May 1991

Lucie Blue Tremblay Performs in Vermont

by Miki Thomas

There were many of us in the Burling-
ton community who have been waiting
with baited breath for an area appearance of
Lucie Blue Tremblay, among the latest
acquisitions on Olivia Records’ roster of
women’s music artists. Lucie lives only
two hours away in Montreal, so it was only
natural to expect that she would pay us a
visit.

However, according to her, the most
time she ever spent in Vermont was a stop
at the Horn of the Moon Cafe in Montpelier
after a disastrous trip to Provincetown
where she and her companion were robbed.
At the cafe they were helped by two women
who gave them five dollars and a couple of
cups of coffee.

That experience gave Lucie a favor-
able impression of Vermont and its people,
so she was just as anxious to play here as we
were to have her come.

Her concert, held at the First Methodist
Church in Burlington, was worth the wait.
Despite having her wisdom teeth pulled
just days before, she was in good spirits
and, most importantly, in good voice.

Tremblay opened the concert with a
song from her first album, her voice carry-
ing well within the church. Her repertoire
features songs sung in both French and
English, and though the audience was com-
posed mostly of anglophones, her French
songs did not go over anyone’s head. It is to
Tre_rnb1ay's credit that she is so easily able
to transcend language lines andto tap into
her audience’s emotions through songs of
love and pride.

Lucie had a lively way as she talked
with the audience as well. She introduced
“Tour Song” with a few examples of what
constitutes a “tour disaster,” such as bad
weather. Even her “Voix d’Enfant,” a song

about incest, featured a
few asides about the
fact that incest is not
something that comes
up in ordinary conver-
sation.

Another song
about a relationship
gone sour had such a
buildup from Lucie
that when she started to
sing the first line (“you
are guilty...”) the audi-
ence laughed out loud.

What was most re-
freshing about the con-
cert was that Lucie was
quite open about her
sexuality. There were
none of the double en-
tendres or asides that
often leave an audience
wondering. She was as
open in life as she is in
her songs.

Indeed, to raise
money for her next al-
bum, she is selling
what she calls a “com-
ing out kit," a cassette
single featuring a song
about coming out and
being oneself and an

Lucie Blue Tremblay, less her wisdom teeth, proves that she
still has a winning smile as she pauses for our OITM
photographer at her recent concert.

accompanying card
with an explanation about the song for any-
one receiving the tape.

The future looks bright for Lucie Blue
Tremblay. Her album “Tendresse” is get-
ting major distribution in her native Can-
ada, and “Absence” is slated to be the first
single off the album. An accompanying
video is also in the works.

In the meantime, Tremblay will be

making the round of women’s music festi-
vals this coming summer. At the end of this
particular concert, she mentioned that per-
haps next time she would come with a band
to back her up. Given this performance,
though, she has proven that she herself is
more than enough.

 

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