AUX does Festival D'Êté: Our guide to Quebec's biggest summer bash

by Mark Teo

July 3, 2013

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Festival D'Êté de Québec, which begins this week, might not be Canada’s most famed festival—though we’ll let you argue semantics amongst yourselves—but it very well might be its most unique.

Photo: Mixonline

Festival D’Êté de Québec, which begins this week, might not be Canada’s most famed festival—though we’ll let you argue semantics amongst yourselves—but it very well might be its most unique. It’s nearly a two-week takeover of the city, Running from July 4-14: Its biggest acts—and they’ve hosted legit A-listers, from Skrillex to Elton John—are rolled out on massive outdoor stages, sometimes taking over the Plains of Abraham. Smaller acts (like, for example, AUX-approved Quebec locals Modern Primitive) play club shows, making it a switch-hitting festival—sometimes, it feels like a massive outdoor rager, other times, it’s more akin to a NXNE-style crawl. The only snag? This year, there’s over 200 bands playing of all persuasions—from Wiz Khalifa, to Weezer, to Tiesto, and oodles of Quebecois curiosities—and sorting through them can be, um, just a wee overwhelming. Just a little.

So, we asked two of the festival’s honchos—namely, head programmer Louis Bellavance and communications director Luci Tremblay—to help us sort through the 200-plus bands playing the festival. Here’s what they told us.

Check out the fest’s list of artists here, or check out their full schedule.

The must-sees for every festgoer: Without hesitation, Tremblay, despite professing a love for Stevie Wonder, chooses neo-blues juggernaut The Black Keys. “They came a few years ago, but I missed them.” Bellavance, for his part, has more difficulty choosing an act, but points to the fest’s hip hop acts, headed by NYC legends Wu Tang Clan. “We have Wu Tang, Wiz Khalifa, Classified, and some of the best guys from Quebec,” he adds. “It’s the hip hop event of the year for the city—and maybe even the province.”

The best acts to dance to: Is, undoubtedly, one of the many events thrown by ElectroFEQ, the fest’s electronic wing, headed in 2013 by EDM superstar Tiesto. “We did our first electro night last year with Skrillex, and everyone was talking about it,” says Tremblay. “This year, we have Austra, Keys ‘N’ Krates, Zed’s Dead.”

Bellavance echoes that sentiment. “We’ll have Martin Solveig, Wolfgang Garner and Tiesto—they’re among the best 50 DJs in the world, and they’re all playing together. Something special’s happening, production-wise—Tiesto has a bigger production than Rush or Guns ‘N Roses [two other big-name headliners].”

Who you’d take your parents to see: Because no, festivals ain’t only for the young. “But you don’t know how old my parents are,” laughs Tremblay. “I’ll be taking them to opening night. There will be very well-known Quebec singers, with a 400-person choir.”

As for Bellavance’s folks? They’d love to see Emmylou Harris, but mostly, “They’d love Stevie Wonder. There will be 15 world-class musicians onstage.”

Who’s travelling the furthest to play in Quebec: Without whipping out a map, Bellavance chooses melodic fantasy metal lords Avantasia. “It’s a rock opera, this is the only stop in Canada for them,” he says. “They’ll play Brazil right before us, so on their tour t-shirts, it’ll be Rio de Janeiro then Quebec.”

Tremblay, for her part, doesn’t know the precise answer, but offers a few names. “We have some bands from Cote D’Ivoire [Afrikan Blues Project and Alpha Bondy and the Solar System], from Nigeria [Femi Kuti and the Positive Force] and Mali [Amadou and Mariam and Fatoumata Diawara]. And the Raveonettes are from Denmark.” 

Who the best Quebecois locals are: “Les Trois Accords,” says Tremblay. “Their songs are funny, absurd, and incredible.” Plus, they’re playing the Plains of Abraham back by the 22nd Royal Regiment Marching band, pom-pom girls, and yes, pyrotechnic explosions. Can’t go wrong with explosions.

Meanwhile, Bellavance chooses a familiar name. “Louis-Jean Cormier, who did really well with [the Polaris Prize-winning] Karkwa. Now, it’s his solo band, and he’s above everyone else right now.”

The Quebecers most likely to earn Anglo fans: “It’s also Louis-Jean Cormier,” says Tremblay. “Or Liza Leblanc, though she’s [technically] from the Maritimes.”

“Karim Ouellet will be opening up for Coeur de Pirate,” adds Bellavance. “It could be him. He’s different, he’s pop, and he already has a major radio hit in Quebec. We all know him, and we hope that the people travelling here will discover him.”

The strangest sounds on the bill: Both Tremblay and Bellavance agree on one choice: Hey Moonshaker, a blues-rock band featuring Dave Crowe, a beatboxing drummer, who went viral for his ability to recreate dubstep sounds. With his mouth, of course. “He’s not just doing a tricks. It’s not like, ‘Look at this guy and all his noises!’” laughs Bellavance. “In Hey Moonshaker he’s a serious blues-rock drummer, he’s not doing over the top stuff. There’s a guy stitting beside him playing guitar. I booked him two nights: I think 50-75 people will show up for the first one, but [I’ll bet] there will be many more the next night.” 

Photo: Hours.ca

The best things to do in Quebec that aren’t fest-related: Take the ferry across the bridge, says Tremblay, for the world’s shortest cruise but “the best view of all of Quebec City.” Or, says Bellavance, head to the restos on Grande Allée or Petit Champlain. “That’s the overall experience: Visit the city, enjoy it,” he adds. “And because there’s the festival going on, you don’t have to worry about what to do every night.”

Tags: Music, News, Uncategorized, Black Keys, cœur de pirate, Festival d'Ete, Quebec City, Stevie Wonder

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