Yvon Leroux is what could be called a homegrown singer-songwriter. The Apple Hill area resident grew up around music and spent many years as a dairy farmer. Those experiences have shaped his burgeoning career in music and his new and first album, New Ground.
It’s difficult to put Leroux into a particular musical genre. “It’s in between,” country and rock and roll, Leroux said. Indeed, his inspirations do come from musicians in both categories, including some that became known for their fusion of country and rock influences in their work. It’s easy to listen to tracks from New Ground and hear influences of classic rock, classic country, and outlaw country. There’s a bit of Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Waylon Jennings, and George Jones in every song. Leroux has used those influences though and made an album that sounds all his own. The track This Is Love has already received airplay on 30 radio stations across Canada. On April 2 this year, Leroux was among the top 10 most active independent artists in Canada that week.
New Ground has a high-quality professional sound. It easily could have been laid down in a big city studio with session musicians, but it was recorded at B-Hive studio Vankleek Hill with Mike Seguin-Lavigne as producer and engineer. Leroux also collaborated with Brian Monty, a respected luthier (guitar builder) from St-Eugène and was honoured to use a guitar made by Monty during the recording sessions. Leroux said he was comfortable and enjoyed recording the album. “I’d never been in a studio before,” he said.
Yvon Leroux’s previous performance experiences have been playing in cover bands at local bars. In 2019, he’s planning to tour at fairs and festivals both in the surrounding region and further afield. Leroux also wants to promote the fact there are so many good musicians in the local area, as his own work and recording experience has proven. “There’s so much good talent around here, it’s unbelievable,” he said.
New Ground is available on Spotify, I-Tunes, and Amazon. CD’s can be purchased at the general store in Fassifern, or by going to yvonleroux.com
