On the road since October, Louis-Jean Cormier revisits his repertoire as part of a solo tour that will take him all over Quebec, and with a few concerts in Europe. A formula that allows you to enter into the words and poetry of the 42-year-old author, composer and performer.
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“When there are no cymbals and electric guitars, we are more inclined to listen to the words. This formula allows more people to enter into poetry, my vulnerability and my universe. It’s a little more literary and poetic,” he explained, during a short break between two concerts.
This tour, entitled Les passages secrets 2, follows that of a hundred concerts he had made in 2016 and 2017.
“I like the formula with the musicians and the solo one. I like both equally. These are two things that are hard to compare. The further it goes, the more I tame and develop this formula on my own. It’s going really well,” he said in an interview.
Louis-Jean Cormier is alone on stage, like a one-man band, with percussion he activates with his feet and bass lines he does with his guitars.
“The question that comes up most often is when I am asked, after the shows, if I use tapes. There are not any. I do everything alone. With prerecorded tapes, I would find myself prisoner of a straightjacket. It’s a beautiful freedom,” he remarked.
On the boards, he revisits his repertoire in a setting and with projections. We find titles from Karkwa and his solo albums.
“There really is everything. The show is built like a DJ set with songs that fit together. People will go home feeling like they’ve heard just one song. The music stops very little. It’s moving and it’s dynamic, ”he said.
Yoga and stretching
Louis-Jean Cormier admits that he feels a stronger enthusiasm in this formula than that with his musicians.
“I am lucky to have a very large audience. The kids who like it to get snapped in the pan with the open ended amplifiers come and like it back for the solo show. The older audience comes to sit down and have a moment that is more towards Richard Desjardins than towards AC/DC. Solo, you are only with the world. The experience is more enveloping for everyone,” he said.
He still has a good thought for the musicians who are not part of this series of shows.
“I feel bad, as a business leader, for my band. I feel guilty for going on my own. There are, when there are several, more parties after the concerts. This solo formula is more physically grueling. It’s a lot of yoga and stretching,” he said.
For this tour, Louis-Jean Cormier will give five performances in small venues in Brussels, Belgium, Geneva, Switzerland and Lignière, Lyon and Paris, France.
“I still go there every year for a few dates. I find myself a little lazy, not to go there more often, but at the same time, I’m not because I have a really busy schedule here in Quebec. This formula allows me to do it easily. I would like, one day, to disembark there with the great deployment and the gang. My solo show allows me to reach the audience one by one and by word of mouth,” he said.
Desire for novelty
This tour, with some solo dates in festivals, marks the end of a cycle. That of the albums launched in 2020 and 2021, When the night falls and The sky is on the floor.
“I work on projects that I can’t talk about,” he mentioned.
Louis-Jean Cormier wants something new. He evokes the idea of a pied-à-terre in Europe in order to be more present. He spoke about it to his family and those around him.
“I would like to develop collaborations, write for European artists and make albums there. I want to see how far I can exploit my talent. Belgium could be a great gateway,” he said.
Concerning a next album, the author, composer and performer indicates that it is too early.
“Ideas flow. I feel like I’m going to find my kind of launching pad over the next few months. I would like to go and isolate myself somewhere, perhaps even outside the Franco-phonie, to write. It could be in Spain or Scandinavia. I throw it like that, but I would like that,” he said.
Louis-Jean Cormier will be performing on February 23 and 24 at the Outremont Theater in Montreal. The dates of the Les passages secrets 2 tour are available on its website.