Rémi Leclerc

• Active: '80s, '90s, 2000s
• Genres: Rock
• Instrument: Drums

Biography

The eternal sideman, Montreal-based drummer Rémi Leclerc doesn't even have a single to his own name, but he has appeared on countless albums by other artists ranging from trad revivalists to avant-proggers. What they all have in common (except maybe Robert Charlebois) is creativity: Leclerc associates with stimulating artists. His drumming style is firmly anchored in rock, yet surprisingly flexible and versatile. His ability to give the simplest beat a warped feel equals his technical prowess in Miriodor's tunes.

Born in Quebec City (like Pierre Tanguay in 1961, another versatile drummer linked to the Montreal avant-garde), Leclerc was already an impressive musician at age 20, which is around the time he co-founded Miriodor with Pascal Globensky and Sabin Hudon. The group, derivative of Univers Zero, self-released its first LP in 1986. It signed with the U.S. avant-prog label Cuneiform and released an eponymous LP in 1988 (and a few more albums in the course of the next 15 years).

Shortly after, the drummer hooked up with Ambiances Magnétiques guitarist André Duchesne. He replaced Chris Cutler in Duchesne's guitar quartet Les 4 Guitarists de l'Apocalypso-Bar. Quickly, their relationship evolved beyond leader/sideman roles and Leclerc became a crucial part of Duchesne's sound in all his next rock projects (L' ou 'L, Locomotive, and the unrecorded "Diesel" and "No Band's Land"). The guitarist provided an open door to the Montreal collective/label and soon the drummer became a household name, appearing on albums by snarl rocker Jerry Snell (with whom he also collaborated with dance troupe Carbone 14) and trad rock singer Michel Faubert.

In the early '90s, Leclerc met guitarist Bernard Falaise. Together they founded the group/laboratory Papa Boa and began to drag each other at their gigs. Falaise became a member of Miriodor starting with 1995's Elastic Juggling and the two also appear in Claude St-Jean's Les Projectionnistes. The 1990s also saw the drummer take part in L'Arsenal à Musique, a children-oriented concert production company and play with the klezmer groups Raoul and Jeszcze Raz.

In 2001, Leclerc was drafted by aging singer/songwriter Robert Charlebois in a overhaul of his backup band. He played on Doux Sauvage and the subsequent tour, enjoying for the first time the high life of show business. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide