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Review by Lex
Leap closed the night at the Hard Rock as part of another IROC production by Marc Bogos. They kept the crowd entertained throughout the wee hours with their style of Brit Rock mixed with some very melodic vocals and riffs. Singer Simon Bousquet's friendly stage presence and clear voice was a perfect match for their set of power pop songs that Coldplay fans would enjoy. A quick slight technical problem with one of the guitars did not discourage them to keep the show rockin'. This was their first show since their return from a few European tour dates. Leap is a band that understands the important mix of creativity and structure to take a stab at this industry. They are putting a lot of energy now in completing their demo EP.
http://montrealmusicscene.com/reviews/leap-hardrock-2004.html
- Montreal Music Scene
On Thursday night in Montreal, more than 400 people were present at the amazing Club Soda. LEAP, who will go to represent Canada at the International Acoustic Showcase in Paris this December) couldn’t have been a better choice to open the Tour. They set the bar for the others and showed the audience what being the BEST of Emergenza is all about.
* * * * *
"Great melodies and musicianship with lots of dynamics. Something that is really missing with most of the other bands. Hearing Leap was like a breath of fresh air after all the "wall of noise" music we've been subjected to over the past few months!"
ROB STUART, songwriter
Slave to the Squarewave
Emergenza 2003 Grand Finale winner in Toronto - J. Parriot - Oct. 15, 2003 - Emergenza.net
Discography
Voices of Sirens EP (self-produced)
5 tracks
Released May 22nd, 2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
STORY
Since its live kick-start in June 2002, Montreal’s own, Leap, is leaving its imprint on every stage they set foot on. With its powerful rhythm and melodies, Leap’s rock’n’roll niftily combines the fiery of young bands with more mature acts’ sensibility which makes it a success every night.
BIRTH
August 2001 is when Leap’s story begins. After the break up of his band The Shift (independent album released in 1997), singer-songwriter Simon Bousquet starts having pins and needles in one’s leg by not having an act to showcase his impressive set of original songs on stage. After some unsuccessful tryouts through classified ads, Simon got a call from drummer Luc Prud’homme, a mere acquaintance, who got informed by a mutual friend of Simon’s plans to form a new band. Simon and Luc didn’t have to look very far to find the two musicians who would complete the quartet. Luc’s long time friend and also a mere acquaintance of Simon, guitarist Frederik Dubois, heard about Luc’s new band and decided to join in very quickly. Last but not least, Fred’s younger brother, bassist Patrick Dubois, became the obvious choice to complete the line up. Driven by growing enthusiasm and musical chemistry, the newly born band fought off through a shaky start to become more and more in tune with the high expectations they had set for themselves when forming the band.
BABY STEPS
A little less than a year after, in June 2002, the band would perform in front of a live audience together for the first time. This special event took place during a private outdoor party organized by one of Patrick’s colleague from work. The evening proved to be quite unforgettable as the four musicians witnessed the heavy rain pouring down on the field where they were supposed to play, only minutes before show time. In less than no time, the yard was completely covered in mud. Nonetheless, the guys came to play some music and that’s exactly what they did. An unsteady wagon served as a stage and a not so subtle yard light provided the light show for what became a magical concert for the shivering crowd as they started to go into a trance and embraced the music that made them forget about the dreadful weather they had to put up with. Leap was finally born. Long live Leap!
TAKE OFF
After the tremendous success of its first self-produced concert at Petit Café Campus, Leap was more than ready to play the first of three concerts at the Emergenza Festival in January 2003. The band’s strong hooks immediately caught the attention of the Festival’s organizers, the other bands participating, as well as the general public who quickly noticed the quartet’s great potential. As Rob Stuart, songwriter of Slave to the Squarewave, will put it later after the "B.E.S.T. of Emergenza" showcase (Oct. 2nd, 2003): "Great melodies and musicianship with lots of dynamics. Something that is really missing with most of the other bands. Hearing Leap was like a breath of fresh air after all the "wall of noise" music we've been subjected to over the past few months!"
June 2003 - The band is invited to perform at the prestigious Emergenza Festival Acoustic Showcase sponsored by Takamine-Ovation. Excited by the opportunity to perform acoustic versions of their songs, the guys were very far from expecting this special night would lead them to travel to the old continent.
DESTINATION
December 13th, 2003 - Paris, France, Leap is on stage at Le Gibus competing in the International Acoustic Final of the Emergenza Festival with bands coming from all over Europe. Actually, Leap is the sole North American representative. The European crowd quickly becomes another victim of Leap’s infectious grooves and melodies. Hopping, clapping, stamping feet and even singing along some of the band’s catchy melodies, the crowd’s overwhelming enthusiasm really touched the four Montrealers and made their trip to Europe even more fulfilling than they expected. Finally, the guys didn’t manage to bring back the Grand Prize but nonetheless, they came back with the firm conviction that Leap’s music goes far beyond any frontier.
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