In Haute-Gaspésie, the music scene gives a boost to the local economy

In Haute-Gaspésie, musical culture is in full bloom. And in this remote corner of the country, the actors of the independent scene work together, rather than elbows, to become a real lever of the local economy.

“Culture is the most sustainable of developments!” likes to say Yanik Élément, the founder of La Pointe Sec, a small venue which presents around fifty shows per year in Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis, a Gaspé village of 1000 inhabitants.

In mid-April, three local institutions – La Pointe Sec, the Sea Shack and the Fauve Mauve festival – presented, during a happy hour, their “concerted programming” for the summer season. This year, 370 musicians will meet the public on their stages.

These broadcasters have been developing their programming together for at least two years, explains Mr. Élément. They avoid organizing shows on the same evenings, except at the height of the season, when there are many audiences. And as a general rule, they don’t invite the same artist in a short period of time.

Result: the Haute-Gaspésie MRC – populated by only 11,000 people and with the lowest economic vitality index in Quebec – benefits from a rich and varied musical offering. Both local residents and tourists benefit from it.

La Pointe Sec, founded in 2012, will this year welcome Fred Fortin, Ariane Roy and Safia Nolin, among others. At the festive Sea Shack inn, in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, you can see Population II, Bon Enfant and Mononc’ Serge.

Retombées evident

La Pointe Sec is a workers’ cooperative with three members. In high season, 10 to 15 people work in its restaurant-bar and its 200-seat room. The institution also hosts a documentary film club, a public market and creative residencies.

When a big name gives a show, the restaurants and the village campsite are full, underlines M. Élément. Part of the public comes from Gaspé, Carleton-sur-Mer or Rimouski, and therefore sleeps in Mont-Louis.

“It has become, over time, an incredible economic lever!” rejoices Mr. Element, a musician by training and Gaspésie by birth.

According to a 2022 Culture Gaspésie report, each dollar invested in culture generates a return of $2.04. This return would be higher than that of investments in forestry and fisheries.

Artists’ travel to remote regions such as Gaspésie is made possible thanks to support from the Société de développement des enterprises culturelle (SODEC), a Quebec state corporation.

Alexis Poirier, the founder of the festive Sea Shack inn, has also observed “very big changes” in the musical world of Haute-Gaspésie since he arrived in the region in 2001.

Its inn, which has around 16,000 nights per year, has something to do with it. It puts music at the “heart” of its proposal, he explains. This season, around 35 concerts are presented on a professional outdoor stage, sheltered from the elements.

Mr. Poirier is also the general director of Choc Événements, a non-profit organization founded in 2018 to organize the Ultra Trail des Chic-Chocs, a trail running event in the Gaspé mountains.

A few years ago, the municipality of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts asked Mr. Poirier and Choc Événements to create a music festival. The organization modified its mission and reorganized its board of directors. In 2023, the Fauve Mauve festival was born.

Last year, 7,000 spectators attended this festival, headlined by Les Trois Accords. More than half of the audience came from outside Haute-Gaspésie. The organizers estimated the economic impact at more than $800,000.

“There are just enough people for it to be the funbut not too much so that it is unpleasant, explains Mr. Poirier. There crowd is ultra-festive, everyone is dressed up.”

The fourth edition of Fauve Mauve will be held this year from July 9 to 12. Among the headliners are Québec Redneck Bluegrass Project, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Klô Pelgag and Ariane Roy.

The excitement of the Haute-Gaspésie music scene attracts not only tourists, but also people who settle in the region and develop projects there, underlines Mr. Poirier. “It brings a breath of fresh air!â€

Yanik Element observes the same phenomenon. Many young people are moving to Mont-Louis, attracted by the culture and nature. “The new generation is more interested in cultural vitality than in the state of the roads,” he notes.