Music in his soul

Harper Levasseur’s heart and soul belong to music; it is as imperative as the air he breathes. His favorite musical genre is Soul and Blues music. He also appreciates some jazz with a melodic line, but not jazz fusion. Levasseur has a very special love for Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, Sam Cook, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, just to name a few. Something he likes to do is to take one of their songs and modify the arrangements. To him, it’s a real challenge to see what he can come up with.

Levasseur’s dad played fiddle but he said that didn’t have much influence in wanting to become a musician.

“Back in those days, everyone wanted to be a musician due to the tremendous influence that The Beatles had on this generation. Boys my age knew the songs by heart and were trying to reproduce not only their music but also the harmonies” he explained in a recent interview.

In Levasseur’s case, it was playing keyboard that interested him. Of course, he also learned to play guitar and saxophone, but keyboard fascinated him more than any other instruments.

“To me playing music was a way to express myself. I was hanging with other boys who were already very good musicians and they taught me a great deal. The process of mastering an instrument was much easier with everyone’s advice. You always learn so much from those who are better than you” he stressed.

According to Levasseur, in the 70’s, most bands dealt with booking agencies who sent them sometimes far away from their hometown.

“I was barely 17 when I went on the road with The Beethoven. We travelled all around Gaspe and many other places. I loved playing in Amqui, but one of the most fun places to play was in Beauce” he recalled.

The musician eventually changed bands and started working with a more known band, the Shades.

“We were two keyboardists in the band. Me and Andre Chretien, who also played with the Sherbrooke renown group The Aquarelles. We played mainly around Beauce and I loved it. The people there are real party people” he shared.

Levasseur was very comfortable being on the road and he said he always had the support of his parents.

“I remember one of the first place we played, people didn’t seem to appreciate us too much. The thing is that our repertoire included all the top 40 while the crowd was hoping for older songs. It was a lack of experience on our part” he said.

They adjusted their playlist and after that, all was well. People love hearing new numbers as long as you also give them material that brings back memories.

The musician did that for five years and then returned home to study advertising art at a private school. But even if he was back to school, the weekends were reserved for music.

Sadly, he didn’t work much in that field of advertising. He said that he did various jobs because music is not always reliable when you need to earn your living. Also, at one point he started his family and when you have kids you need secure revenues.

He worked alone with his keyboard and still does. Although he plays guitar and sax, he told me that he has never been tempted to switch to any other instruments. His keyboard is truly his best friend, and he passed his passion to his daughter.

“My daughter started playing piano when she was five, she plays saxophone as well, but she became an accountant. She works at the Receiver General’s office; I don’t think she’ll ever have a career playing music” he added.

Levasseur is also an excellent singer, and he has been extremely busy with his music all summer. He currently plays with the group Hybass.

When Richard Gelo Lepine invited him to be his guest on Saturday Aug 20, 2022 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bar AIMG in Val des Sources, he was more than happy to oblige. The call of music is stronger than most things.

Levasseur had started years ago to write songs and he liked it but his busy life style didn’t leave him much time to do anything else than work and music.

“As soon as things quiet down a bit, I want to start writing again. I want to put my feelings down on paper. To me, music has always been a way to express myself, so I want to push it further” he said.

It is clear that for Levasseur music is all about giving all he’s got. It is also about sharing his feelings. Making people happy with his music has been his mission for a long time.

Levasseur is a beautiful talent to discover if you don’t know him!