When I was getting ready for the European tour in November, I was pretty stressed with things to do, but when the TFO television show BRBR reached out about participating in an interview and some live performances, I couldn’t help but say yes! Naturally, everything would have to be done in French. Everyone already assumes that I’m francophone because of my first name, so my first thoughts were “great, now EVERYone will assume I’m francophone.” Not that that’s a bad thing! But there are only so many times that I want to get asked “parlez vous francais?” after introducing myself. Fun fact: I’ve even had people say that they heard a French accent when I sing!
The crew showed up on Thanksgiving weekend to film two songs in my living room, and they were incredibly professional and fun! Above is a live version of my song “Blue”, while below is the full episode, cued to a performance of my newest song “An Ode To This City.” Enjoy!
If you want to hear my speak poorly in French and give shoutouts to some TBay bands and venues, check out this quick little interview:
To see and read more about the BRBR team’s experiences in TBay, check out their blog entry.
De Roover announces “Wet Hot Canadian Summer” – Canada/US Tour Dates
June 9th, 2015
“The mad scientist of the Thunder Bay music scene” [Exclaim! magazine] is heading back out on the road, taking his music beyond the southern border…again.
After touring North America for most of the Fall of 2014, De Roover still wants more. Starting with a tour kickoff at the Black Pirates Pub in Thunder Bay, ON on June 17th, De Roover will make stops around the southern side of the Great Lakes before entering southern Ontario for a string of shows and a performance at the first Musiikki Festival in Kingston, ON, speeding westward to California for a week and the Carnevale festival in Weed, CA. Afterwards he’ll head North for several stops in British Columbia including Summer Sounds festival in Cranbrook, BC, before returning to Thunder Bay in time to perform at Buskers Festival on June 26th. August will also see De Roover performing at more festivals in Northern Ontario including Summer in the Parks in Thunder Bay, as well as Tumblestone in Lappe.
This summer will continue to see De Roover performing solo, but adding to his existing live looping arsenal by incorporating elements from the newest album through samples as he performs at various types of venues with material that is sure to impress, whatever the setting.
De Roover’s professional career has seen him spending less time on the road. After working on a film score for an IMAX documentary over the Fall and Winter of 2013/2014, De Roover temporarily relocated to Toronto to work with the team at Coalition Music, known for their commitment to artist development and education (as well as managing Our Lady Peace and Simple Plan to name a few). His personal life has also seen changes, having bought a house promptly after returning from Southern Ontario and getting married to Shannon Lepere, his partner of almost 7 years.
Despite taking these considerable personal and professional strides this year, De Roover is excited to go back to the drawing board for some new recording projects. But before that happens, he’s heading out for a string of summer shows and festivals across North America.
Born in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada, De Roover was raised overseas in Africa, Asia and South America before returning to Canada in 2001. Since starting his career as a solo artist in 2007 he has had opportunities to perform at big festivals like Canadian Music Week, NXNE, as well as share stages with artists like the Beach Boys, Goo Goo Dolls, Beardyman and many, many more.
For more information on Jean-Paul De Roover or tour dates please visit www.jeanpaulderoover.com
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**Dates have been updated as of 07/01
06/17 – Thunder Bay, ON – Black Pirates Pub
06/18 – POSTPONED – Duluth, MN – Red Star
06/20 – POSTPONED – Mason City, IA – Coffee Cat (early)
06/20 – POSTPONED – Spirit Lake, IA – Okoboji Brewery (late)
06/23 – POSTPONED – Windsor, ON – Phog Lounge
06/24 – POSTPONED – Toronto, ON – The Painted Lady [Jazz Fest] *
06/25 – POSTPONED – Ottawa, ON – The Rainbow Bistro
06/26 – POSTPONED – Kingston, ON – Musiikki Café [Musiikki Festival] *
06/28 – POSTPONED – Grand Rapids, MI – Mulligan’s: Otherside
07/03 – Boise, ID – House Concert
07/04 – Oakland, CA – The Stork Club
07/05 – Santa Cruz, CA – Streetlight Records
07/07 – Monterey, CA – Old Market Place
07/07 – Monterey, CA – Bear and Bull
07/08 – Long Beach, CA – DiPiazza’s
07/09 – Livermore, CA – Tap 25
07/10 – Dunsmuir, CA – Dunsmuir Brewery
07/10 – Mt Shasta, CA – Shasta Inn
07/11 – Weed, CA – Carnevale *
07/15 – Squamish, BC – The Nest Restaurant
07/16 – Vancouver, BC – House Concert
07/17 – Kamloops, BC – The Dirty Jersey
07/18 – Cranbrook, BC – Summer Sounds *
07/18 – Nelson, BC – Cafe Momento
07/19 – Fernie, BC – Infinitea T-Bar
07/23 – Edmonton, AB – Brixx
07/24 – Saskatoon, SK – The Underground
07/25 – Winnipeg, MB – Le Garage Café
07/26 – Thunder Bay, ON – Valley Fresh Busker Fest *
08/14 – Thunder Bay, ON – Red Lion Smokehouse
08/19 – Thunder Bay, ON – Summer in the Parks *
08/27 – Minneapolis, MN – Acadia Café
08/28 – Duluth, MN – Beaner’s Coffee
08/29 – Lappe, ON – Tumblestone *
09/16 – Thunder Bay, ON – Music for the Masses *
09/26 – North Bay, ON – Little Festival in the Woods *
Brief update from the road – I’m touring all over the US at the moment, playing some neat intimate shows, festivals, and much more! If you haven’t caught me on this leg of the tour, there’s more coming up, just check out the Tour page. But in the meantime, please check out this cover of Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine” that I did at The Study this past September. Thanks to The Walleye for capturing it on video!
While I was in Edmonton, I shot a segment on BalconyTV, which is a pretty neat concept for live performances. You play on a balcony. That’s it. So I was the first person to ever bring in some electronic elements to the Edmonton edition of the show, which meant that the few people standing nearby had no idea what I was doing since they couldn’t hear any of the loops! That, and if you look carefully, you’ll see my breath (it was freezing)!
on the Balcony! - photo by Shannon Lepere (www.shannonlepere.com)
I decided to do Walk, but an a cappella version, as I’d done it live quite a few times, and some of you have been requesting a recording of it. Here you go!
Anyway, if you want to learn more about the concept and the videos, here’s the link to my particular segment. Otherwise head to www.balconytv.com where you can see that I’m one of the Editor’s picks!
