Calgary Folk Club: Chic Gamine with Lucas Chaisson

Calgary Folk Club 04 05 13

Chic Gamine

Lucas Chaisson

The Saturday Morning "Somebody-Asked-Me-To, So-Here-I-Go" Entertainment Review"

Calgary Folk Club

April 5, 2013

Chic Gamine

Lucas Chaisson

It's not going to be terribly hard to try finding praise for an evening of wonderful artistry from two talented acts I had not seen nor heard before. Both Chic Gamine (from my hometown of Winnipeg), and Albertan Lucas Chaisson (pictured below) impressed the Calgary Folk Club audience with amazing singing, songwriting and musicianship skills.  

Chaisson opened the evening with retro, tremelo-filled sounds on his electric acoustic guitar. "My Lover, My Ghost", showcased his guitar skills (that only got better as the night went on) , reminding me a bit of local musician Steve Pineo, with just a shade of John Hiatt's vocal sounds. Actually, he could sound quite a bit like the lead vocalist for The Zac Brown Band at times - I really should find out that gentleman's name, I'm quite a fan...

 Over the course of his allotted time, Mr. Chaisson showcased some bluesy folk from two of his albums, including his most recent release "Growing Pains".  Along the way, he demonstrated a quick sense of humour, and particularly wowed on his cover of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready". That song is on the latest CD.

Check out Lucas on his site. 

Main act Chic Gamine wasted no time letting us know what to expect. From second song "Closer" through two pleasingly diverse sets, I discovered a sound that I am going to call "Retro Modern". If that's already a thing, I apologize...

A blend of styles in that particular song of The Chordettes meet Duffy, these four ladies (along with their rhythmist and official jar opener Sacha Daoud) did something last night I don't think I've ever seen before - harmonize with vocals so distinct you could identify each singer during the harmonies. Outstanding...

From the bio in the club newsletter, they are indeed four lead vocalists, and in some respects, like during the stunningly lush "Paper Moon", a bit of an A capella Andrews Sisters, bringing sounds of the Forties into today. Hey, that's Spell-Check's version, I still prefer acapella..

However, as they pointed out, that isn't exactly accurate as they incorporate drums, hand instruments, keyboards and guitar, along with one official spotlight for The Winnipeg Triangle Orchestra. 

Juno Winners for Best Roots Album of 2009, Chic Gamine includes Ariane Jean, Andrina Turenne, Annick Bremault, Alexa Dirks, and lone testosterone carrier Sacha Daoud. 

Together, they have forged a sound that combines sounds from the last 60 years, and sounds like Amy Winehouse could have had a hand in the proceedings.  

There was also a healthy offering of French selections, and I have to wonder how this group might be able to update the ground-breaking Lucille Starr's  "The French Song", that was a break-out pop hit with both French and English lyrics. Just sayin'... 

I had to pick up both their albums afterwards last night. I hope I didn't make the wrong decision by not also snagging "Closer", which I was told was a remastered version of City City. 

Visit their website to pick up your own copies, or see them live if they are in your area!

And there is only one show left in this season at The Calgary Folk Club, which I expect will be a fitting end to what has been eye-opening for me this year. Don't miss your chance to discover amazing artists, in a truly unique setting.

Later!