Rémi-Pierre Paquin's cultural refuge list: from comment debord to Gab Bouchard

After wrapping his radio job, Rémi-Pierre Paquin is heading to the studio to record a podcast with David Savard and Pierre-François Legendre while performing in a play at the TNM through June 28. But in between, he's sharing the cultural spots that sustain him.

At the top of his list is comment debord, a seven-piece Quebec band led by songwriter Rémi Gauvin that melds funk, groove, and rock with poetry-driven lyrics about everyday life. Paquin has seen them at least four times and keeps their vinyl records at his chalet.

For solo artists, he's taken to Gab Bouchard, a musician from Saint-Prime in the Lac-Saint-Jean region who built his own studio locally. "His music is simple and efficace," Paquin says, praising the authenticity that cuts through the manufactured sound of some newer artists.

When it comes to regional venues, Paquin lights up talking about the Salon Wabasso, a 200-seat music room housed inside the Trou du diable, a microbrewery occupying an old textile factory in Shawinigan. The programming is sharp—Manu Militari, Qualité Motel, Marie Céleste, Mononc Serge among the lineup. "It has so much soul," Paquin says. "It's one of the places where I've seen my most beautiful shows."

A recent discovery: poet and author Jean-Christophe Réhel, whom Paquin stumbled upon reciting on ICI Première's "Il restera toujours la culture". "He sidéré me," Paquin recalls. He's since bought two of Réhel's novels and placed the poetry collection "La fatigue des fruits" on his bedside table.

On screen, Paquin devoured "Bienvenue à Kingston-Falls", Robin Aubert's darkly comic series with standout cinematography and arresting performances from Maxime Le Flaguais—who, Paquin notes with a smile, carries something of his father Michel Côté's theatrical presence.