VIREE BLUES BOREALE - MIKE GOUDREAU & BOPPIN BLUES BAND - FEB. 25

The most popular Bluesman Band from Quebec in the U.S.A. is coming to launch it's all-new 10th album at this 9th edition of Viree Blues Boreale.

It's been a long journey since the first demo recorded live by the BBB on a cassette recorder in the basement of the home of Mike Goudreau's father; that was 17 years ago. Since, Mike Goudreau and the Boppin' Blues Band performed in thousands of concerts and festivals - among which seven times at the Montreal International Jazz Festival and three times at Viree Blues Boreale! - they received lots of awards and mentions and they composed and recorded over 100 songs on their 10 albums as well as on many "Blues and Jazz compilations" distributed all over the world. Still, it's in the United States that Mike Goudreau made the most impressive breakthrough.

Indeed our southern neighbors celebrated much before we did the Blues sung in French as well as the Blues from Quebec. We now can find our national Mike Goudreau on top of many American charts as well as on the broadcasts of many American channels like NBC, ABC, CBS and others.

Mike Goudreau, the instigator who passed the passion for the Blues on to Alexandre Petit, your faithful Viree Blues Boreale producer, is coming to launch his 10th album "Blues Et Cetera" here at Viree Blues Boreale first, before Quebec and Montreal.

As suggested by the title, this more present-day album with 15 new original songs goes into different Blues styles, with reggae, pop/folk, country and world music influences as well as Texas Blues, Chicago Blues, funky, swing Blues and for sure the "rockin', rompin', stompin' which proved successful for Goudreau for over 17 years.

Many new musicians perform on this new recording, including Roger Walls, the legendary trumpet player, who will be with us to perform at the launch. There is also the drummer, Simon Bergeron, son of Richard Bergeron, drummer and founding member of the BBB; this young man brings youth and dynamism on top of solid rhythms and a dazzling creativity.

Also on this album are the regulars: Nino Fabi on organ and piano, David Elias on sax and arranger for the brass section, Maxime St-Pierre, on trumpet, Serge Arsenault on trombone, Dany Roy on sax and Sylvain Daigneault on piano.

There are also special guests: Didier Dumoutier and Pierre-Olivier Ouellet on accordion and Eric Kory on cello.

To present a really prestigious first, we came out strong for this world premiere and, for the first time at Viree Blues Boreale, Mike Goudreau will perform together with the complete Boppin' Blues Band. The six-musician ensemble will surely please every one, performing the past and future hits which make up "Blues Et Cetera".

They will expect you all at Viree Blues Boreale, on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, at Club Addiction, 117 Promenade du Portage, in the Old Hull sector (of Gatineau, Quebec).

For inquiries or interviews, please do contact Alexandre Petit at vireeblues@gmail.com.

You can find further information on our performers at www.mikegoudreau.com or at www.myspace.com/mikegoudreauband.

You sure should also visit our site, which provides links to all our guest performers' sites and offers you lots of interesting information at: www.myspace.com/vireeblues.

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