Melonai Brisdon

Born in Manitoba, Mélonai Brisdon was originally trained as a classical pianist and singer. She has performed in various festivals and competitions in her home province and in British Columbia.

Accompanied by her band, including two Afro-Cuban females who opened the show with their R & B and jazz compositions, Mélonai brought an audience (that almost sold out the venue) jazz classics as well as traditional French Canadian folk songs, with overtones of funk and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Her lyrics are originally written in both French and English, although in the first part of the show she also sang some Spanish songs such as "Besame mucho."

I would have wanted, though, to hear some bossa nova and Brazilian tunes like "Girl from Ipanema" or "Corcovado." I also wished that she had dressed more jazzily for the occasion. She had a tight-fitting dress for the first part, and a Chinese outfit in the second part of the show. Something black and flowing would have fit her more for a jazz concert.

Today Mélonai Brisdon lives in Vancouver. She is a three time winner of the B.C. Gala provincial de la chanson (Provincial Francophone Vocal Competition). Her latest CD, Afroditez, is a modern blend of different folklores, especially the folklore of Francophone Canada.

Les trois accords

I wasn't able to go to the Trois Accords concert, but my daughter Alex went, and this is what she had to say: If there was a roof, Les Trois Accords would've raised it! Instead, the 5 Quebecois band members lead the blue wrist-banded outdoor audience into a soft core head banging mosh pit at the Festival d'ete.

The fantastic five performed songs from their debut LP (Gros Mammoth), including the upbeat, folksy-sounding, debut single Hawaiian. Another audience friendly song, and my personal favorite, was the pseudo-sad ballad --"Saskatchewan."

Outside the French Cultural Centre, the Montrealers took over the main stage and entertained not only with their pop punk/rock music, but with funny two-second guitar riffs, and a decent light show with the occasional smoky effects. Band members include Olivier Benoit, Pierre-Luc Boisvert, Charles Dubreuil, Alexandre Parr, and lead singer Simon Proulx. Les Trois Accords, if compared to any other band, would be like a French version of Weezer: regular ol' independent pop punk music making a comedy out of life. Les Trois Accords was definitely a loved performance of the night."

© 2006 Ed Farolan