For 21 years, the town of Rouyn-Noranda has become a remote location to discover emerging talent. Because of the remote location, it becomes an immersive experience, one I will experience for the first time.
“FME in Rouyn-Noranda is what everyone is doing. It’s what the town is about for 4 days. There is no escape, you have to go and see the shows!” shares Marilyne Lacombe.
FME could be considered an eclectic music retreat, and instead separate festivals, FME combines French and English music into one big melting pot of fun.
“We work hard to mix up those two scenes and create new links that would not exist otherwise.” – Marilyne
The importance for bands to attend is because FME will host between 100-150 delegates, mainly from Europe, but also from the USA and other countries. This list includes festival programmers, bookers, journalists and others in the music industry.
“We have many success stories of bands that met important people in their career at FME.” – Marilyne
Unlike a music conference, where industry professionals gather and talk, seemingly uninterested in the performance, these are true concerts with a mix of attendees and industry people.
As Marilyne explains: “If you look at the lineup and you don’t any of the bands…the less you know…the better I did my job.”
FME Bands
Tess Parks, discovered by Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre) is a band that I won’t miss, with that chill sound. Although Canadian, she has a bigger career in Europe, so this will be an opportunity to make a mark on home turf.
Tess will be joined by Karkwa, Quebec Indie Rock, who are making a big return to Quebec, according to Marilyn.
Elisapie will be presenting her new show to support the new album. Covers of big songs, in Inuktitut!
Many are excited to see La Sécurité, an Art Punk Band who just released their first album.
Jonathan Bree (New Zealand) and others visiting from far away.
FME 2023
For more information and tickets, go to the official website.
It does tend to get cold at night, so layer up and stay warm and come visit this little musical paradise…there is something for everyone, and you just might discover your new favorite band!
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
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