New England Celtic Arts will present La Bottine Souriante founder Yves Lambert and trio at Lakeside Theatre in Rangeley with the Rangeley Friends of the Arts on Wednesday, July 22, and at North Church in Farmington with the Farmington Historical Society on Thursday, July 23. Both shows will begin at 7 p.m.

There will be a pre-show jam session one hour prior to the start of the show in Farmington.

Lambert is a back-country musician whose 36-year career has been full of risks, adventures and challenges. Over time, Lambert has become a veritable patriarch of the revival of Quebec’s musical roots. His personal manner of linking the relevance of his words with anecdotes and his concerns contribute to his great propensity for interpretation. Lambert sings it all, from Groovy Aardvark, a hard rock Quebecois band, to children’s songs by Gilles Vigneault and the blues by Sidney Béchet.

He also supports the poetry of Gaston Miron, all while maintaining his traditional music leadership role in La Bottine Souriante and his Bébert Orchestra. In fact, some Quebec critics portray Lambert as a beacon in the aesthetics of Quebec’s cultural heritage.

It was in 1976 that he founded what became the group La Bottine Souriante, with partners Mario Forest and André Marchand. The group has had a strong impact on the evolution of Quebec’s musical heritage as well as the revival of traditional music.

Lambert contributed to the group’s rise by participating in numerous shows, tours and television programs in Quebec as well as around the world from 1976 to 2003. The Bottine experience led him to share various awards with the group, including three Junos, eight Félix Awards, a BBC Music Award for Traditional Album and Group of the Year, as well as Félix nominations in the following categories: Show of the Year, Group of the Year and Most Successful Artist Outside Quebec.

Lambert, Rondeau and Gauthier experimented with the trio concept during their 23-concert summer circuit tour in Eastern Quebec in 2010. Strongly encouraged by audiences and by the musical challenge, in the fall 2012, the trio delivered an album where the “sound” achieved extraordinary mastery and affirmed the trio’s distinctive personality. Despite only three musicians, none of the sound is lost. The three multi-instrumentalists multiply the decibels as though there were many more members.

Lakeside Theater is located at 2493 Main St.

Tickets are $15 at the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce, 6 Park Road, or by calling 207-864-5571. Tickets are also available for purchase at the door.

North Church is located at 118 High St. in Farmington. To purchase tickets for the Farmington performance, call 207-778-2006.

Reservations are recommended for both locations.

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