The Friendship Festival | The Press

Founded by Les Trois Accords, the Drummondville Poutine Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. We followed the four musicians in their tasks as organizers on Thursday, until their show on the main stage on Friday evening.

Text: Josée Lapointe
The Press

Photos: Philippe Boivin
The Press

The sharing of tasks

Thursday afternoon. The festival site will open in a few hours, at 5 p.m., but everywhere there are people working, putting up signs, carrying cases of beer, filling fridges. A real anthill is busy in the parking lot of the Center Marcel-Dionne, in the heart of the city, through which we see the singer Simon Proulx circulating on his skateboard, the drummer Charles Dubreuil at the wheel of his golf cart, the guitarist Alexandre Parr on his electric scooter, bassist Pierre-Luc Boisvert on foot.

Everyone works on their own and knows what they have to do: for 15 years, the four musicians and friends share the tasks, which have not really changed. Simon, who holds the position of general manager, says that things happened naturally: he oversees the event and takes care of relations with partners, Charles is responsible for programming and technique, Pierre-Luc, poutiniers, and Alexandre, bars.

“We just each developed our sector. »

The first year, they had no idea of ​​the magnitude of the task awaiting them, explains the singer. “But it’s like when you throw a party at your house.” Or a wedding. You do what it takes to make it work. For his part, he quickly understood that this festival could not be organized without the support of the Drummondville community.

“When you start a festival, you are not going to call Hydro-Québec. It takes support from the people of the city, it’s super crucial. We work hard on this feeling of community. »

The friends

In the middle of the afternoon, we meet the person in charge of the ticket office, Jean-Pierre Marcotte. Like almost everyone here, Jean-Pierre has been a friend of the Trois Accords guys since his youth. “There are gangs of friends who meet for a hunting weekend every year, we have a festival. »

From 100 to 150 volunteers work for the festival – many people even take vacations to spend a few days there, says Simon Proulx. “It’s a festival that has developed in a friendly way. There are people who come back every year to see everyone again, to relive it. We have the feeling of building something. »

We meet not only friends of Les Trois Accords everywhere, but also their children, who are now of the age of the festival and who are getting their hands dirty. “We are training the next generation! exclaims Alexandre Parr, who takes care of the bars and leads the largest team of volunteers, around sixty people.

After two years of pandemic, festival-goers were eager to come back, “but so were the volunteers! “says the guitarist, whose father was very involved in the city at the Soccer Association. The fact that three of the four members of the group still live in Drummond certainly helps this feeling of belonging, he believes. “We are very close to the community. It helps us to be there, we are more anchored. »

The artists

Next to the main stage, a large tent is set up, which acts as a gathering place for artists and technicians. This is where they can rest, eat, drink. During the afternoon, after the sound tests, we see Zach Zoya stretched out in a hammock, Souldia seated with his team, and right next to Émile Bilodeau, seated in front of his dressing room with his musicians.

“Here, we are treated with small onions. It seems that it’s a band that tours a lot that organizes it, ”says Sébastien Collin, who manages the tour of the trad-punk group Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project.

Charles Dubreuil makes it a point of honor to offer artists the most pleasant and warm welcome possible. This is what made the reputation of the festival, he believes.

“As a group, on the course, we like it to be super tight and that’s what we offer. It sounds great when you play here. But backstage, we like it to be cool. »

This very friendly atmosphere that reigns everywhere certainly contributes to this feeling of well-being. “It seems like everyone knows each other,” said Marilyne Léonard, who was about to open the festival at 6:30 p.m. “I spoke to the drummer of Les Trois Accords earlier. It’s fun to have contact with the programmers, it doesn’t happen that often. »

For Émile Bilodeau, who is playing for the second time in Drummondville, the guys from Les Trois Accords are an inspiration.

“They were barely older than me now when they founded the festival. I don’t see myself doing that, but a foundation, yes. When I look at them, I see that it is possible to be an artist and have a foothold in your community. »

Wander to go

Even if on this opening day, it is normal for it to be “a bit of chaos”, Charles believes, everything seems to be going like clockwork. “We are really more relaxed than before! laughs Simon.

There can always be surprises even if they have already seen a lot of everything. But we are far from the chaotic first year.

“We had one place where we sold poutine, the sauce was provided by restaurants in Drummond, we only had four fryers… and three blew up. It was a nightmare,” recalls Pierre-Luc Boisvert. Like the others, the head of poutiniers learned his job as an organizer “on the job”. “I know how to eat poutine, but I’m not a restaurant owner! laughs the bassist, who has since been constantly scouting out the best poutines in Quebec.

As soon as the site opens at 5 p.m., people can be seen heading towards the ten food trucks invited this year. Moreover, when we ask festival-goers if they are here “for the poutine or for the shows”, the answer is always… both. “Ah yes, it eats! exclaims Pierre-Luc.

Alexandre Parr is the only one who did not have a specific position during the first edition, but he was “promoted to alcoholic and non-alcoholic liquids” the following year. Over time, the guitarist has refined his methods of service and supply.

“This year, the festivals have started again. We, as a group, go around, and sometimes we are told: yesterday, we ran out of beer. Me, if that happened, I would immolate myself! I always watch how it works elsewhere and try to see what is good or not. I only do industrial espionage! »

He therefore developed a logistics that has worked in “with time, scars, blood and sweat”, he says, passing behind the main bar. “Here, it’s war, I don’t even dare go inside…”

The four guys now work all year round on their festival and are proud of the work accomplished, but above all of that of the whole team. “I try to stay humble, like in music,” says Pierre-Luc. It’s a trip of friends. Not just The Three Accords, everyone. »

And their goal remains that everyone feels good: the artists, the public – for Charles Dubreuil, safety is a priority –, the organizers, says Simon Proulx. “We want the festival to be fun, and for us, it must be fun to organise. »

The show

The objective of the Poutine Festival has always been to offer a variety of shows to the people of Drummondville. For $45, festival-goers can see 18 artists over three nights, including Koriass, Lou-Adriane Cassidy and Ariane Moffatt… as well as Les Trois Accords themselves on Friday.

After two years of pandemic and “absolute emptying”, according to Charles Dubreuil, this show had something symbolic for the group, which has only played four times in its festival in 15 years.

The group took the stage at 9:30 p.m., pedal to the metal, to perform in front of the mixed and very relaxed audience of the festival.

The site was packed to celebrate its darlings, and it only took one song to catch the fire, from the front of the stage to the VIP tent

Accompanied by Mélissa Lavergne on percussion and Gabriel Gratton on keyboards, the group chained liberating hymns at a frantic pace: Corinne, Hawaiian, I love your grandmotherto name a few.

“Thank you for being there, thank you for bringing this event to life,” said Simon Proulx to the audience, touched. At the side of the stage, volunteers and relatives watched the show up close, and the singer and organizer invited them to join them during Saskatchewan. It was truly moving to see. Even if there is one festival day left, this Saturday, we can say that the circle is complete, all in fun and friendship.