Moncton hard-rockers Louder Gabriel have been a steady fixture on the Moncton music scene for the past couple of years and are getting ready to proudly celebrate the release of their debut CD, A Thousand Small Explosions.
Even though they are a relatively young band, the members of the group have been playing the club circuit for years before under the guise of Velvet Jesse. The move to writing and performing original material was an anticipated and inevitable move as far as band vocalist-guitarist Phil Boudreau is concerned.
“Chris (Boulay, bassist), Denis (Hache, drummer) and I have been playing local bars every weekend for the better part of nine years now,” Boudreau says. “We just knew that it was time to put our own songs out there and once Derek (Robichaud, guitarist) was available to join us, it really was a no brainer to pursue it further.
“Incidentally now that our first record is done, we’re addicted to writing and are already working on songs for another record!”
The bulk of A Thousand Small Explosions was recorded in Moncton with engineer Duane Kelly. According to Boudreau, the record took the better part of two years to complete due to the various work and familial commitments each member of the band had on their plates.
“Work, family and constant bar gigging makes it hard to bring four guys together at the same place at the same time,” Boudreau admits. “There was never a question of being committed to the project but life just kind of takes over at a certain point.”
Now that their album has been completed, this four-on-the-floor rock band might have to find a way to squeeze a few more hours into each day if that can somehow be arranged with the gods above.
The group is fully intending on continuing to perform locally and is looking to bring their energetic live show to other parts of the province and beyond. The record is already sitting on the desks of campus radio stations across Canada and has been receiving an enthusiastic early response from those who have already picked the disc up.
“It’s an amazing feeling when someone makes a point of telling you how much they love a particular song on the album. That has happened quite a bit since we started selling the record and helps validate why we do what we do,” Boudreau says.
Louder Gabriel will be performing at the Manhattan Bar and Grill on Westmorland Street in Moncton on Thursday November 19.
To hear a sample of the group, Louder Gabriel can be found online at www.myspace.com/loudergabriel.