Ones2Watch Home

Photo Credit: Alyssa Yung

Deep gravelly voice. Long luscious locks. There's something hypnotic about Billy Raffoul's live performance and we couldn't be more in love with this ingenious singer songwriter. Beginning his songwriting career at the young age of 10, Raffoul has truly been destined to make music. Some might even say it runs in his blood. With Canadian rock legend Jody Raffoul as a father, young Billy was bred to perform. To create. To inspire. And he definitely has.

This Canadian has been stealing hearts across America as he travels alongside Parachute on 'The Young Tour.' From the couple who traveled to Los Angeles from Nashville to hear Raffoul perform their favorite songs to the young family who came from Arizona to experience the magic, we were lucky enough to be amongst a crowd of Raffoul fanatics. After our knees went a little too weak from his lovely performance, we got to catch up with Raffoul right after he rocked, well acoustically rocked, the iconic Troubadour.  

Two years after we sat down with him to discuss his debut single, "Driver," which is still a bop if you ask us, we got to sit down with Raffoul once again. Soundtracked by the sweet sounds of Parachute, we talked about tour, his debut album, and fitting three months of clothes into a tiny backpack.  

OTW: How has this tour been so far?

Billy Raffoul: Haha! You can hear them talking about me. It's been a great tour. I'm so lucky to be on the road with Parachute. And it's so extensive. It's like 40+ dates. We've been to a lot of rooms that we've been before, which is cool because we see some familiar faces and we've gained some fans in those same exact places. They've also taken us to some places that we've never been before, which has been so cool.

OTW: Has there been a favorite city that you've visited?

BR: We've had some amazing crowds in surprising places! Uncasville, Connecticut was insane. I wasn't expecting their energy. And of course New York, but traveling everywhere with Parachute has been great.

OTW: What has been the best moment on tour so far?

BR: There's been a whole bunch, so many special things. We were opening the show in Sacramento a couple nights ago and I realized that there were a lot of people out there to see me. That was really cool because they were singing along to all of the songs. I played a song that I normally don't include in the set, called "Forever," and I stopped in the middle of the chorus and they just kept on singing. It was crazy, especially being the opener.

Photo Credit: Alyssa Yung

OTW: With all these people coming to see you, what has been your craziest fan experience?

BR: Oh man. We've had some people fly from overseas to come to the shows, which is fucking crazy. We were in Washington and there were these two girls that had flown in from Vienna. Well, one from Vienna and one from somewhere in Germany just for the show. It's not the first time that's happened. It's happened a bunch, which is crazy. It's nuts! I feel bad! In the middle of this tour we did two headlining shows up in Canada, in Toronto and Montreal. And again, a couple people had flown in from Germany to see my show.

OTW: Do you have any plans for your own headline tour?

BR: Absolutely! If not at the end of this year, then at the beginning of next year. It'll accompany the album.

OTW: Oooh! When's the album coming out?

BR: Hopefully this calendar year.

OTW: That's so exciting. What can we look forward to on this album?

BR: You know I've been putting out music that's a lot of different genres. I think with the album it's going to be some of the most organic stuff I've ever released. Kind of like my last release, "Easy Tiger."

OTW: If there's a color that you can set to this album, what would you choose and why?

BR: Definitely something a little more somber and sad. I think a lot of the single art that we've put out so far has been black and white and I think that's definitely something fitting for the music. Gray maybe. Gray with flashes of purple.

OTW: Looking back on "Driver," how has your sound evolved since you first started out in music?

BR: It's definitely changed. I think "Driver" was just one shade of what I want to do. I love rock and roll. I love dirty guitar sounds and garage rock. We tried to put some of that into "Driver." I don't think it's changed much, but we're starting to show different faces of the music. "Driver" is just one of those things that I know I'll go back to putting out songs like it in the future, but right now it's more pulled back, live, and acoustic.

Photo Credit: Alyssa Yung

OTW: Do you enjoy performing acoustic the most?

BR: Oh yeah. This tour has been a dream. I love playing with my band as well, but I never want to get too comfortable so I like to change it up.

OTW: How do you even pack for tour?!

BR: I have a backpack. My girlfriend bought it for me, it's got the Canada flag on it, and if it doesn't fit in the bag it isn't coming on tour.

OTW: All 40 dates! In one bag?

BR: Oh yeah it's tiny. It's hilarious. That's why in a lot of my photos on stage I'm wearing the same shirt.

Photo Credit: Alyssa Yung

OTW: Lastly, who are your Ones To Watch?

BR: Oh jeez. I'm just going to plug my friends because I love my friends and they're great. I played with this amazing duo Cinzia and The Eclipse in Montreal. They opened for us and she has the most lovely voice and she blew us away. Chase was a great guitar player as well. In addition to them, my whole family basically. My dad Jody and my brother Peter. Also, my drummer Justin has a side project, The Indiana Drones, and they're great. Their music is amazing. You can find his music on Spotify and iTunes. Also Windsor Ontario, Same Place We Were Born. I went to high school with him and growing up I was always looking up to him. The writing and the sound is incredible. He records all the music and plays all the instruments. It's just great, great punk rock.

Be sure to fall head over heels in love with this raspy rocking virtuoso as he completes 'The Young Tour' at the dates below: