REVIEWS
"The key to understanding Josee Allard is that she’s built, born, and destined to entertain. While this reggae/pop song "All Night Long" it’s a departure from what I’ve heard from her in the past, I can personally vouch for the fact that she’s every bit as alluring, enchanting, and entertaining as ever here and that she is a hybrid artist when it comes right down to it."
-Sleeping Bag Studios
"A stunning collection of rich folk-inspired songs."
- The Band Camp Diaries
"With our current social and political climate, tracks such as “Love is All We Need” from her Burning Rain EP aren’t just refreshing, they’re essential.The level of talent combined with the quality of the production isn’t something that we get to hear every day."
- A&R Factory
BIO
Short
Often compared to a female version of Jack Johnson, British Columbia native Josee Allard is a Folk-Pop Singer-Songwriter & multi-instrumentalist who has been living in the Northern Adirondacks, NY for the last 15 years. She released her 7th album “Breaking Down” in 2023 with the Josee Allard Trio (Kevin Glennon & Michael Dufort), and performs regularly with her son Charles Pearce on Bass and Erik Van Yserloo on percussion. No matter the set up, Josee's music is always "Feel Good" with mostly original songs and some covers sprinkled in from Kenny Chesney, Tracy Chapman, Ben Harper & more.... !!!!!
BIO
Long
Josee Allard is a dynamic performer, exuding positive energy and passion at every show she performs. A resident of Merrill, NY in the Adirondack Mountains, she has a natural gift for hooks and melodies and always leaves her audience feeling good and wanting more. Josee has a heartwarming way of relating life experiences through her songwriting, whether it’s falling in love, enjoying a snowy day or supporting a friend through life’s challenges, her guitar, bass or ukulele help her tell the story. And when she breaks out the harmonica, things really start to cook!
Born in British Columbia, Canada, Josee is fluent in both English and French. The Folk-Pop multi-instrumentalist moved to New York State to be closer to the Montreal music scene, captivating both Francophone and Anglo audiences with her powerful performance style and audience interaction. Clever lyrics and song structure, a keen sense of melody, a sixth sense when it comes to a hook and the playing chops to pull it all together make her a popular regional performer, invited back to every venue she plays.
Allard has opened for some big name acts on the Québec music scene including Jean Leloup, leader of the Francophone pop renaissance, and Diane Dufresne, singer of popular Quebec songs. She has won many awards from singing competitions in Canada & the U.S and one of her career highlights was representing Francophone Canada at the Vancouer 2010 Winter Olympics. Most rewarding though has been seeing her son Charles follow in her footsteps as he loves to sing and play music.
When reflecting on her influences, Josee cites fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Sara McLachlan, the pop-rock-country style of Sheryl Crow, and the folk rock, multi-instrumentalist style of Jack Johnson. Her 2014 album, Day by Day, produced by singer-songwriter Pascal Dufour whom she met in Montreal, was well received by the press, calling Josee “the next female version of Jack Johnson”. The pair released a new EP in May 2019, her fifth album, titled Burning Rain, which has been receiving regular airplay all over Canada on CBC as well as independant radio station in the U.S. such as 104.7FM The Point in Burlington, VT and NPR. It features handpicked seasoned musicians from Montreal and five original songs written by Josee, which range in style from folk to pop to country.
In 2020, a collection of 13 new original songs titled "Montreal Solo Acoustic Sessions" was released, which fans quoted to be "Great tunes, works great just vocals & guitar and beautiful words". Songwriting is her biggest passion but especially collaborating with other artists. You can find her name under the song credits for many artists including Star Academie runner up Carolanne D'Astous Paquet and percussionist Elizabeth Blouin-Brathwaite!
Going a little off brand, on her 2021 single "All Night Long" Josee completely changed directions! During the pandemic she decided to invest in studio recording equipment and learn how to use pro tools. Since there were no shows, she wanted to stay creative and keep writing songs but also wanted to take it further! Her friends noticed that when she performs live sometimes she break into a free style rap and improvises something right there on the spot, usually with a Jamaican accent and vibe, which is totally strange because she is a Canadian red head! After the single Josee and her trio recorded a 6 song EP titled "Breaking Down" which came out in April 2023. This EP featured Michael Dufort on percussion and Kevin Glennon on electric guitar and it was recorded and produced by Josee and mixed by Fred Bouchard in Montreal.
She then performed with "Bluebird", a 4 piece Folk-Country band from Malone, NY which was formed in 2024 when her and another female singer-songwriter, Tammy Myatt started jamming together at open mic at Titus Family Mountain. Their signature sound was folky/percussive and their audiences loved their songwriting style and harmonies. Bluebird was invited to perform 4 original songs on PBS Watertown which features Michael Dufort on percussion and later on Pete Sprague joined the group on electric guitar and vocals.
Josee's current project in 2026 includes her son Charles Pearce on bass and Erik VanYsleroo on percussion. It's an upbeat, percussive, feel good sound that leaves a lot of breathing room for Charles to explore different methods and styles on the bass, for 16yrs old he is quite the talent and his creativity knows no bounds. You will hear his unique touch on a mix of original songs from Josee's repertoire like Feet on the Ground, Love is all we need, Falcon, Blue Truck, Chocolate, Come Over Here, Little Wonder, Grand Canyon, Burning Rain, I am more & well known cover songs sprinkled in from Tracy Chapman, Kenny Chesney, Ben Harper & more!!! They are performing all around the North Contry and hopefully branching out towards Vermont and other parts of NY very soon! The studio is booked for Oct & Nov with Les Parker at Trestle Street in Saranac Lake, NY where they will record a hand full of new songs to release in 2027! Stay tuned!!!!
Band members:
Erik Van Yserloo
Erik was born and raised in The Adirondack Mountains. He is a 3rd Generation Drummer and has been playing gigs around the Tri Lakes for over 35 years. Most may know him from his 10 Year Stint with The Irish Band Inisheer. From collaborating with Grammy Award winners to Drum Circle Facilitating and educating students in the area, he is also a proud father to daughter Karley, a 4th Generation VanYserloo Drummer. He first heard Josee Allard perform at The Kate Mountain Music Festival in 2016 and immediately fell in love with her song writing and musical talent.
Charles Paerce
Charles Pearce is Josee's son, he was born in Aacortes, WA but has lived in the Northern Adirondacks most of his life. He is currently 16yrs old and has been playing music since he was a toddler. A couple years ago he started taking bass lessons from local guitarist Kevin Glennon and he started performing with his mom & Erik just this year. He is extrememly creative and talented and adds his own unique touch to every song.