ARTIST FEATURE: PONTEIX
Eliot ‘J. Alfred Prufrock’ turn by saying but there’s always something there right behind me that I’m running from / maybe it’s the man I’m scared, that I’m scared to become / and I’m always trying to find satisfaction but it never comes.
Listeners have an immediate sense of the narrator’s emotional duality, like trying to look comfortable at a family dinner while wearing a gaudy, itchy, too small sweater made for you as a present from your favourite aunt.
Lyrically, Lepage creates a story, guiding listeners through this emotional voyage, creating another character as a guide, “Boy when I was young / I was chasing the sun.” This new voice offers advice saying “you’re never gonna lose your mind / you’re never gonna live your life / you’re never gonna lose your head / if you don’t try / if you don’t try,” the ana- phoric phrase becoming a mantra of hope, a beacon of light turning one away from an emotionally jagged, rocky shore.
The tune is groovy and hypnotic, danceable and meaning- ful, a diary you find in a box of old books in the attic that has a mix tape of favourite mid-‘80s Euro-pop, alt. rock and resurgent funk taped to it with brittle, unevenly torn mask- ing tape.
Directed, shot, and edited by Montreal-based filmmaker Nichola Marakas, the video for “Chasing the Sun” is a crown- ing achievement for any band, let alone an independent, Fransaskois band. Filmed in Montreal, with live performance footage shot outdoors under a beautiful Saskatchewan sky, it is a twelve minute epic following characters as they work their way through their different struggles, trying to find balance, sharing different perspectives on same stories.
Inspired by Kayne West’s short film “Runaway,” Chasing the Sun is an immersive experience, melding cinema and music without one genre interfering or colliding with the other. Short scenes and artistic shots are put together, around, and in-between the track, the video not being an afterthought and the song not losing its importance. Much like their audiences, the video is a symbiotic experience of mutual inspirations.
The process of creating the video speaks to the quality, and eagerness, of support Ponteix receives from professionals in the industry. Marakas had filmed a Ponteix performance at a Montreal music festival and the next day, over bagels, Lep- age simply asked if Marakas would shoot a video for them.
“He seemed very enchanted with our music and how we made it,” says Lepage. Marakas quickly accepted as long as
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he had “carte blanche’, a cre- ative blank canvas to develop his ideas. Lepage said yes and allowed Marakas to pick his song of choice.
Ponteix obviously trusted Mara- kas’ abilities as a filmmaker. “He didn’t show us anything until the very end. He paid his way out to Saskatchewan to film the little bits that we’re in, (and) filmed the rest in Montreal with one camera.”
“He is an extremely under- rated filmmaker in Montreal,” Logan notes. “He is constantly working on other projects like ours - short story, 12 to 15 minute long music videos. He is currently working on a series to pitch to a major streaming service.”
When asked to describe their sound, Logan and Lepage make random hand slaps and frenetic gestures. “Can you quote that?” Laughter ensues as various combinations of gestures and facial expressions can adequately describe the band’s “sound”. With a band of three songwriters and skilled musicians, Ponteix is growing as they create, letting each other’s voices shape and control the sound, allowing each member to experiment and influence the music.
Given the progressive, folk, rock centred sound, Logan de- scribes Ponteix as “A sparkly, earthy MDMA experience. You are a product of everything that you listen to, and that can be a huge range of different things.”
Listeners of the new EP “J’Orage” will be introduced to a neo-progressive, ambient rock, ethereal toned sound, mellow with purpose, driving yet casual. Each song is richly arranged and shares common tonal elements with diverse execution and original lines.
“Ghosts” opens with a swell of synth, syncopated rhythms, and a compound time signature/mixed meter feel. Vocally, there is a lush melody line braving extended interval jumps and differing accentuation. Riffy guitar with sparse fills and
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