Dylan Devoe’s latest single comes with a history lesson built right into it. With elements of folk, rock and a Celtic-style blues lick, Devoe blazes through a darker moment in Atlantic Canadian history with the story of “The Battle of Louisbourg.”
1758 falls tidily at the tail end of the French Colonial era of Atlantic Canada, and that certainly wasn’t due to a simple loss of interest. Instead, it wrapped up over two centuries of history in what was Nouvelle France with the conclusion of the Seven Year’s War, beginning with the capture of Louisbourg (1758), the capture of Quebec (1759) and finally with Montreal surrendering to Major General Jeffery Amherst, with all of New France along with it in 1760.
As with all wars, it had many dark moments, and its heroes were not all that savoury. Amherst, in particular, could be especially brutal.
Devoe paints a picture for us with the tolling of a bell and the marching of an army before launching in with a Celtic style blues lick, and the tale of the siege at Louisbourg.
“The song was inspired by my recording experience at Broken Clock Studios in Louisbourg,” explains Devoe. “The song wasn’t intended to be on the album but after driving to Louisbourg every day to record and seeing that epic fortress in the background of the village, I knew I had to write about it!”
“The song’s lyrics tell the story of Major General Amherst who led his army into battle in hopes of capturing Quebec, the first stop being the French Colonial village of Louisbourg. I actually did some research and readings, took the tour over on the fortress grounds to get further knowledge and inspiration. Amherst, who they called Lord of the Seven Years’ War, was really a bad apple, so the song is actually highlighting the evil villain.”
Devoe spent extra time at the fortress not only doing extra research, but also recruiting for a little bit of authenticity on the record. There’s a marching snare, just at the line where he sings “Major General Amherst, Lord of the Seven Years War,” that has been performed by Michael Spawn, who works at the fortress, and regularly performs there in full costume.
The song is also lent some gravitas by having both Devoe and Travis Morrison, the studio’s owner/engineer and percussionist, stomping along the old wooden stairs inside the studio.
“We did it over and over again to make it sound like an actual army,” adds Devoe.
“The Battle of Louisbourg” is set to appear on WORDS & SOUNDS, the upcoming album from Dylan Devoe. The album is set for release on November 26th, 2021.