photo by william ruben helms
For a Wednesday, New York City theater The Groove was packed to the brim on the evening of December 6, with rows of tables jammed all the way up to the stage. The band struck up the beginning strokes of “Dans l’jus” to welcome Lisa LeBlanc, the queen of Chiac disco herself, as she shimmied and squeezed her way through the bar crowd to the front. All twirling tassels in her green and blue jumpsuit, she was off to the races as the groovy tune pulsed through the venue.
It was her second time performing in New York, and LeBlanc was overjoyed to be there. Hailing from a small town in New Brunswick, Canada, she introduced the crowd to Chiac, a dialect of French that is mixed heavily with English. She writes her songs and conducts her shows in Chiac. “Get ready for some Franglais!”, she joked.
The show featured a wonderful variety of her music, ranging from trashy folk to funk to disco, intermingling seamlessly through the night. LeBlanc herself was never in one place for too long, dancing around the stage, playing triangle, guitar, tambourine, shredding on the banjo (Yes, the banjo) and venturing out into the crowd to sing. In all forms, her music had soul and vibrance. Her voice was guttural and powerful, the rhythms almost primal in their ability to get people moving.
She’s an expert on what makes a good performance, embellishing and improvising with her band and bringing in the audience for participation with songs like “Le Menu Acadien” to list the popular fare of her region to a sultry beat. Fun fact: Acadien cuisine includes a LOT of boiled vegetables. Her and the band were playful, comfortable and best of all, truly enjoying themselves, which allowed the crowd to cut loose.
The highlight of the night was her serious skill on the banjo. During her song “You Look Like Trouble (But I Guess I Do Too)”, she broke out an intense solo. Time slowed down as her fingers flew across the strings, earning raucous applause from the crowd. She followed with a spectacular cover of Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades”, which proved to me that we should never underestimate how metal the banjo can be as an instrument.
LeBlanc’s set flew by, and was over too soon. Exhausted but wearing a glowing smile, she wiped her forehead at the end and remarked, “That was fun.”