East Coast Kitchen Party

MUSIC

Acadian band La Virée release third album, Bayous d’Acadie

Moncton, NB June 20, 2012 – Acadian quintet, La Virée, is releasing its third album, Bayous d’Acadie. The band’s joie-de-vivre and East Coast Music sound with melodies reminiscent of the Cajun country and the Celtic airs of Brittany are still very much present. The album will be on sale in Canada now and in France on July 5.

There will be three official launches for Bayous d’Acadie. The first one will take place in Caraquet on Friday, June 22nd, at the Caraquet cultural centre. A release party show will take place in Moncton on Wednesday, June 27, at the Igloo Bar & Beverage Room. The band will also release its album during the Festival Interceltique de Lorient, in Brittany, France, on Sunday, August 5, in the Pavillon de l’Acadie.

Long-time fans of La Virée will be happy to hear that the band has kept its joie-de-vivre in Bayous d’Acadie. “We are five guys who love to have fun and laugh together. The music of the East Coast has the peculiarity of being an upbeat music with a great tradition of storytelling. As Acadians, we have roughly the same influences, the same roots as the English-speaking folks.”

Friendship is another important theme on Bayous d’Acadie. The first radio single Levons nos verres pays tribute to friends and loved-ones lost over the years. The band collaborated with Breton bagpipe player Jean-Luc Guégan for the song. This collaboration is the result of many wonderful encounters La Virée has made over the years while participating in the Lorient Interceltic Festival, in Brittany. More Celtic influences can be heard in songs such as Cuckoo’s Nest / First Flight.

For the first time, La Virée has worked with a producer. Eric Haché says the choice of François Emond was unanimous within the group: "François is an excellent musician, an honest man, with integrity and tremendous patience. He led the project in a masterly manner and helped us make the right decisions throughout the process. "

For the production of this album, the band collaborated with sound engineer Jean-Pascal Comeau and Marc Soucy at the mixing table. The musical direction and vocal arrangements are by Sébastien Michaud. The mastering is by Grey Market. The cover design and photos are by Patrice Benoit. The group also highlights the contribution of Steven Haché to the sound of La Virée over the years.

Band members are: Eric Haché – lead singer and guitarist, Stéphane Basque – percussionist, Denis Surette – guitarist, Théo Brideau – violinist and Sébastien Michaud – bassist.

The album is distributed by Distributions Plages in stores and on iTunes in Canada. Bayous d’Acadie will be distributed in Europe by Coop Breizh.

2012 shows

June 22 – Release party –Caraquet cultural centre, 5 à 7
June 27 – Release show – Moncton, NB (Igloo Bar & Beverage Room)
July 11 – Dieppe, NB - Mercredis Shows
July 14 – Mingan, Quebec
July 28 – Lamèque, NB’s Festival de la tourbe
August 3-12 – Lorient Interceltic Festival, France (Acadian Pavilion)
August 3 – Cotriades (Lorient Interceltic Festival, France)
August 5 – Album release event in the Acadian Pavilion in Lorient, France
August 6 – Part of the Grand spectacle de l’Acadie in Lorient
August 15 - Miramichi, NB, in the afternoon and Caraquet, NB, in the evening

La Virée Home Page