August 29, 2008
Sala Rosa
Montreal

Opening with the acapela version of What The River Gave the Boat’s “Yebo Mama,” a heart-wrenching ode to the African land where Berube spent his childhood and the affluence of its king whom he witnessed presiding over a land of people living in abject poverty, Mark Berube and the Patriotic Few (now a four member band but who’s counting?) turned La Sala Rossa inside out with one of the most soulful hours this city has seen in a long time. Growing up a professor’s son on campuses in Swaziland during the 80’s when just hours away in neighbouring South Africa the grips of apartheid were at their tightest has certainly informed Berube’s music, but his ability to craft a song keeps it from being pedantic. There are amazing musical instincts at work in Berube’s music, both lyrically and in the compositions. He baits the audience with a soft and capitivating vocal arrangement only to progress to earth shattering builds with a highly skilled, rhythm heavy band with equally adept instincts. Berube certainly has the skill both vocally and instrumentally to overplay, he translates that power into conservative and well thought-out timing and goes straight for the jugular when you least expect it. What sets Berube apart from the herd is that when he sings, you know that he believes what he is singing. He may well be the white Stevie Wonder and he certainly has the soul to prove it, as few people will silence a venue full of long-weekend partiers to hushes with their voice alone. The conceptual follow-up to “What The River Gave the Boat,” entitled, “What the Boat Gave the River” has just been released. And if there’s any answer to what it was that boat did give to the river, it’s probably a vocalist unmatched in Canada and a powerhouse band with the breadth and longevity to transcend current trends and current frontiers. If you haven’t heard of Mark Berube and the Patriotic Few by now, don’t worry. You will.

Sydney S. Pistol

from 2007…

L’Inspecteur Epingle
October 24, 2007
Montreal
Fingers & Glover

Montreal Police are currently on the lookout for a known arsonist named Mark Berube. Berube was last seen last night setting fire to a local tavern called L’Inspecteur Epingle. It is unknown if Berube chose to set fire to this local precinct as an act of provocation but authorities believe he is sure to strike again. Interpol and the RCMP have combined resources to hunt down Berube who has ignited a series of fires across Europe and Canada this past year. Witnesses describe Berube as a cross between Tom Waits and Rufus Wainwright but with far more aggressive songwriting and performance style not seen since the likes of Bruce Springsteen. Berube’s modas operandi seldom differs: he comes disguised as a folk singer, then, with eerily falling chord progressions does he reveal the beast lurking in the tall grass. There is a truly underground sound emerging here; his music denotes the monster beneath the surface of fame ready to ignite the music world with a style cultivated over a tireless decade of touring and recording.
Berube’s sound is threatening, menacing, and yet retains a certain tenderness which erupts in an ivory fire with crushing rhythms accompanied by a delicately haunting bass and string section. Born in Canada and raised in Swaziland, Berube moves like a lion, stalking his prey from the shadows, then moving in for the final kill. If you can see one show up close before it costs you an arm and a leg, do so. This may be the closest you come to a lion