Connor Morand Launches Debut Record At Plan B

One of the newest faces on the Metro Moncton music scene, Connor Morand is getting set to launch his debut record Matter Of Fiction with a show at Plan B Lounge on Tuesday evening. The young singer-songwriter embraces his musical enthusiasm throughout the record, giving listeners a multi-faceted look into the music that helped shape him as a musician.

“I started playing guitar around age eight or nine, taking actual lessons for maybe a year to 18 months,” Morand says. “Once I had the basics down, I was able to add my own style to my playing. It was when I was in music class in Grade 10 that my music teacher heard me sing and really encouraged me to continue on with it.”

Morand says that he had a wide array of musical tastes growing up, listening to hip hop groups A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul before moving onto a different part of the musical spectrum with screamo acts such as Alexisonfire.

“I am not quite sure why those two genres ended up figuring so greatly into my life; I feel it helps to give Matter Of Fiction some musical diversity though. I think there will be a tendency to put my record in the realm of indie-folk-alternative but I feel it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it sounds like.”

Recorded over an approximate two-year span, Matter of Fiction was officially released at the start of November. Connor admits that while two years might seem like an extraordinarily long time to make a record, he largely left the making of the record up to fate and let things unfold as they did.

“From the time I wrote the first song until the record was mastered was a little more than two years,” he says. “It really shouldn’t have taken so long for the entire process but that was the way that things went. I firmly believe that you can’t always control what happens. You can set deadlines for yourself but it was more important for me to strive to make a lasting impression and make this record as good as it possibly could be.”

While Morand’s show at Plan B this Tuesday night celebrates the release of his debut effort, it will also mark the first time that the musician will be performing with a full band. He says that past performances have usually been limited to him along with one or two others. His Plan B show will boast a stage full of people including a bassist, drummer, cellist and violinist.

“There are strings featured on the record but the show on Tuesday night will be the first time to hear the strings live. I am really excited to see how these songs turn out live,” Morand says.

Article published in the December 7, 2012 edition of the Times & Transcript