Traces & Scars Guy Bélanger

• 1 My Dearest Friend 03:22
• 2 Better Days 03:10
• 3 Fat Boy 02:59
• 4 Les mauvaises herbes 04:35
• 5 Little Heart 03:45
• 6 See the Light 03:10
• 7 Traces & Scars 03:52
• 8 Common Ground 05:12
• 9 Kalaw 04:08
• 10 Who's Left Standing 05:11
• 11 Nitassinan 03:28
• 12 Hot Time 03:40
• Total Runtime 46:32

Info zu Traces & Scars

The 7th recording of Guy Bélanger’s eventful career showcases the composer, band leader and harp master at the top of his game. The album includes 10 superb instrumental Folk and Blues compositions and two songs, one of which sung by Quebec favourite Luce Dufault. Virtuoso guitar player Preston Reed (Scotland) and cello master Eric Longsworth also contribute. Guy Bélanger has received many awards for his songwriting, the latest the André Gagnon Award from the Spacq last September.

“My Dearest Friend” is a track dedicated to one of Guy’s closest friends, Bob Walsh. The harmonica on this track is phenomenal and it pulls everything together. You can hear the story line behind the instrumentals and the slow but meaningful sound.

“Traces & Scars” is a great collaboration between a cellist from France, Eric Longsworth and Guy Bélanger. It is a song that tells of the journey of life through the musical instruments played.

“Hot Time” is a track with some good ol’ VooDoo traces sliding in and out throughout the song. With the facts between our French culture in Canada creating the famous Louisiana city and dating back to the war of 1812 and implementing that amazing culture. You can feel the culture pour out in this song.

So with all these perfectly put together tracks, along with the French culture, blues and folk sound, it has a way of opening your mind, as well as your imagination up.

Guy Bélanger, harmonica, vocals
André Lachance, guitars, vocals
Rob MacDonald, guitar
Kaven Girouard, guitar
Preston Reed, guitar
Marc-André Drouin, double bass, guitars, piano
Michel Roy, drums, percussions
Luce Dufault, vocals (on “Who’s left Standing”)
Claude Fradette, vocals (on “Kalaw”)
Eric Longsworth, vocals (on “Traces & Scars”)

Guy Bélanger
As early as 1974 Guy Bélanger's musical career was heading towards traditional Southern blues. Armed with his harmonica belt, he made friends with fellow Quebec bluesman Bob Walsh who initiated him to the roots of blues and immersed him in the thriving music scene in Quebec City. ​

Over the next few years he would soak up the influences of such blues greats as Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, Big Mama Thornton, James Cotton and eastern Canada's own Dutch Mason. All of these various influences served to enlarge Guy's musical horizons.

He joined forces with Bob Walsh in 1987 playing many live shows and touring Switzerland, France, Canada and Quebec at the Montreal International Jazz Festival for 18 different editions.

In 1995, the popular Quebecois group Les Colocs invited him to record on their album "Atrocetomique". Collaboration with more than 60 Quebec and French artists soon followed. He also participated on 3 projects (Nuba, Wintuk and Viva Elvis!) for Cirque Du Soleil.

Guy hooked up with guitarist Claude Fradette in 2003 to record the soundtrack for the film "Gas Bar Blues" which won a Jutra for Best Film Score and the Lys Blues for Album of the Year. Guy and Claude are the team behind the music of the Louis Bélanger film "The Timekeeper" (2009) as well as numerous television scores since then. Guy was awarded a second Jutra in collaboration with composer Benoit Charest for Best Musical Score in Louis Bélanger's 2011 film "Route 132".He will also be a soloist this time, with the music of the film Les Mauvaises Herbes by the same filmmaker in 2016. He will also join Céline Dion's Quebec tour in the summer of 2016 as a special guest!

The first album released under his own stewardship received wide critical acclaim in 2008. This was followed by his second album "Crossroads" in 2010, "Dusty Trails" (2012) "Blues Turn" (2014), and now by his latest release "Traces & Scars" in march 2017.

To date, Guy Bélanger has been awarded no less than 14 Lys Blues trophys and won the prestigious "Harmonica Player of the Year" in Canada presented at the Maple Blues Awards in Toronto in January 2014 and the André Gagnon Award 2016 (instrumental music category) presented by SPACQ, Guy is forging ahead! Join him on his musical adventures.

Booklet für Traces & Scars