Québec trad fiddler, singer composer

« The best – in fact the only way – to be true
to the tradition is to invent it yourself. »

Claude Méthé has played and sung traditional Québecois music since 1974. Self-taught, he has made his mark as a fiddler and singer for some 35+ years. During this time, he has been a member of numerous groups who have left their imprint on the renaissance of traditional music here in Québec : le Rêve du Diable, Manigance, Dentdelion, Ni Sarpe Ni Branche, Entourloupe…

Besides his many compositions, which appear on his own and recordings by his peers, his personal repertoire also contains songs and tunes gathered from other Québec trad players such as his former mentor and close friend Aimé Gagnon, who passed away in 1997.

His most recent recording is a first solo effort for him, « L’Amant Confesseur », on the Roues & Archets label. A 2006 nominee at the Canadien Folk Music Awards for Trad Album of the Year, it is a perfect reflection of his musical pursuits – newly minted « old » tunes and songs that are deeply inspired by Québec trad roots.

In 2008, Méthé’s group Dentdelion flowered once again, this time in the company of two « créatures créatives » based in the Lanaudière region, Dana Whittle and Denise Levac. And since a clover sometimes has more than three leaves, Dentdelion occasionally becomes a quintet with the addition of Colin Savoie-Levac and Béatrix Méthé, two young players with old souls.

« We leave together, at dawn, like the Amériquois, to ride the current toward the interior and put a smile on the feet of the fastest dancer. »