Yves Chiasson
- musician extraordinaire, songwriter, kick ass guitar player has freshly
returned to Montreal after a Zero Degrees Celsius reunion concert on August 15th
– Acadian Day, when the band played many of our favourite tunes, agreeing to
answer some questions here at 4Q.
He presently performs as Luther Chase.
Links provided below, please check them out.
4Q:
The band played an awesome show on the 15th Yves. Brought back great
memories of when we watched you and the gang rock over fifteen years ago. What
was the reunion like for you and the band members?
YC:
It was extremely cool to hang out and make noise with my old friends again! My
wife Renelle (keys, vocals, violin) and my brother Dan (drums) are both in the
group so it was extra special to reunite with Poirier (front man) and Matt (bass)
to perform our old songs together as a band. The original 5 members had not
played together in 15 years, so we were pretty rusty at our first practice
session. But once we got going the songs started to flow and that old magical
feeling started to seep through. We had some pretty intensive practicing to do,
but the group has a great sense of humor, so we laughed and joked around for most
of our practice sessions. When we finally hit the stage and there were around
ten thousand people cheering us on, it was surreal! And they were singing along
and knew most of the words! That was by far the most beautiful part of the
entire experience. The folks from our home town of Moncton singing the words
from songs we had written as far back as 20 years ago! What a feeling!
4Q:
You’re a great songwriter Yves, are you still writing. What inspires your songs?
YC:
Well thank you for saying that! Since I was a kid I aspired to be a composer or
songwriter. I studied classical music and still very much enjoy it. I especially
love listening to Glen Gould play Bach. But then I figured out in my twenties
that what I really loved were songs. And so instead of trying to compose
classically inspired music for ensembles and orchestras, I went completely the
other way and started writing songs for our band; songs that were rather simple
and could be played by one person on a guitar. So I felt extremely liberated
from the constraints that I had imposed on myself when I was trying to become a
composer.
Nowadays I tend to write
Blues/Country/Folk inspired songs that I still try to keep simple, and that
have melodies that are groovy to sing. I record in my home studio and my
partner/wife Renelle plays and sings on a lot of my material. Luther Chase is
releasing a 7 song EP on vinyl this fall entitled Past the Empty Town. The
album contains music written in 2013, and is independently funded.
4Q:
Please share an interesting or fond childhood memory with us!

4Q:
What can we expect in the future from you Yves, musically speaking of course.
Is it still your desire to perform live and if so, what kind of venues do you
prefer?
YC:
In the last few years I have not played live very often and therefore miss the energy
that is shared between musicians and the crowd. Playing to 10 000 fans on
August 15th 2013 (Festival Acadie Rock) renewed that need in me to
share music with a live audience.
My preferred venue is
a “soft seater” or auditorium that has great acoustics because people are there
to listen and the sound is pure and pleasing. A bar is fun too because there is
generally a relaxed and casual atmosphere, but people are often distracted and
are not really listening, which becomes a distraction for the performer. As I
get older (I’m 43 yrs young) I prefer playing for people that are listening to
the music. It makes the effort that mush more gratifying.
You can certainly expect more songs from Luther Chase in the future, as I am constantly coming up with new song ideas. And I really enjoy the work of putting music to tape and documenting ideas that might be forever lost were it not for the act of recording.
I fondly
remember listening to you singing Sister
Morphine by The Rolling Stones many years ago at the UdeM campus, smoky
little place called The Kacho. I had a good idea then that music would always
be an important part of your life. Best of luck to you and Renelle with the new
album.
Listen to
Luther Chase at https://soundcloud.com/luther-chase
and/or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Luther-Chase/
Great Interview, Allan. I knew Yves wayyy back when, and I wouldn't recognize him now I'm sure. I wonder why he goes by Luther Chase now. That was my only disappointment about the interview, that you didn't explore this point. Maybe next time. Good luck Mr. Chase.
ReplyDeleteGood point Lockie, never wondered why before,it might be like asking Ian Anderson why he went by Jethro Tull.
DeleteYes you can follow me on Twitter @hudson_allan
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting.