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Arcade Fire may be between albums, but Régine Chassagne has her hands full. Reached in New Orleans, where she and husband Win Butler were hanging out with their new best friends the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (do I smell an upcoming collaboration?) and celebrating Mardi Gras, Chassagne took a moment to talk to the Montreal Gazette about her Haiti relief foundation Kanpe, whose mission is to “help families in extreme poverty achieve financial autonomy.” She also discussed the sold-out fundraiser Kanpe Kanaval, taking place Friday, Feb. 19 at the SAT and featuring guests David Byrne, Rainn Wilson, Saul Williams and, yup, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

On New Orleans:“I’m just enjoying the city and the culture. You can see the Haitian influence; it’s a real, historical influence.”

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On the Preservation Hall Jazz Band: “They came to Haiti with us last summer, to (the village of) Baille Tourible, where Kanpe works. We trekked all the way there, brought instruments and gave them to a youth group. Ben Jaffe, whose father is the founder of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, is a native New Orleanian. He was so moved by what he saw. They welcomed us with an orchestra, using instruments I had brought a few months before and that they had learned to play. We had been driving for hours on this deserted road. We turned the corner and they popped up in front of us, (playing) da-da-da-da on the horns, and we had a second line (parade) to the centre of the village.

“He said he was so moved, it made him feel like it was New Orleans 100 years ago. It was beautiful to see the guys — these New Orleans guys, trading trombone lines with these Haitian players. It was really cool. Music was the language: they were talking to each other in trombone.”

On Arcade Fire and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s second-line parade tribute to David Bowie, Jan. 16 in New Orleans: “I didn’t expect all those people to show up. It was the most moving moment of my life — just the energy. People were really there for David Bowie, out of respect for the art. It was transcending the person; it was a big thank-you for everything he has given.”