Further details have been revealed for the Kickstarter campaign launched to erect a statue of Canadian progressive sci-fi metal innovators Voivod's founding guitarist, Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, in Jonquière, Quebec, the group's hometown.
In order to pay the ultimate tribute to one of the most original metal guitarists in history, three friends: one artist in visual arts, a musician and a metal journalist are united in order to create this amazing project: a statue to commemorate the talent of Denis “Piggy” D’Amour.
Fred Laforge, a well-known visual artist in the province of Quebec proposes a sculpture, a sci-fi statue of Denis d’Amour, aka Piggy. Using the technique of the strata/stratum (or layers), it is the same technique used by the artist in order to create the Joe Malone (of the Quebec’s Bulldogs hockey team) sculpture, that is erected at Place Jean-Béliveau in Quebec City.
The artist really like to disfigure and distort his subjects. He is totally into the optical side of arts and it’s with this vision on things that he created the model for the sculpture. Away and Snake, original members of Voïvod, visited the artist in his workshop in order to understand the vision of Laforge.
“I find it quite sci-fi. At first glance, I found it amazing for sure! It’s quite amazing at a technical level to see how well it's modeled.” - Michel “Away” Langevin.
“His posture represents a kind of inner well-being which emanates from his music and that's exactly what I see.” - Denis “Snake” Bélanger.
You can watch the video below:
In order to be able to launch the project correctly, the trio has launched a Kickstarter campaign, with the help of some well-known “ambassadors” from the metal world and beyond. People that pay a donation, they’ll have the opportunity to be a part of Voivod history by having their name engraved on one of the aluminum strata (or layers) that are used to create the sculpture. This is a way to be a part of the project, for eternity.
They invite all metalheads, Voïvodians and everyone who’s a fan of public art to participate, in a way or another to this project by donating to the Kickstarter campaign. The Piggy Monument Team want to achieve this project and be able to pay tribute to this amazing guitar player that inspired a lot of other musicians.
The final step for this project will be the unveiling of the sculpture in Jonquière (Saguenay), birthplace of Voïvod, in 2023.
The Team Behind The Project:
Hugo Lachance - Hugo Lachance is the drummer for WD-40, a rock-country-punk band from Saguenay. He is also an art teacher and a visual artist, creating videos for musicians established in the province of Quebec.
Fred Laforge - Fred Laforge is a doctorate in art (studies and practices) at Université du Québec à Montréal. His works are well-known in Canada, even elsewhere. He has done several expositions, all around the world
Yanick Tremblay - Yanick Tremblay is a metal journalist. He has written for several publications like BangBang, Voir, Boulevard Brutal and now, he is at the head of ArsMediaQc.com. He is also a school principal and a teacher.
The Ambassadors: Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), Bill Kelliher (Mastodon), Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Fenriz (Darkthrone), Grutle Kjellson (Enslaved), Mirai Kawashima (Sigh), Jeff Becerra (Possessed), Luc Lemay (Gorguts), King Fowley (Deceased), Michael Amott (Arch Enemy) Annick Giroux (Temple of Mystery Records/Cauchemar), Mille Petrozza (Kreator), Fabien Cloutier (Actor/comedian), Marie-Joanne Boucher (Actress), Vincent Peake (Groovy Aardvaark/GrimSkunk), Mc Gilles (Comedian/Host), Samuel Archibald and Stéphane Larue (Authors), Michelle Ayoub (Owner of Turbo Haus), Jason Rockman (Slaves on Dope/Radio host), Matt McGachy (Cryptopsy/Vox and Hops podcast) and J.N…
Follow the Facebook page of Piggy Monument to watch exclusive videos from the ambassadors! They talk about their passion for Voivod, the fact that Piggy was an influence on them and even more!
Contribute to the Piggy Monument project here.
To contact the Piggy Monument Team, you can reach them at klimbo666@hotmail.com.
Voivod have announced North American tour dates for this coming June in support of the band's new album, Synchro Anarchy. The tour will kick off in Trois Rivieres, Quebec on June 1 with 14 dates to follow and will wrap up on June 19 in Boston, MA. All ticket info and links can be found here.
Michel "Away" Langevin (drums) comments on the tour: "At last! After more than two years without touring, we are finally hitting the road in June 2022 in North America. We are thrilled to play the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest, It will also be exciting for us to play songs from Synchro Anarchy for the first time live! We can’t wait to see our old Voïvodian friends again and meet some new ones. See you then!"
Tour dates:
June
1 - Trois Rivieres, QC - L’Entité
2 - Ottawa, ON - Bronson Centre Music Theatre
3 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
4 - London, ON - The Music Hall
5 - Detroit, MI - Small’s
6 - Chicago, IL - Reggie’s
8 - Huntington, WV - The Loud
9 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
10 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Decibel Magazine Metal and Beer Festival (There will be a Voivod beer)
11 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Crafthouse
14 - Buffalo, NY - Rec Room
15 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
17 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
18 - Liverpool, NY - Sharkey’s
19 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
August
12 - Belgium - Alcatraz Festival
Voivod is:
Denis “Snake” Belanger (vocals)
Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain (guitar)
Dominic “Rocky” Laroche (bass)
Michel “Away” Langevin (drums)
