Genticorum Cures the February Blues

Photo by Catherine Aboumrad

In just a week, we'll host one of the concerts I've been looking forward to the most all year: Genticorum. I love Celtic music, especially the lively beats of music from Quebec. Somehow the music almost always seems happy and buoyant, always ready to push the furniture against the wall and have a party. It's a great antidote for the February blues, and I'm ready for a dose on Saturday, February 25.

Genticorum has a sense of humor, which shows in their on-stage banter, their lyrics and even in their tunes. They collect and love to play "crooked" tunes: ones which add a beat or measure here and there, and don't quite come out evenly. That's dreadful if you're playing a contra dance, which are written to fit a standard piece of music. But it's delightful on the concert stage or in a session, because the crooked bits are almost like a little joke thrown in: they make you grin when you catch them.

RootsWorld did a great interview with Genticorum a couple years back, wherein they talk about their style and inspiration within traditional Quebecois music (and beyond). In a 2007 interview on the blog Bengal's Corner, Yann Falquet talks about the inspiration for some of their original tunes.

Join us on February 25 at Centennial Hall at Stivers School for the Arts to get your Genticorum shot of antidote against the February Blues. No prescription needed.