Sylvain St-Amour & Law Men - The OP Project
A chill wind blows; a leaf floats to the street.
A shot rings out. A brother is down.
Red is the leaf that flows at his feet.
In loving memory, heard is a sound.
The O.P. Project is an all "cop" musical venture. Police officers communicate their experiences and perceptions of the world with their passion for music. You get a glance from our vantage point, in a complex world where the stakes are often high and diversity of our communities are ever present. "Angel in Blue" is the outcome of our first series of recording sessions. A tribute song to our Brothers and Sisters Fallen in the Line of Duty.
We are all living in the Province of Quebec in Canada. Daniel Benoit is an investigator with the major crime unit for the Montreal Police department and a great guitar player. André Desveaux, is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as well as the singer of the band. Sébastien Lamarche is the only civilian of the Bunch and plays bass. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who joined the Montreal Police department 20 yrs ago. I am a use of force instructor and play harmonica. At the end of a hard day of work, we trade our guns for our instruments. Then, we get together at night and compose songs.
Sylvain on your left, victim on your right!
As far as I’m concerned, "I am a French-Canadian from the province of Quebec, born and raised in one of the toughest parts of Montreal, Canada. My Mom and Dad were hard-working parents, they got divorced when I was ten. I have two brothers, I stand right in the middle. I was always ending up in fights. I was the rowdy type of young lad. Most of my school friends are surprised to learn that I am not in prison and even more surprised that I ended up being a cop. I would say that my military service saved me," Sylvain reveals, and this saint of love lives up to his name, sending out his call to the fallen for them to rise up from the streets and be remembered.
"I’m a cop who is so sensitive that he has the urge of singing out to communicate his experiences and perceptions of the world through his harmonica. The instrument chose me one night, while attending a concert. I immediately knew that the harmonica and I would have a long lasting relationship. I have always wanted to be in perfect harmony with my instrument so I could add my harmonicas to music and lyrics. Over the years, I felt the urge of leaving the traditional musical path that many tend to identify to the harmonica. The great value of freedom of expression, that is so dear to everyone but so difficult to set in motion, is also very important to the musician. In order to express myself musically, in a free and honest way, I hobbled towards various musical horizons. Latino and African sounds blend in perfectly with my playing while the main melody remains occidental. The influence of rock guitarists is very present in my music. The dynamic of the songs are very guitar oriented.
My musical project is based on diversity and emotion. Life has showered me with many pleasant surprises. One of them was a short detour in Western Canada where I lived for 3 years. Over there, I fell in love with the magnificent Prairies. That particular landscape was everything a freedom freak like me could ever hope for . The never-ending horizon, the constant winds, the wheat fields that turn into a blond ocean on windy days and the breath-taking sunsets , were all settings that greatly inspired me.
My first album "Café des solitudes" is an all out harmonica project : the soft bellows of the harmonicist who refuses the institutionalization of his instrument. Diversity and emotion are the driving forces of my playing and subsequently the core of the album.
I'm a "RONIN" since I have no allegiance to any styles.
Versión francesa:
L’instrument m’a choisi un soir ou j’étais allé voir un spectacle. J’ai su à ce moment que l’harmonica et moi ferions un long voyage ensemble. J’ai toujours voulu arriver au point où je me sentirais en complète harmonie avec mon instrument et ce, afin de me mettre, ainsi que mes harmonicas, au service d'une mélodie.
Au fil des ans, le goût de sortir des sentiers musicaux traditionnels, dans lesquels plusieurs ont tendances à positionner l’harmonica, s’est fait sentir. Cette grande valeur qu’est la liberté d’expression, si chère à tous et si difficile à assumer, l’est tout aussi pour le musicien.
Le juste équilibre entre l’expression musicale et le harassement du sens auditif de ses voisins mène vers la recherche d’une harmonie qui permet l’expression aux frontières de ma zone de confort. Afin de pouvoir m’exprimer musicalement, de façon honnête et en toute liberté, j’ai clopiné vers divers horizons musicaux.
À travers cette démarche, qui par moment s’apparentait plus à une cavale, le soliste s’est transformé en mélodiste. Ma signature sonore a mûri vers un phrasé musical à tendance véloce et une tonalité cristalline. Les saveurs latines et africaines teintent parfois mon jeu d’un son vaporeux et l’attaque du phrasé est typiquement occidentale. L’influence des guitaristes rock est omniprésente dans mon son. Conséquemment la dynamique de mon jeu est très « guitaristique ». Mon projet musical se fonde donc sur la diversité et l'émotion.
La vie m’a fait de merveilleuses surprises. Une de celles-ci est ce court détour où j’ai vécu 3 ans dans l'Ouest canadien. Là-bas, je suis tombé éperdument amoureux des majestueuses prairies. Cette géographie est faite sur mesure pour un assoiffé de liberté comme moi. L’horizon sans fin, l‘omniprésence du vent, les champs de blé qui se transforment en océan blond par grandes brises et les couchers de soleil totalement hallucinants ont exacerbé une sensibilité bien musicale.
La sortie de mon premier album "Café des solitudes" est le doux rugissement d'un harmoniciste en quête de son Graal.
Bref, je suis un "RONIN" car je n'ai d'allégeance à aucun style.