Canada's Billy Raffoul Is Rock & Roll's Hottest Import

HOLLYWOOD, CA- You’ve done it again Canada. From Neil Young and Broken Social Scene to Billy Talent and Reignwolf, our northern neighbors keep supplying us with bonafide rock stars. This time? It’s 23-year-old Billy Raffoul. If you appreciate an old school rock-n-roll foundation with soulful Hozier-like singer-songwrier vibes, then this new, up and coming Canadian rocker is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

Opening for blues gal ZZWard, Raffoul was accompanied by amazing fellow musicians, Denmark bassist Line Sorensen and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Justin Zuccato, and not only took the stage of Fonda Theatre but also captured the attention of the typically hard-to-please LA crowd. Fans who came for the headliner, and weren’t familiar with the supporting acts, were buzzing after Raffoul’s performance, asking the person next to them whether they knew who the young artist was that was warming them up.

The music business nowadays isn’t the kindest when it comes to rock and roll or if you aren’t a child star or something, but if you were one of the first to stumble across this Canadian hunks first mainstream single “Driver” when it came out, you immediately hit the “follow” button because you could hear that this young man could be “the next big thing”.

From his seductively raspy vocals to his rocking stage presence to his tender spirited songs, he’s definitely got the goods to captivate. Billy’s stage charisma, appreciation for his live band and old soul shines through in his performance. With festival appearances and continued touring (his next opening slot will be for NEEDTOBREATH), he’s sure to add more followers to his base. With a little bit of good luck, great work ethic and future collaborations with hit makers Julia Michaels and Mike Crossey, the sky seems to be the limit for Raffoul.

Raffoul’s most recent singles, “Difficult” and “Acoustic”, were very well received by the LA audience. Produced by Mike Crossey (The 1975, Wolf Alice), the songs seemed to give a little glimpse into the mood for his forthcoming album. We can expect soulful guitar riffs that you can both rock your or tap into your emotional side with melancholic lyrics.

For the “Dark Four Door” performance Zuccato left his drum set and joined the singer on the guitar and backing vocals. “Dark Four Door” is already a touching composition, but this stripped down arrangement, with its touch of gospel laying over an acoustic guitar, was particularly effective and was at tapping into the audience’s heart.

The Avicii collaboration “You Be Love” was also acoustically performed. The band closed their set with Raffoul’s hit “Driver”. Composition has catchy guitar riff, which is already a successful base for a rock-n-roll hit. “I feel like I’m falling, I’m out on the ocean I’m lost on the road somewhere”, murmurs the singer. You just want to turn the volume all the way up, get in a convertible and speed down the PCH by the ocean.

After the band was done with their set, they left the stage to the cheering of satisfied Angelenos and joined the crowd at the bar so the new and old fans could say, “Hi”. Needless to say there were quite a few young lady fans smitten around this Canadian rock star with the young Eddie Vedder hair. No shame, I was one of them and … no regrets … I got my Billy Raffoul vinyl and a selfie. Something to brag about when he starts headlining his own arena shows …

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