Sluice - 1888

SLUICE BRINGS 19TH CENTURY ACADIAN DISPATCHES TO LIFE WITH NEW VIDEO, “L’ANNÉE DES TROIS HUITS”

Ahead of two showcases at the East Coast Music Awards: Festival & Conference (ECMAs) this May, Acadian powerpop band SLUICE unveils a music video for “L’année des trois huits.” Watch it HERE or above.

“L’année des trois huits” is the latest radio single from Sluice’s sophomore album, Archiviste – a collection of stories about the history of Acadian communities in Southwestern Nova Scotian called Par-en-Bas written during a series of research residencies at the Argyle Township Court House & Archives in Tusket, NS. 

The idea for the song was developed after reading A History of Wedgeport Nova Scotia by Donald W. Jacquard. In his history of this Acadian village, which is one of many in the region of Par-en-Bas, Jacquard writes: “Year 1888 is well remembered in Wedgeport’s oral history as the ‘Year of the Three Eights’ (L’année-des-trois-huits). The severity of the 1888 winter distinguishes that year from the others, and in that respect it was not a typical year.”

“From there, I wanted to find the primary sources to corroborate this oral tradition,” explains Sluice’s Trevor Murphy. “I found old editions of l’Évangéline – a French-language newspaper founded in Nova Scotia that was published from 1887 to 1982 – on microfiche at the archives and looked for articles specifically from the year 1888. At that time, l’Évangéline published small columns from each village if there was news to pass – dispatches from the communities. I honed in on columns from 1888, particularly writings from Tusket-Wedge (the previous name for Wedgeporn) and other villages in Par-en-Bas.”

The lyrics were, in large part, taken directly from these Évangeline columns – sometimes word for word. 

The story behind the song has piqued the interest of journalists and radio broadcasters across the country. It has been featured on ICI Musique’s L’Effet Pogonat and was named Son de la semaine (Sound of the Week) by the show Nouveaux sons.

The video was directed and edited by Toronto’s Stephan Macleod with additional footage provided by Shawn Bourque of Greenlight Studios and Jesse Macleod.

On the heels of this new video & radio single, Sluice announces a series of performances in Atlantic Canada including a special ‘Songs & Stories-meets-TedTalk’ acoustic presentation at the Argyle Township Courthouse & Archives. Dates are as follows:
 
May 03 – Charlottetown, PE @ Trailside Music Hall (ECMA Showcase)
May 04 – Charlottetown, PE @ Charlottetown Beer Garden (ECMA Showcase)
May 15 – Tusket, NS @ Argyle Township Courthouse & Archives (Acoustic show)
June 08 – Pubnico, NS @ West Pubnico Legion
Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top