There’s even a beer with the group’s logo, says its leader PL Gravel, handing us a copy. It will be officially launched Saturday in collaboration with the Brasserie Port-Alfred, in La Baie, where the quartet will perform shortly after 11 p.m., as aafter at the Port Alfred Cult.
And if this hoppy beverage bears the name of Zero 3/4, you shouldn’t expect to come across any crushed stone between two sips. This name, the guitarist and singer will tell you, simply refers to his last name: Gravel. While summarizing well the musical universe in sandpaper that he offers with his musicians.
The group welcomed The Daily in his rehearsal room, for an interview and a small private show. (Tom Core/Le Quotidien)
We’ll call it “stoner rock”, for short. But all the members grew up in the punk school, before broadening their respective horizons towards other abrasive styles. Resulting today in a mixture of diverse influences, which can be heard well on this first album, La Machinelaunched in June.
«Germain [Bourgeois] and me, we’re more into heavy metal,” PL Gravel begins, pointing to his guitarist, whom he’s known for over three decades. “I’ve been listening to it since I was 9 years old. Black metal, death metal, grindcore. Anything that screams, I like it.”
Drummer Dominic Roy nods, confirming a shared taste for heavy chords. While bassist Pascal Girard adds: “I listen to a lot of stoner, rock. I like Fuudge, Fred Fortin, anything regional.”
“And yes, I like the Beatles too. Who doesn’t?” he adds as a plea, after being teased about a supposed affection for the British group.
Relaxed
This relaxed atmosphere, palpable in the Chicoutimi-Nord garage where Zéro 3/4 is used to rehearsing, is reflected in the songs of the first opus. Because the one who composes them likes to add a touch of humor to his lyrics. Even when the subject is more serious.
“I felt more comfortable writing in French with this project, because it’s more like me. It’s more humorous. I’m a little clown, we’re all clowns here. We often went with truths. For example, I have a song that talks about mental illness, because I have one, and I thought it was important to talk about it. But there are other songs that are just as innocent as Crink le bidet” explains PL Gravel, pointing to a nearby bidet with which he and his companions spray the audience, in a show.
The singer, who became known with a solo folk project, and through the group Soul of Darkness, in his other musical lives, speaks of an equally assumed lightness in this collaboration with Sylvain Séguin of Dales Hawerchuk.
“We made the song Westcottwho talks about the guys from shopthe mechanics and the electricians who argue all the time. Sylvain is more of a mechanic, I’m an electrician, so we thought it was funny to do this together. When I left the [Studio] House of Gain, right after I went up to his place, we recorded it in his kitchen, with a little beer at 10:30 in the morning,” he laughs.
With a few exceptions, however, the songs always have an undertone of seriousness, the composer will tell you, assuring you that the title of the album La Machine refers to our current society. Sometimes too demanding, too capitalist, and not human enough for his taste. “My seriousness, I convey it through humor. The message gets across better that way. At the time, it makes you laugh, but afterwards it lets ideas germinate.”
“Surprising” reception
What is also serious is the musical project that Zero 3/4 wants to be, the reception of which has been “surprising” for several months, mosh pit in support at the launch in June.
Moreover, the group hopes to see more of them soon. Whether it’s this Saturday night, during the launch of its vinyl and beer at the Brasserie Port-Alfred, on October 12 at the Pub Le Laser in Saint-Honoré, on the occasion of a double bill with the group Cosmic, or on November 30 at La Nuit des Temps, as the opening act for Dales Hawerchuk.
Then there’s this other event on the horizon, in the coming days in La Baie, as PL Gravel and the group’s manager, Cyndie Girard, are actively looking to find an alternative to the cancelled Sum 41 show, through their production company Jack 1/4.
“I already have several other songs written,” continues PL Gravel, even mentioning a possible return to the studio in the winter, with a view to a second album. “It’s going to be a lot more raw,” he warns.
