LIVE REVIEW: Lisa LeBlanc Brings ‘Chiac Disco’ to the Jammin’ Java 12/08/23
Photos and Review by: Sarah Peter | Venue: Jammin’ Java, Vienna, Virginia | Date: December 8, 2023
Canadian singer-songwriter Lisa LeBlanc brought her charismatic wit and eclectic disco vibes to the popular Jammin’ Java stage in the D.C. area on December 8, 2023. Accompanied by bandmates Ben, Camille, Maxime, and Sunny, her whirlwind six-city U.S. tour ran the first few weeks of December visiting many major cities in the mid-west and east coast, including Boston, New York City, and Chicago. Fans from across the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region flocked to the intimate Vienna venue for an enjoyable night of funk and punk, with an impressive display of banjo skills on the side.
The self-described “trash folk” singer and songwriter hails from the small French-speaking village of Rosarieville in New Brunswick Canada, and the Chiac Disco World Tour was an opportunity to showcase her latest release, Chiac Disco – an album co-produced with her creative accomplice Benoît Morier in 2022. Her well-received album was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize, and won two Félix Awards in the categories Album Production of the Year and Pop Album of the Year at the ADISQ gala.
Beginning her show in an unconventional manner, Lisa appeared from the green room hallway, circumventing the stage and moving directly into the crowd. Fans were delightfully surprised as she walked a circle around the floor, greeting everyone while she sang through the opening track, “Dans L’Jus.” Midway through the song, she joined the rest of her bandmates on the intimate stage to finish jamming out in true rock n’ roll fashion.
Throughout the night Lisa addressed the crowd in both French and English – casually chatting with fans, offering tidbits about her music, backstories for her creative process, personal narratives regarding her life journey, and to top it off, a hardy dose of humor sprinkled in between. Intriguingly, she encompassed an array of genres during her performance – chiac disco-meets punk-meets folk, with a touch of garage rock and a pinch of pop. There were even a few banjo solos and “hoedowns” thrown in for good measure.
Moving through the different sounds in her musical arsenal, Lisa’s sincere lyrics touched upon subjects like long distance relationships, small town living, Acadian cuisine, the size of Canada, and much more. The performance highlighted songs from across her discography, including tracks like “5748 km” and “Ace Of Spades” from her 2016 album, Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen?; “You Look Like Trouble (But I Guess I Do Too)” and “Race Track” from her 2014 EP, Highways, Heartaches And Time Well Wasted; and “Du Duvet Dans Les Poches” from her 2012 self-titled album, Lisa LeBlanc.
After the final song, fans chanted for an encore, encouraging the band to return to the stage where they performed impressive mini solos for the crowd. Each member took a moment to play chords from popular holiday tracks in honor of the season. After jokingly attempting to close out the show sans Lisa, they finally introduced her and she reemerged for one last tune. “Ti-Gars” was the closing song for the evening, and the band gave it their all while the crowd enthusiastically bounced along, closing out the night on an energetic high.
By the end of the night, a room full of complete strangers felt more like a celebration with close friends due to Lisa LeBlanc’s relatable music and the incredible stage presence. The whole band’s energy and musicality were delightfully infectious, and despite communicating in two languages throughout the show, Lisa’s engagement and interactions with patrons of all backgrounds proves that music will always be a universal language.
