Stefan’s take on life through song

St. Lazare musician extraordinaire Robert Stefan is on the cusp of releasing his latest recording, a labour of love nearly two years in the making. 24 Hours at the Speed of Life will be launched next Monday at Mckibbins Pub in Pointe Claire.

The CD is Stefan’s second solo album since 1986, the same year he won top honours at the Talcan Awards for best Canadian vocalist and composer. Four singles from the LP, which was produced by rock legends Walter Rossi and Garry Moffatt (April Wine), made the Top 10 on Quebec charts.

His career as a singer/songwriter/guitarist spans over three decades. In the early stages he played with Festival of Friends, Beau Flash, and other bands, and over the years he has worked with Quebec pop stars like Garou and Mitsou and toured major cities across North America.

The new CD, 24 Hours at the Speed of Life, is a compilation “of 11 original songs written on acoustic guitar. It’s a full-band recording, and with the exception of one the songs, I played all the instruments,” said Stefan, who also produced and recorded the independent release.

Among tracks is I’m Trying to Find My Way Back to Christmas, a limited edition single included with the first 1,000 copies.

One of the songs is 7 Prayers, which was written last year to raise funds for Ella Marchchildron and the lifesaving medical treatment she needed in the United States.

Stefan met Marchildron while he was emceeing the Canadian Idol-style WISH competition in Beaconsfield. “Ella was a participant in the contest and moved up to the semi-finals, but couldn’t continue because of her illness. So I can up with the idea of recording a song to help raise money,” he said.

Giving 24 Hours at the Speed of Life added poignancy is a track entitled LA to Venus, a piece he wrote to honour Canadian soldiers serving with Task Force Operation Kandahar. The song will be used as background music to a slide show of images of the soldiers which will be put on a CD and given to every soldier at the end of their tour. “Through my website I had been communicating with a soldier stationed in Afghanistan. We became friends, and I decided to write a song to let the troops know they haven’t been forgotten. My agent contacted Lieutenant-Col. Jay Janzen, who is in charge of the task force, and he listened to it and expressed interest in using it for his project,” Stefan said.

Monday’s launch gets under way at 8 p.m. at 6361 TransCanada Highway. Copies of the CD will be on sale, as well as at other concerts. Stefan’s next local show will be Dec. 18 at the Irish Embassy Pub, 1234 Bishop St. in Montreal. For more information about other concerts, or to order 24 Hours visit bluesunshinemusic.com/purchase.asp.