“Rome” is an existential track that explores a world on fire. Growing up on folk protest songs, that same spirit is found here, yet with a modern twist.
His live set, according to Tom, fuses traditional-style fiddling with an almost indie-rock musical aesthetic.
FIDDLE SINGER & SONGWRITER | MONTRÉAL
When playing live, Aleksi Campagne floors audiences by singing while bowing his violin and leading his four-piece band. His original music blends folk songwriting with an edgy, multi-layered sound resulting from his unique combination of voice, violin and looping-effect pedals. In a full-page spread in the Montreal Gazette, Brennan Kelly described him as “not just a folksinger with a guitar!”
Aleksi’s last year has been a whirlwind! In July 2022, Aleksi was selected as a Mariposa Folk Festival Emerging Artist to perform at the festival. In December, his single Another Day was picked by Paul Corby as a Top Single of 2022. In March, he was celebrated by Tom Coxworth as one of the Top 5 Favourite acts at the Folk Alliance International Conference, alongside acts like The Fretless and Mary Gautier. In May, his single Won’t be Scared was selected as the only Canadian finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. In July 2023, Aleksi launched his debut album to critical acclaim. In a review in Le Devoir by Sylvain Cormier, Aleksi’s debut was compared to that of Patrick Watson and Half Moon Run. And, according to Roots Music Canada, “Aleksi Campagne finessed one of the most musically ambitious accomplishments of the year, an impeccable double album, one set of songs in two conjoined bilingual packages.”
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Thematically, Aleksi's debut album is about all the firsts of growing up–from first loves to first moves, the first steps of your career and even first breakups. The album features 10 songs, but 20 tracks—each of the 10 songs are fully translated to offer a full English and a full french version (on two discs in one sleeve). To create the album, Aleksi received both a Canada Council Grant and a FACTOR Grant to fully fund the recording and its production. He then received an additional CALQ grant to create a video version of the album (You can experience a guided virtual tour of the album here). This album debuted on a Canada-wide tour this past summer, hitting festivals like the Canmore Folk Festival, Springtide Folk Festival, the Live from the Rock Festival, Bear Creek Folk Festival, and Islands Folk Festival. The album launch tour will continue throughout the year in both Canada and the United States in Fall 2023 and Winter 2024.
Aleksi Campagne is uniquely qualified to offer a contemporary, indie-folk take on the time-honoured fiddle-singing tradition. At five years old, he began performing alongside his mother, Canadian folk icon, Connie Kaldor. At 19, Aleksi moved to Paris to study under jazz violin legend Didier Lockwood. At 21, Aleksi became the only student to have ever been accepted into the classical violin, the jazz violin and the jazz voice performance programs at McGill University. Since then, Aleksi had graced the lineups of some of Canada’ most beloved folk festivals—including the Mariposa Folk Festival, the Regina Folk Festival, and the Northern Lights Festival, among others. Aleksi tours festivals and venues across Canada with a four-piece band made up of some of the finest young musicians Montreal has to offer: Stephane Krims (Bass), Aaron Dolman (drums) and Zach Bachand (guitar).
