Biography
A Montreal avant-rock ensemble connected to the Ambiances Magnétiques collective, Papa Boa ranks among the numerous ventures shared by Bernard Falaise and Rémi Leclerc. Complex material emerges from the band’s studio improvisations, which incorporate extensive sampling and unusual elements, while Falaise’s singular guitar approach anchors the sound. Only a single album has appeared to date.
Falaise, drummer Rémi Leclerc—already active with Miriodor and multiple André Duchesne projects—and bassist Frédéric Roverselli formed a friendship in 1991 that gave rise to Papa Boa. The project began as an informal studio collective; reedist Pierre Labbé joined later. With the exception of the jazz-oriented Labbé, the founding members drew from rock backgrounds and initially sought to investigate freer forms that embraced electronics. Early work consisted largely of improvisation. The group first appeared live in 1991 at Montreal’s Festival du Théâtre des Amériques. Activity remained minimal for several subsequent years, during which the unit functioned chiefly as an experimental workshop while Falaise and Leclerc gained increasing recognition within avant-rock circles.
In 1997 Papa Boa supplied the soundtrack for Michel Lefebvre and Eva Ouintas’s multimedia piece Liquidation. A growing schedule of engagements then prompted three years of heightened output. The quartet, sometimes expanded by guests including Marcelle Hudon and storyteller Michel Faubert, played concerts at Quebec festivals such as Festival des Musiques Fraîches and Festival des Musiques de Création in Jonquières. A body of quirky, angular songs was assembled and captured on the debut CD Tête à Queue, issued in May 1999 by Ambiances Magnétiques. Appearances at the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in May 2000 and at the 2002 Montreal Jazz Festival heightened visibility, yet competing commitments from the members ultimately led Papa Boa into dormancy.
Falaise, drummer Rémi Leclerc—already active with Miriodor and multiple André Duchesne projects—and bassist Frédéric Roverselli formed a friendship in 1991 that gave rise to Papa Boa. The project began as an informal studio collective; reedist Pierre Labbé joined later. With the exception of the jazz-oriented Labbé, the founding members drew from rock backgrounds and initially sought to investigate freer forms that embraced electronics. Early work consisted largely of improvisation. The group first appeared live in 1991 at Montreal’s Festival du Théâtre des Amériques. Activity remained minimal for several subsequent years, during which the unit functioned chiefly as an experimental workshop while Falaise and Leclerc gained increasing recognition within avant-rock circles.
In 1997 Papa Boa supplied the soundtrack for Michel Lefebvre and Eva Ouintas’s multimedia piece Liquidation. A growing schedule of engagements then prompted three years of heightened output. The quartet, sometimes expanded by guests including Marcelle Hudon and storyteller Michel Faubert, played concerts at Quebec festivals such as Festival des Musiques Fraîches and Festival des Musiques de Création in Jonquières. A body of quirky, angular songs was assembled and captured on the debut CD Tête à Queue, issued in May 1999 by Ambiances Magnétiques. Appearances at the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in May 2000 and at the 2002 Montreal Jazz Festival heightened visibility, yet competing commitments from the members ultimately led Papa Boa into dormancy.
Albums
