Origins of the project
Irish Moutarde was founded in July 2009 by Mathieu Audet, Fréréric Audette, Jérôme Bélanger, Andrée-Anne Hallé and Sébastien Malenfant. These guys were (and still are) members of a progressive-metal band named Eerie. Frédéric, Jérôme and Sébastien have been playing music together for a long time, but it was in July 2007 that Mathieu joined the trio. For a year and a half, they composed and edited the material, always in the meantime in search of a singer / vocalist. In January 2009, they finally found the singer they were looking for : Andrée-Anne Hallé. After about seven months of hard work, this young band began looking for a way to get some stage experience and establish contacts before presenting the project to an audience. Involved in the newly re-established St. Patrick’s Parade in Quebec City in March 2010, Mathieu suggested to his fellows Eerie members to put together a tribute to Irish and Celtic rock. Everyone in the band responded enthusiastically to the idea and Irish Moutarde was thus officially founded in late July 2009.
The name “Irish Moutarde”
The name “Irish Moutarde” however, came only a month after the decision to put the celtic rock tribute band together. The idea came from Jérôme’s brother, who proposed it as a pun on the french expression “relish-moutarde.” When the name was proposed to other Eerie members, the favorable decision was again unanimous.They liked the name for two reasons: it said something about the band’s musical style, and it was both humorous and light.
Musical style
Several reasons have influenced the choice of Irish Moutarde’s particular musical style. By familiarising themselves with the different genres and styles that exist in Irish-Celtic music, listening particularly to the bands proposed by Frédéric, and taking into account the personal influences and tastes of each member of the band, the musicians of Irish Moutarde decided to take a more “punk rock “tangent. They also wanted to reach a younger audience and offer performances in rock venues, rather than playing more traditional music in smaller venues like pubs. There were also numerous bands on the celtic-inspired traditional musical scene of Quebec City at the time (and still are) and the guys wanted to stand out of the crowd.
Originally, Irish Moutarde intended to perform only once or twice a year in Quebec City, mainly in the March events surrounding St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) and the newly re-established St.Patrick’s Parade (a first since 1926), closing off the event with a special irish-punk rock concert. In the end, however, Irish Moutarde offered performances throughout the year and have been since January 2010.
Artist: Irish Moutarde
Facebook Fan Page: Irish Moutarde
Want to see the Irish Moutarde. Here is a list of the upcoming Show Locations
Download MP3: “The Bear and the Maiden Fair”
Hometown: Quebec City, Canada
Similiar: Ashley MacIsaac
Influences: Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, The Real McKenzies
The Celtic Music Magazine is the Voice of indie Celtic Music online. Every week, we bring you Celtic CD reviews, articles, and free Celtic MP3s since 2000. We’re changing the way you hear Celtic music. Subscribe to our free podcast and monthly newsletter at www.celticmp3s.com
Patrick M. Matherne works as an editor for the Celtic Music Magazine. He also is a member of the Renaissance Living History Center and can be seen at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival where he assumes the role of Harry Sodder, who is the garden and groundskeeper for you know who
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:19 — 10.4MB) | Embed
