Caracol
It’s was on a snowy winter morning that Carole Facal (a.k.a Caracol) came up with her first muse for « Blanc Mercredi ». In the comfort of her cozy studio, surrounded by her faithful instruments, she wrote interminably... Inspired by winter images, love poems, paintings and Art Deco books, the songs started to rise. French and English lyrics were given beautiful folk, pop, alternative and retro-soul melodies. From this enchanting, slightly chaotic universe, emerged a collection of songs where sophisticated vocal harmonies, resonator guitars, ukuleles, old amplifiers and percussion of all kinds remind you that beauty still exists and that certainties, as rare as they are, are a beautiful thing.
For this second album, Caracol surrounded herself with pretty much the same team as for her first critically acclaimed recording, "L’Arbre aux Parfums" (2008). Produced by Sébastien Blais-Montpetit (Producer of the year 2011 at the ADISQ with Radio Radio and guitarist with DJ Champion) and accompanied by her touring musicians, “Blanc Mercredi” has a family-like spirit. This results in a luminous, authentic and modern album filled with love. Ironic for one whom once had vowed never to write about love!
History
The life of Caracol could certainly be defined as eclectic. Born in Quebec to a Swiss mother and a Uruguayan father, she grew up in a family of music lovers. At the age of 5 she took on the violin and studied the instrument for 12 years. In her teenage years she abruptly decided to leave the family house to embark on a world exploration journey where she could also pursue another passion: snowboarding. For 6 years, thirsty for freedom, in search of mountains and glaciers, she crisscrossed America and Europe to participate in the circuits of "half-pipe" and "big air" competitions.
After a series of injuries, she left everything on a whim, backpack and guitar in hand, for a long trip through Europe. Inspired by the people she randomly met, she wrote her first songs, first in english and spanish, later in french. Music became her new passion.
In 1998 she returned to Montreal and began studies in sound engineering. It is behind the console that she spent the following years. Struggling to overcome her shyness, she continued to write songs in secret, convinced that they would never be heard. A series of lucky events finally brought her to the stage where she started as a back-up signer for various bands before ending in the internationally successful duo DobaCaracol. A huge accomplishment for the girl who always felt unable to sing in public!
With her first solo album, Caracol received the "Radio-Canada Musique REVELATION" title for 2009. The same year, she gave acclaimed performances at NACA (National Association of Campus Activites- Nashville) and South By South West (Austin, Texas), as well as at the Canadian Music Week and at North by North East (Toronto), Rifflandia/Transmission (Vancouver) and at the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (Ottawa). She also won the prestigious SODEC/ RIDEAU European Jury Prize in February (BOURSE RIDEAU), the PRIX MIROIR for "Best Show" at Festival d'Été de Québec and her album is among the JUNO AWARDS 2009 Nominees for "Best Francophone Album of the year". To top it off, she received nominations at the ADISQ 2009 in the "Popular song of the year" category and at the CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC AWARDS in the "Francophone songwriter of the year" category.
Since 2010 she pursued her tours across the world. She has shared the stage with Serena Ryder on a eastern Canadian tour, was invited by the American Folk Alliance for their official showcase, charmed her european fans in March (France/Belgium/Switzerland) and was invited on many Canadian folk festivals. In addition, “L’Arbre Aux Parfums”, released in France and Belgium, now sits proudly on European shelves, has been rated "Coups de Coeur" of the FNAC and has made an impressive entry on the European charts. After playing the Winnipeg Folk festival in june 2011, she was invited to open for The Bangles on the famous Twilight series of the Santa Monica Pier in California. She returned to California for the Quebec-Hollywood showcases in September 2011.
Upcoming for Caracol is a canadian and an european tour to support the release of “Blanc Mercredi”, before heading to Australia in early 2012.