CHARLES LAVOIE, singer-songwriter

At the age of 19, after traveling for almost two years, Charles fell in love with the baroque guitar.

Once the start of the school year, he will do his utmost to be admitted in classical interpretation at the Cégep de Sainte-Foy. He will complete his CEGEP in guitar then, a certificate in electroacoustic composition at Bishop's University (which he will accompany with a minor in sociology with the aim of continuing to the second cycle in ethnomusicology).

In 2008, member of several activist associations, he gave birth to the quintet The Random Sheet Music Occurs Through Nowhere, an experimental group inspired by post-rock as well as the work of minimalist composers such as Ligeti, Arvo Part et Penderecki.

A strong intuition and a few years of social work opened the door to the musical direction of an intervention theater at the Haskell Opera House where he composed and performed his first songs in front of an audience. It is moreover following this experience that he will form the psychedelic folk group betalovers which will provide, among other things, the opening parts of the Canadian tour of woven hand. It was at this time that he played the role of singer-songwriter for the first time.

Subsequently, will come the creation of the post-punk formation Lackofsleep (a first album will be released) as well as numerous tours and a first career publishing contract (Woods, 2012).

Since 2013 Charles has been the lead singer - alongside Frannie Holder - instrumentalist and composer for the trio Dear Criminals who released several albums and provided the composition of film music (including Nelly, winner of an IRIS for best original music), television series (Fatal Station), several plays, contemporary dance shows (Fred Gravel, Catherine Gaudet, Hélène Blackburn) as well as an opera (Sex'Y, Paris Opera, Bastille).

All these musical projects have given him the chance to step onto the boards of several performance venues in Canada, the United States, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Mexico, Switzerland and Italy.

Still very active in the Montreal music scene, after a few years of writing and a sporadic course load at the University of Sherbrooke, Charles Lavoie has just released his first career French solo project under the name of carla white (Simone Records) where he is now dealing with directing for the first time.

Photo credit: Robitaille Photo