Daniel LeBlanc and Grand Dérangement

The first time I met Daniel LeBlanc was in January of 1998. He had just released his first solo album, Le Djâble Dans l'Corps, his fiddle, mandolin, and guitar interpretation of the modern Acadian sound. Dan described it as a mixture of rock, Cajun, Celtic, even bluegrass sounds, mixed with the Acadian music that has always been part of his life. Sitting in his parents' basement family room on that day in January, Dan was surrounded by boxes of Le Djâble Dans l'Corps that were waiting to be marketed. He talked about getting a band together for an upcoming event. The band would include a few friends, dancers and a vocalist-a new twist for his music, Dan said. The band's gig at Université Sainte Anne in Pointe de l'Eglise (Church Point) in 1998 turned out to be a great success. From that one event grew Grand Dérangement-a group of four musicians and three dancers, with a flair for the dramatic.

Briand Melanson is the lead vocalist and plays the drums, Armand Dionne plays keyboards, Jean Pascal Comeau plays bass, and Dan plays guitar, fiddle and also sings. The dancers-Christiane Theriault, Janice Comeau, and Michelle LeBlanc-are former members of the dance troupe La Baie en Joie. Michel Thibault is the artistic director, and a French and Dramatic Arts teacher in Clare.

The group is more than a collection of talented people, however; it is an example of the "joie de vivre" of the Acadian people. Dan calls the group's work a show with a Broadway feel, combining music, dance, song, and theatre-an event where they tell the Acadian story.

For Dan, this is significant. "It's important to bring the Acadian culture to a modern audience," he says. Indeed, he considers himself lucky to have been brought up bilingual. "I'm proud of who I am, where I came from and the culture I share. Some people don't know their culture, and are not in tune with their traditions."

Daniel was luckier. He grew up on the French Shore of Nova Scotia and has been interested in music since he was very young. He learned to play the piano at nine, but his first love was the guitar. At 15, he decided he wanted to go to the prestigious Guitar Institute of Technology in California. "I was pretty focused on saving to go there," he says. He got his wish. At age 21 he enrolled.

With talent and determination, Dan graduated in 1996. Despite tremendous competition, he earned the prize as best student in the class. But guitar isn't his only instrument, Dan also plays mandolin, bass, percussion, and fiddle. Following his training at the Guitar Institute, Dan taught fiddle and guitar at the Conservatory of Music in Halifax, where he wrote the music for his first CD. Using his experience playing with many groups and styles, including Blou and la Revue musicale acadienne, he developed a musical sound that his CD intro calls "the real living sound of Acadie."

The group is so dedicated to the music and culture that its name, Grand Dérangement, is itself a reference to a major event in Acadian history-the great Acadian Expulsion by the English in Nova Scotia in 1755. However, Dan points out one of the songs they perform, There Never was a Grand Dérangement, includes the sentiment: "maybe there never was one if we came back and there is hope for the culture."

"So the whole message (of the group's name) is kind of a double meaning," he says. It can be historical, or it can be translated to imply another grand dérangement-meaning to disturb and have fun.

Having fun on stage is part of the agenda, and ensuring the audience has fun is also part of the show. Although the group performs in French, its energy and performance appeals to a wide range of ages and cultures. A press clipping talks about Dan stopping in the middle of a song while performing at a concert in Genesco, NY, and asking if there were any French-speaking people in the audience. A long silence followed. "Not one person," he said incredulously. Dan then proceeded to teach the audience a phrase in French so they could participate in the song.

After three short years together, the group has performed in many locations across Canada, in over a dozen states in the US, plus France, Belgium and Romania. It was nominated by the 2001 East Coast Music Association for Group of the Year and for Francophone Recording of the Year, winning the title in the second category.

Today, when I meet with Dan, it is once again in his parents' family room. But this time we are surrounded by posters of the group, a framed collection of the three CDs he has released, musical instruments, a computer, and a ringing telephone. Dan and Briand own the business that directs the group, and Dan apologizes for interruptions from their Montreal agent while we speak. They have an agent in Canada and one in the United States, plus someone who looks after their European bookings and co-ordinates everything, he says.

The first CD released by the group, Tournons la page, introduced the style that embodies the group's contemporary Acadian music. Danse dans les flames, the latest CD, was released in 2000 and relates several universal and Acadian themes. Dan composed the reels with the assistance of his band members, and Michel Thibault composed the lyrics and music for the songs. The integration of the music, dancers, and themes makes the Danse dans les flames performance exciting and engaging.

These days Grand Dérangement is on tour most of the time. A 15-passenger van carries eight people and all their gear. It's not very glamorous, says Dan. In one week the group spent 80 hours in the van travelling to Missouri, Maine, Toronto, and back to Nova Scotia. He admits the travelling gets boring sometimes so members listen to music, read or sleep. Dan says they all have hobbies to amuse themselves; his is trading stocks. Even in the towns where they play, they usually don't go out or party; they are too tired after a performance.

"But this is what we want to do, and we're doing it," he says. "This is the greatest part of my life, my job doesn't finish, it never ends. I guess that's maybe why it works, because we're so passionate about what we do," says Dan.

Quiet and reserved in person, his passion shows on stage. The lights, the costumes, the interaction between the musicians and the dancers, between the group and its audience-by the end of the performance everyone is exhausted. Dan gives lots of credit to Michel and the group. Still, it's Dan the media talk about, calling him "charismatic," the creator of "audio magic with his fiddle" and a "fiddling sensation."

Tall, good looking and talented, he has all the requirements of a star, but Dan also has a quiet dignity that is impressive. At 26 he is doing something he loves and at which he excels. His future is full of potential. But he also knows his anchor is his family and the culture of which he is so proud.

His goal is to do more of what he is already doing. The group is working hard at becoming known in Quebec and France. As a group they have decided they will only sing in French, but that could always change, says Dan. Grand Dérangement plans to release a new CD in 2002, "and we'll see where that takes us," he says.

Visit Daniel LeBlanc and Grand Dérangement at their Web site: www.grandderangement.com