Champion Singer Unleashes Beast

09/04/08 3:39pm

by Erik Leijon (CHARTattack)

MONTREAL — Former Champion vocalist Betty Bonifassi and Plaster drummer Jean-Phi Goncalves had frequently crossed paths in the Montreal music scene, but had never collaborated on a musical project until two years ago. What started as Bonifassi singing over a demo Goncalves was working on has now become Beast, a group whose eponymous debut (set for an Oct. 1 release) will shock anyone who remembers Bonifassi for her previous work with Champion or her vocals on the Academy Award-nominated soundtrack for The Triplets Of Belleville.

"Triplets, Champion and now Beast are like three evolutionary stages," says Bonifassi. "It's not about the style, but about the involvement I had in those three projects.

"With Beast, Jean-Phi and I truly split the responsibilities in half, since I wrote the lyrics and Jean-Phi wrote the music. Personally, I'm involved in this project like I've never been before."

As a professional singer who's used to working on other people's compositions, Beast could be considered the public's first true introduction to Bonifassi as an artist. The francophone wrote all of the lyrics in English with help from Hamilton singer/songwriter Simon Wilcox, and her vocal style mixes rapping with beat poetry.

"I love rap because of how it's meant to always deliver a message," says Bonifassi. "Artists like Talib Kweli and Mos Def speak like true poets of the street. I don't think I'm at that level yet, but we're trying to bring and represent that style here."

Goncalves, who also played drums with Montreal afrobeat group Afrodizz, describes the music as dark and influenced primarily by cinematic imagery.

"The album is a mix of so many different things. To me, the two elements that really stand out are masculine rap with a sense of femininity. It's very arrogant and brash, but soft as well."

With Champion in the rear view mirror and Plaster on hiatus, Bonifassi and Goncalves feel they have a winning combination with Beast. They're especially proud about recording the album by themselves with no money — "just a singer and a producer," says Goncalves — and how their personal touches permeate the record.

"Every build-up, every new thing, we were there catching those vibes together," says Bonifassi. "I've never worked like that before."

Beast are rampaging across Canada for the first time. Unless otherwise indicated, the dates are with You Say Party! We Say Die!:

Sept. 5 Montreal, QC @ Musee D'Art Contemporain De Montreal (Beast only)
Sept. 11 Sherbrooke, QC @ Theatre Granada (Festival De La Rentree) (Beast only)
Sept. 13 Vancouver, BC @ The Pit Pub (University Of British Columbia)
Sept. 14 Whistler, BC @ TBA (Beast only)
Sept. 17 Calgary, AB @ The Gateway (Beast only)
Sept. 18 Edmonton, AB @ Pawn Shop
Sept. 19 Regina, SK @ Lazy Owl Bar & Grill (University Of Regina)
Sept. 20 Winnipeg, MB @ The Royal Albert Arms
Sept. 24 Windsor, ON @ Phog Lounge
Sept. 25 Waterloo, ON @ Starlight
Sept. 26 Toronto, ON @ Wrongbar (Beast only)
Sept. 27 London, ON @ The Salt Lounge
Sept. 28 Ottawa, ON @ Babylon
Oct. 1 Montreal, QC @ Cabaret La Tulipe (Pop Montreal)
Oct. 2 Laval, QC @ Maison Des Arts De Laval
Oct. 3 Sherbrooke, QC @ Le Telephone Rouge (Beast only)
Oct. 4 St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC @ Metric Bar
Oct. 5 Quebec City, QC @ Le Cercle
Oct. 14 Ottawa, ON @ Sufo Bar (Beast only)
Oct. 15 Ottawa, ON @ Algonquin College (Beast only)
Oct. 17 Guelph, ON @ Club Vinyl
Oct. 18 Kingston, ON @ The Grad Club (Queen's University)
Oct. 19 Toronto, ON @ Wrongbar