By Keith Walsh
Gilles Snowcat’s involvement in voodoo is more than a passing interest — it’s a powerful obsession. His new single “Mardi Gras Station,” released to celebrate Mardi Gras Day (Feb 28th) features “Love Spells,” a 10-minute funk rock groove that finds the tormented Snowcat waxing poetic about witches, voodoo dolls, and rock and roll.
This obsession is no coincidence. Gilles was born on Mardi Gras Day, several decades ago (exact details are hard to come by), a fact that explains his magical musical mojo, which can be seen as both a blessing and a curse.
He explains: “The day of birth influences one’s whole life, let alone a special day like that one. My music would have been different if I had been born another day, or might simply never have existed. Who knows?”
Snowcat tries to pass off his voodoo fixation as merely “fun,” but he’s clearly really into it. “It’s a fun branch of psychology,” he says. “It’s to psychology like what Chinese medicine is to the pharmaceutical industry.”
Yeah, right. To wit:
“I was born on Mardi Gras Day,
Yes, I was born on Mardi Gras Day,
Nine witches brought me wine
Amazing charms and luck
Gris-gris, love and evil spells.
Loa loa loa loa loa…..”
The x-rated track features powerful live drums by Sebastien Bournier (of Sousbock), who also contributes acoustic guitar, ukulele and background vocals. Gilles’ “Continental Breakfast” co-writer Renato Ronchetti (from Cinnamon Lilly) also contributes background vocals. It’s a quirky, funky rock track that finds Gilles calling on voodoo spirits (“Loa loa loa loa loa”) over an energetic groove that features his expert keyboard work. In a perfect world, every holiday would have its own theme song — and a less explicit version of”Love Spells” would be a good choice for Mardi Gras.
[pullquote]“It’s impossible not to be influenced by the Stones, since they’re the ones who mixed the looseness of dirty rock and the trickiness of funk.” Gilles Snowcat[/pullquote]
One finds a strong resemblance here to the music of the Rolling Stones. Gilles explains: “It’s impossible not to be influenced by the Stones, since they’re the ones who mixed the looseness of dirty rock and the trickiness of funk. But more than the Stones, it’s the New Barbarians, who did the trick the best. It was an impromptu band with members of the Stones, the New Orleans funk masters The Meters, The Faces, and Stanley Clarke.”
The b-side of “Mardi Gras Station” is an odd instrumental that features synths, electronic and live drums, and an entrancing, funky vibe. The whole affair is a glimpse into a fascinating world of forbidden love and strange magic. You can experience this world for free on Spotify.com.
www.gilles-snowcat.com
www.gillessnowcat.com
