Annabelle Chvostek to perform at the Segal

How did you get to participate in Routes Montreal?

I've played on Routes Montreal before twice over the last several years, it's been a long building relationship with CBC in Montreal.

I've been playing music for quite a while and it's always really nice to be acknowledged and appreciated. Since my record Resilience came out there have been many people at CBC who played it. When I started out it was definitely a goal to have my music heard to that audience. It's kind of cool when that happens naturally.

You’ve travelled extensively but have always come back to Montreal since you moved here. What does the city bring you as a singer/songwriter?

Montreal is a pretty awesome place to be an artist. It is a wonderful environment to be in, there are a lot of things going on in a lot of different fields. I'm always very inspired by other mediums like dance and experimental films. I have a great community of friends and artists.

Are there other places that you enjoy spending time in?

I grew up in Toronto and I'm spending a little bit more time here now. It’s got a bad reputation among Montrealers, but It's actually a bigger city and people are very politicized. There's a lot of awareness and action. I don’t hold it against it that it’s maybe a little less fashionable than Montreal and doesn’t have as good coffee!

I drove across North America this summer and I spent a good chunk of time in the South West, in Utah and Arizona. I’m often moved by the landscapes I see and people I meet, it’s part of travelling for a living.

You’ll be playing at Routes Montreal with the Montreal collective Lake of Stew. Can you tell me more about your collaboration with them?

We’ve shared a lot of amazing time together. I’ve been a part member since 2004, and it’s always been lovely to come back. It’s been a pretty local, Montreal thing for a while. It hasn’t toured a lot but there’s a lot of potential here. The music is very centred around singing harmony on the top of your lungs, it’s very uplifting.

You’ve been involved in various collaborative projects on top of your career as a solo artist. Does one of these two paths give you more freedom to create?

There’s a lot less politics when there’s just me. It’s been easier for me to work as a solo artist because it’s more viable to travel lighter, be the one to make decisions. Getting it out there has been easier. I also love to play my songs!

What would you like to be done in Montreal to encourage young musical talents?

I think there are some people who are doing some great things. The Saint-Ambroise centre in Saint-Henri, for example, is a lovely room for acoustic music. They even have some initiatives to provide musicians with grant money. It’s hard right now to make a living and people aren’t buying records anymore but there are some great communities.

Don’t you think the fact that people aren’t buying records will bring the focus back to live performances?

Touring is a very hard lifestyle, and selling records helps you do that. People still love records, but they're downloading them instead of buying them. And the money goes to all these different companies instead of going to the artists., which discourages us form putting a lot of money into making a record. Live music is better than recording, but it's also a different art form, it creates a live community. I have to be careful to balance it out. Chvostek will be performing on October 8 with Lake of Stew.