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After making his way to Montreal, Dany Placard (Dany Gauthier for short) has devoted half his life to creating. Already, in 1998, the Saguenay native auto produced a first record. Following this, he befriended Éric Villeneuve and formed the band Plywood ¾, with which he’ll release two folk-infused records.
Since 2005, Placard has continuously released new music. Rang de l’église (2005), Raccourci (2008), Placard (2010), Démon vert (2012) and Santa Maria (2014) are all praised by critics and are drenched of americana stories. His raw poetry and folk rock guitars are reminiscent of the greats, like Bob Dylan and Neil Young, and is an incomparable soundtrack for roadtrip adventures.
In parallel to his solo career, the musician is a coveted producer, giving his expertise to artists like Laura Sauvage, Louis-Philippe Gingras, Francis Faubert and domlebo. Then, in 2015, he starred in the short film Bleu tonnerre, directed Philippe David Gagné and Jean-Marc E. Roy, in addition to composing its soundtrack.
Following this extended folk holiday, Placard feels like he’s been there, done that, so much so he threw away an almost-finished record, got on his motorcycle and headed back to the city, driven by sounds much more in tune with his times and, most importantly, with himself.
Guided by his new musical ambition, Placard pens Full Face, released on September 29 2017, a record that took him three years to perfect. The age of harmonicas and acoustic guitars is far behind him: it’s now time to welcome heavy electric guitars and alternative rock tones. Desiring to completely change his sound, the artist had to completely deprogram himself, trading his folk habits for something much more modern. Surrounded by Guillaume Bourque (guitar, co-production), de Marc-Olivier Tremblay Drapeau (bass guitar), de Camille Gélinas (keys), de Jonathan Bigras (drums), de Gabriel Desjardins et de Louis-Philippe Gingras (arrangements et strings), he finds inspiration in grunge, with bands such as Nirvana, Alice In Chains and Radiohead, in order to blend the sombre images of his lyrics to somewhat brighter melodies.
Undoubtedly, Dany Placard is no longer on an endless roadtrip in the depths of America. On the contrary, he is well settled down, in a Montreal he has called home for the past 20 years.
