In summer 2023, Katherine Bergeron and Butch Rovan move back to Providence, Rhode Island, after a decade living away, and the homecoming inspires them to start writing songs again. By the following spring, they have enough material to do something. Reflecting on the many albums of original songs they produced for their students over the years, they decide to give their own songs the same treatment, and in summer 2024, they go into the studio to record, mix, and master ten new songs, self-producing what will become Chalumeau's debut album, BLUE. Katherine plays keys and sings both lead and background vocals, and Butch plays everything else—drums, bass, guitar, and horns—while also mixing and mastering the whole project. It is a total labor of love. In October 2024, they begin releasing the songs as singles, one per month, before bringing out the full collection in August 2025, complete with a live performance at Rhode Island’s legendary rock club The Met. Jordan Ruiz, of Coast2Coast Sounds, calls BLUE “one of the most thoughtful and emotionally resonant debut albums of the year.”

The album release is a turning point. Whereas most musicians will form a band and then eventually realize they want to make an album, Chalumeau makes an album and then realizes it's time to form a band. So by fall 2025, they refocus their efforts and end up with some amazing new partners who are bringing Chalumeau's unique sound to the Rhode Island music scene. The band now boasts an intergenerational—and international—roster of seasoned professionals and newer talent, among them: Rhode Island Music Hall of Famers Marty Ballou (bass) and Rick Couto (drums), Bill Jette (guitar and lap steel), Carlo Ostuni and Harry Qin (alto saxes), Laurie Schaeffer and Nina Sethanandha (background vocals and keys), Butch (guitar, clarinet, and tenor sax), and Katherine, aka Chalumeau (lead vocals and keys). Now well on their way toward a second album, the band has earned a reputation for not only packing a stage but also packing the house during their high-octane, not-to-be-missed live shows. As Motif magazine says: “if you get a chance to hear Chalumeau perform live, jump on it!”