Indie pop magic: Behind the tables
Alison Clack
Marc Xavier LeBlanc / Courtesy of StudioGraph
If you haven’t been to Indie Pop Night with Bones than you haven’t enjoyed some of the best nights of music and dancing in Fredericton.
The event, which is hosted by DJ Bones (aka Marc LeBlanc), is held monthly at the Capital.
This coming March will be the event’s two year anniversary in Fredericton. The year also marks the fifth anniversary of all of DJ Bones’s IPN’s, which started at the Paramount Lounge in Moncton.
Bones’s love for indie pop started long before that, however.
“I’ve been into music since I was a small kid. I remember digging through my father’s crates of records. I remember this one album in particular; one really weird electronic album called In Sounds from way out from these two guys called Perry-Kingsley.
“It was the precursor to sampling music. They just took these loops – reel to reel loops – and just made these kind of quirky, little pop songs,” says LeBlanc.
“That’s always what I’m looking for: these ‘in sounds’ from way out there.”
The curiosity for this music followed LeBlanc to university. While in school he began to host a radio show.
The show, which is called “Le Photo Sonore” on the Université de Moncton campus radio station, is still hosted by LeBlanc to this day.
After a few years of hosting his radio show LeBlanc began to DJ at the student bar on campus, Le Kacho, under the name DJ Bones.
The name was a throw back to a high school nickname he adopted. In high school LeBlanc and three friends all shared the same name.
To avoid confusion they all adopted different nicknames. LeBlanc was called Bones in reference to his lankiness.
Bones’s style was a mix of underground stuff with mainstream music.
While LeBlanc had some influence by mainstream artists he still understands how important it is to promote local artists. LeBlanc regularly features artists from the Maritimes (like Sleepless Nights and Two Hours Traffic) at his shows.
This has also led him to develop a bit of a connection to Forward Music Group who LeBlanc says is, “A label that is doing a great job promoting new music on the east coast.”
LeBlanc used a costume contest at his Halloween show as a chance to promote local music. Winners of the contest were given CDs from Forward Music Group.
LeBlanc’s shows are more than just good music however; Indie Pop Night has become a phenomenon.
Bones recalls a story in which a bouncer at a Halifax bar told him that people were coming from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island just for the night to see IPN.
“It’s not the first time that that has happened,” says LeBlanc, “It makes me feel really great that people travel to come out to my events.”
People travel out for the music and the atmosphere of IPN. LeBlanc describes the events as having a “good positive vibe.”
“Most clubs feel like people are looking at you,” says LeBlanc. LeBlanc believes this feeling is a bit oppressive and prevents people from truly letting loose and having a good time.
“People feel comfortable at Indie Pop Night,” says LeBlanc, “They can let loose discovering new music.”
LeBlanc also has a love for art and photography in addition to the music he plays. At every show LeBlanc photographs moments of the crowd letting loose and enjoying the night.
The photos are a way for LeBlanc to keep a lasting memory of the night and the shows he’s played.
“I document everything that I do. I always have at least two or three cameras on me at all times,” says LeBlanc.
Documenting events with photos also acts like a therapy LeBlanc says.
When LeBlanc’s girlfriend was diagnosed with breast cancer the two created a blog documenting the trial in photographs.
“It was therapeutic in a way,” says LeBlanc.
The photos have also become a way to advertise IPN; the photos are used to create posters for up-coming shows.
These photos have also become instantly recognizable with a little branding from LeBlanc. Three circles – red, blue, and yellow – are always featured on the posters along with the characteristic comic book style of the photos.
After his girlfriend found a program called Comic Life, LeBlanc began to use its “cheesy effects” to create his IPN posters.
“It’s a whimsical side of things. Comic books are fun and a story and these photos are a story of fun. People can see it and go, ‘oh that was at IPN’,” says LeBlanc.
The posters have also been something attendees of IPN have attached to. Many show-goers have done some pretty crazy things for LeBlanc’s camera.
“People have flashed me. People go out wearing pretty provocative clothes – sometimes boobs fall out of place,” says LeBlanc.
Despite this effort from some, LeBlanc says he enjoys a different kind of photo.
“I’m not all that into the provocative photos. I really love people with groups of friends. People having a really good time; singing or pumping their fist in the air – I really love those photos,” says LeBlanc.
