One man and his guitar
It takes a brave man to quit his band and go at it alone, and for the sake of having an opening sentence that’d knock your socks off I wish I could say this is what Jesse LeBourdais had done. The frontman from local punk act Cambridge won’t lie for this writer’s sake though, “I kind of hit the wall with the band after our last record, just doing way too much, and not getting much satisfaction. This coincided with some of the other guys having new families, so it was a good time for a hiatus. I thought it would be better to focus on one thing, instead of doing two things half assed. I know the other guys want to play, so something might happen soon.” It has been over a year since Cambridge has last performed a show. Instead Jesse turned to his bluegrass and folk roots, but not turning his back completely on punk rock as his solo music still features the ethos buried amongst pianos, banjos and acoustic guitars.
Jesse LeBourdais grew up in a little town in the interior of BC called Horsefly with an older brother that he claims, “is smarter, more handsome and much more successful than me.” However nothing is mentioned about him being a better musician, so at least Jesse wins in one category. When asked about his last name ‘LeBourdais’, and if this means he is French, Jesse just laughs. “Not at all, and I don’t speak a word of French either. I’m a terrible Canadian.” Jesse’s self-deprecating humour is refreshing in a city that usually finds its musicians taking themselves far too seriously.
Jesse’s new album entitled I Go By The Sound was recorded at Fader Master Sound Studios. “The actual tracking part was amazing. I called in a few friends to play all the instruments, and they were all so easy to work with that it was the least stressful sessions I had ever been a part of. We did a lot of it live on the floor, so all the bass, guitar and banjo parts are all one-takers, and it was the same with the overdubs. Then we got to the vocals and the studio moved to a new location that wasn’t built yet, so I was all over the map finishing. Sitting on a mostly finished record for several months is stressful, but I am super happy with the end result.”
-Denis Maille
Give Jesse LeBourdais' new album a listen.
