Barachois (band)

Barachois was an Acadian traditional music group from the Evangeline Region of Prince Edward Island.[1][2] The band 's high-energy stage show highlighted local fiddling, stepdancing and song traditions.[3]

Barachois
OriginPrince Edward Island, Canada
GenresAcadian
Years active1995 (1995)–2003 (2003)
Past membersHélène Bergeron
Albert Arsenault
Louise Arsenault
Chuck Arsenault

History

The group was formed in the mid-1990s by siblings Hélène Bergeron and Albert Arsenault,[4][5] distant cousin Louise Arsenault unrelated Chuck Arsenault.[6] The name of the group refers to a barachois, an Acadian word for a type of shallow lagoon found on the ocean shores of eastern Canada.

The four began performing in 1993 at dinner theatres[7] and house parties.[8] In 1996 they recorded their first album, Barachois. which was nominated in 1997 for three East Coast Music Awards, winning one of them, Francophone Recording of the Year.[9] Over the group's nine-year run, they produced 3 albums and were awarded a number of national and international awards, including five ECMA's, a Juno nomination, and "Chevaliers" de l'Ordre de la Pleades (Officers in the order of French parliaments).

Barachois toured Canada and the US, as well as fifteen other countries.[6]

The band amicably retired in 2003. Chuck and Albert toured as a duo[10] for another seven years, presenting a show which included comedic skits as well as traditional music. Louise and Hélène went on to found and perform with two other traditional French-Acadian bands: Les Girls and Gadelle.

Members

The members of the group were:

  • Albert Arsenault - fiddle, Acadian percussion, bass, vocals
  • Hélène Bergeron - keyboards, guitar, fiddle, vocals
  • Louise Arsenault - fiddle, guitar, foot percussion, vocals
  • Chuck Arsenault - guitar, brass instruments, harmonica, vocals[11]

Discography
  • 1996 Barachois- Acadian Music from Prince Edward Island[3]
  • 1999 Encore!
  • 2002 Naturel

References
  1. Tracie Ratiner (December 2009). Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music. Gale / Cengage Learning. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7876-9616-0.
  2. James Harley Marsh (1999). The Canadian Encyclopedia. pp. 8–. ISBN 978-0-7710-2099-5.
  3. Simon Broughton; Mark Ellingham; Richard Trillo (1999). World Music: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific. Rough Guides. pp. 360–. ISBN 978-1-85828-636-5.
  4. "Folk music: Barachois". Bangor Daily News. 2003-08-09. p. 27.
  5. "Influential fiddler Eddy Arsenault dies at 92" Archived 2017-03-12 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian, September 19, 2014
  6. McGarrigle, Dale (2003-03-13). "Ain't nothing but a house party: Barachois keeps Acadian social history alive, lively". Bangor Daily News. p. 1.
  7. Elaine Keillor (18 March 2008). Music in Canada: Capturing Landscape and Diversity. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. pp. 298–. ISBN 978-0-7735-3391-2.
  8. Bill Marshall; Cristina Johnston (30 May 2005). France And The Americas: Culture, Politics, And History. ABC-CLIO. pp. 848–. ISBN 978-1-85109-411-0.
  9. "Music from Canada will be folksy, lively". The Patriot News. 2003-03-16. p. K05.
  10. Celeste Brash; Caroline Sieg; Karla Zimmerman (1 March 2014). Lonely Planet Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Prince Edward Island. Lonely Planet Publications. pp. 540–. ISBN 978-1-74360-000-9.
  11. "Sit down and dance". News Review, By Christine G.K. LaPado-Breglia 09.11.2003.
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