Luke Doucet

Canadian singer/songwriter Luke Doucet resists easy categorization. Acclaimed for his work as a guitarist, vocalist, and composer, he crafts material that echoes the countrified, prairie-rooted sound of Elliott Smith, yet he also fronted the atmospheric neo-psych outfit Veal for several years, positioning the group as Vancouver’s counterpart to the Flaming Lips. An outspoken participant in Canada’s thriving independent music community, Doucet sustains his career by serving as a session player and producer for mainstream artists including Sarah McLachlan and Chantal Kreviazuk.

Born and raised in Manitoba, Doucet initially aimed for a legal career until the guitar claimed his full attention. He relocated to Vancouver in the mid-’90s and assembled Veal during a period when acts such as Zumpano and Cub had established the city as the nation’s leading hub for indie pop. Following the release of the band’s two albums—1996’s Hot Loser and 1999’s Tilt O’ Whirl—he compiled tracks previously deemed too subdued by his bandmates and issued his first solo effort, 2001’s Aloha, Manitoba. Buoyed by favorable reviews, he completed one last Veal record, 2003’s The Embattled Hearts, then disbanded the group and moved to Toronto to focus on solo work, marking the shift with 2004’s Outlaws, a set of live performances and previously unreleased older songs. His next studio album, Broken (And Other Rogue States), appeared in 2005. In summer 2006 he wed fellow singer/songwriter Melissa McClelland, for whom he had produced the albums Thumbelina’s One Night Stand and Stranded in Suburbia.