I’m Frédéric Norton-Poulin. I’m from Quebec, Canada. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I started this project a bit late in life, by myself. At first, I was all alone, with a few songs, but so many people helped me bring this baby to the world that the idea of a village, a collectivity came naturally. I’m writing this at the end of a 3 year process. I learned one thing for sure: it takes a village to create an album. The name of the group was easy to find: Norton Collectif.
The first question I ask myself now is: is there a way for a 45 year old man, with wife and 3 kids, to share his music with as many people as he can? We’ll see. We’re in it for the adventure, not glory!
I still wonder why I listened to Ben’s (recording journeyman!) incessant babbling about how I should record my songs. Hey, man, I got a company to run, kids to raise, a wife to love! But in the end, the calling was just too strong!.. Says the guy who abandoned guitar at 25 to work a day job and bring some money home. After that, everything else happens. Some of you know what I’m talking about. Anyway, here we don’t think that only youth can create great things. Music is of all ages. We don’t judge based on age, we judge based on art!.. Ok, we’ll see about that. There is one thing good about being a bit older: you got a bag full of experiences to choose from! Cheers to youth !
By the way, Norton Collectif is, in a disorderly fashion : Elvis, Sex Pistols, U2, Eminem, JS Bach (thanks!), 21 Pilots, Ketchup, Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy, Nirvana, Metallica, pizza, beer, too many hazy nights, Georges Brassens, Klimt, Dune (thanks Frank!), too much energy, The Cure (engraved!), Yannick (octopus man !), Soccer, Mega burgers, again beer & wine, Les Colocs (thanks !), Star Wars (old school), spaghetti (a lot!), Math (the Hat), surviving the teenage years, A hundred years of solitude, Jean Leloup, Mozart (Requiem !), summer appetizers, Ben (the sound bender), Quebec’s forest (a cabin, please!), lakes, rivers, kids that keep us on edge (Thom, Emma et Juliette!), women who endure us, Spanish courses, a lot of guitars, Saxophone, Bass, Drums, a lot of shouting, chicken wraps, Jacinthe (the voice & fingers!), damn training (no choice, run it off oldie!), Miles Davis, Milky Chance, Pink Floyd, read Wired from cover to cover, The Smashing Pumpkins, Jack White, the SUN (!), Félix (el Saltimbanco), Berrurier noir, Linkin Park, a billion books read, Marcel (magic fingers), empty pockets but a ful heart… I could go on, but we’ll see… Ecclectic.
Fred