right musicians and the right producer first and foremost. I need to find people who will work with me to get the sound I imagine in my head.”
Article published in February 4, 2011 edition of the Times & Transcript