'Community Music'

You Could Learn a Thing or Two About Folk From Genticorum

How unbelievable would it be if -- just before a rock concert -- a lead guitarist was tuning up and offered an on-the-spot lesson to whomever wanted to learn?

That might not happen in the world of rock, but in folk music it is common and is one factor that drew vocalist Alex de Grosbois-Garand to the genre and led him to create the folk band Genticorum.

Genticorum (pronounced John-tee-cuh-RUM for those of us who didn't take French in high school) was born from de Grosbois-Garand and his two bandmates' love for traditional French-Canadian music that was often played by their families and at holiday parties in their native Canada.

I enjoyed "seeing people from different ages play and sing together," said de Grosbois-Garand, 32. "It's really a community music."

The trio, which also includes Pascal Gemme, 34, and Yann Falquet, 30, will play at Saturday's Winter Celtic Festival in Leonardtown, presented by the Celtic Society of Southern Maryland. There, band members will teach workshops on the fiddle, flute, penny whistle and guitar. De Grosbois-Garand says he enjoys the impromptu lessons in part because the music and instruments can be simple enough for anyone to learn and perform with others.

"I think traditional music is something that, since it is not too complicated, you don't need [formal training] to play it well enough to have fun," he said.

But make no mistake, just because the genre is easy to pick up does not mean Genticorum is a band of novices. The trio has played in more than 15 countries; its second album, "Malins Plaisirs," won the Best Ensemble category at the Canadian Folk Music Awards; and before the band formed, de Grosbois-Garand and Gemme had careers as jazz and metal musicians, respectively. Plus, all three can sing and play multiple instruments: De Grosbois-Garand plays the wooden flute, bass and fiddle; Falquet plays guitar and jaw harp; Gemme plays the fiddle and stomps his feet to contribute yet another rhythm. The result is music that sounds as if it were made by six people, not three.

The band's latest album, "La Bibournoise," was released in April, and the music draws from the band's love for jamming, for drinking songs and for silly stories.

"La Grondeuse Opossum," the first song on the album, is an instrumental tune that originated when the band toured New Zealand. The song, de Grosbois-Garand says, was an attempt to persuade an opossum to leave its burrow above Gemme's room. The ruckus did not deter the opossum, but it did lead to a productive jam session and one of the best toe-tapping tunes on the album.

Other tunes come from traditional French songs that are often centuries old. "Le Moine Blanc" tells the humorous story of a monk whose lover mistakes ink for perfume in the middle of the night while waiting for him. When the startled monk doesn't recognize her covered in black, he calls for the other monks, accidentally exposing his secret relationship.

Genticorum often learns about songs at international music festivals. As in a game of telephone, traditional tunes often have different verses or twists depending on who performs them. All three band members have a hand in piecing together and composing songs, but Pascal often checks with song collector Jean-Paul Guimond (famous in the traditional music community for knowing more than 800 songs) about a song's obscurity.

The trio sings in French but often performs in front of an international audience, so the group is used to explaining a song in English before playing. Still, to enjoy Genticorum's music, one does not need to know the story. The songs are heavy on instrumental interludes and such upbeat jigs are enjoyable no matter what language you speak.

Genticorum Appearing Saturday at the Celtic Society of Southern Maryland's Winter Celtic Festival (Ryken High School, 22600 Camp Calvert Rd., Leonardtown). Workshops from 2 to 4 p.m.; concert at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: Concert only $20, workshops $25, both $40. 301-904-7303 or http://www.cssm.org. The Download: For a sampling of Genticorum's music, check out these tunes at http://www.genticorum.com: From "La Bibournoise": · "La Grondeuse Opossum" · "La Bibournoise" · "Pinson et Cendrouille"