The music “of Quebec” celebrated this weekend a pillar of its alternative scene. Le Pantoum, this 100% Quebec City creative tote, celebrated its tenth anniversary at a sold-out festival. This milestone was reached with, as a bonus, the purchase of the building rented by these enthusiasts of new music. Take this as a sign that Montreal is no longer the only major city in Quebec to attract emerging musicians.
The duty published in 2012 a paragraph describing the birth of “the musical commune” of Pantoum in the lower town. When returning from To have to, ten years later, the place claimed as “Quebec’s worst-kept secret” has changed a lot.
The building is teeming with creators. Gab Paquet comes to collect a document. The musicians of the Valence group transport their instruments from one place to another. These same premises have also seen the birth of Hubert Lenoir, Ariane Roy, Les Louanges, to name a few.
The cramped and somewhat clunky auditorium has been refurbished, and today it can accommodate around 80 pairs of ears. A second room with around 250 seats has just opened on the ground floor.
It is easy to see in this a breath of fresh air for a city with a shortage of medium-sized concert halls. Many Quebec music lovers never recovered from the closing of the Cercle. The Complexe Méduse no longer schedules music shows. Aside from the Anti and a few other off-center dance floors, Le Pantoum appears as the beacon in the night of Quebec.
However, these shows signed “Pantoum” are only “the tip of the iceberg” of this “complex of musical creation”, explains co-founder Jean-Étienne Collin-Marcoux.
Play against the tide
As it had been imagined at the beginning, Le Pantoum imposes itself as an incubator of new sounds. Rehearsal rooms, state-of-the-art recording studios, event organization, mentorship in scenography, record company… Everything is there for songs “à la Québec”.
“Why would I go to Montreal? I have everything here,” exclaims the other co-founder, Jean-Michel Letendre-Veilleux. “Are we just parrots or do we have ideas too?” We, that’s what we do, and we’re proud of it! »
“We have two vinyl presses in Quebec. Ten years ago, there were none in all of Canada,” recalls Collin-Marcoux.
The mass of the Montreal public always attracts emerging artists in search of an audience. But this year, some emerging musicians have taken “the 20” in the opposite direction. This career trajectory was, it is said, inconceivable ten years ago. The Pantum Nebula weighs heavily in this attraction and retention of talent.
“For younger artists, Le Pantoum has always existed,” rejoices Jean-Étienne Collin-Marcoux, citing in particular Ariane Roy and her 25 springs. “We can say today that 8 to 10 musicians or groups are based in Quebec. »
The purchase of the building at the beginning of July also removed the “sword of Damocles” which hung above the emerging scene, observes the musician.
Grow from within
However, this vitality was not acquired after two or even three starving years. As soon as the Circle closed in 2017, word spread in the capital. The hottest alternative scene was now at the Pantoum. Except that the building was classified as “residential zoning”. The shows held there therefore flirted with illegality.
The limit was crossed when they wanted to offer alcohol according to a voluntary contribution. A police raid followed. “When they saw that we were well organized and collaborative, the tone immediately changed,” he explains.
The shows were still suspended for a year to allow time for the City of Quebec to change its urban plan. The resolutely “punk” space that was Le Pantoum became legal… at the start of the infamous month of March 2020.
“At the beginning, it was violent. We wondered if we were not making a personal bankruptcy, ”drops Letendre-Veilleux.
The troop of enthusiasts instead seized the opportunity to settle all the administrative problems that they were putting off. Le Pantoum is registered as a non-profit organization. Grants began to flow. The money was finally found to buy the premises itself.
Despite these successes, the objective remains the same: to support the next generation of musicians at all costs. “If he returns a dollar, we invest a dollar,” slice Collin-Marcoux.
And there is room to grow. The newly acquired three-storey building houses further commercial premises and four apartments. “We are not going to oust anyone”, assure the musician entrepreneurs. But, if the place frees up on its own, the adjoining theater will gain in capacity. The accommodations will become artists’ residences or a living space for visiting musicians.
We bet that, on this basis, Le Pantoum will continue to raise the music underground of Quebec for at least another ten years.