Born at the foot of the mountains on the North Western coast of Canada, David Simard has taken his young but rich lifetime and woven a remarkable canvas of sweeping, avant-garde folk. Cut from the same cloth as Tom Waits and Nina Simone, rooted in cabaret and folklore, Simard unleashes a soapbox style confessional complaint on the growing converts of his captive audience.
After being dubbed Peterborough Folk Festival’s “Emerging Artist” in 2007, he has been touring the country and taking a creative approach to it. Whether it be hitch-hiking or driving a van powered on waste vegetable oil, performing in festivals or underground art shows, sharing the stage with circus performers or brass ensembles, Simard’s unique and colourful talent shows brightly. Having played alongside some Canadian festival favourites like Old Man Luedecke, Mark Berube and the Patriotic Few, Twilight Hotel, and Ladies of the Canyon, Simard is singing his way into the heart of the country.
In anticipation of his debut full length, By the Wood, due out this fall, David has released three 45’s in mini-cd disguise. Their names are Doorways, Alleys, and Wooded Places. Alike to his performances, all three feel a little haunted, with soaring moments and dark passages throughout. Recorded in Montreal at Studio Chocolat Chaud, remarkably hand-made, and released independantly, Simard is touring throughout Canada with some wonderful material in tow. Accompanied by Mona Varichon on the french horn, and occasional guests on clarinet or viola, the vocal presence of the songs is arresting. In a powerful and enticing voice, he sings of experiences stretching from streetlight love, to the sharing of a womb. Melancholic waltzes and rooftop serenades. It’s the carnival and the minstrel.