Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Band Spotlight: Les Cowboys Fringants


History: Not too much is known about the beginnings of Les Cowboys Fringants. The group recorded their first album, 12 Grandes chansons, in 1997.

Years Active: 1997-2007 (Currently on one year hiatus)

Members:
Karl Tremblay - Vocals
J.F Pauze - Guitar
Marie-Annick Lepine - Alternative Instruments
Jerome Dupras - Bass Guitar
David Jesperson - Trombone

Label: La Tribu

Genre: Neo-trad (Quebec alt-folk)

Musical Style: Les Cowboys Fringants play a minimalist type of folk music. In their music, Les Cowboys encompass topics such as Quebecois culture, politics, and art.

Best Album: La Grande-Messe (2004)

Top Songs:
"La Reine"
"Les Etoiles Filantes"
"8 Secondes"

Influenced By: Renaud, Pierre Brault, Robert Charlebois

Sample Song - "La Reine"

On n’avait jamais su de quel pays qu’a v’nait
Ni meme l’âge qu’a l’avait ou comment qu’a s’appelait
Mais tout l’monde la surnommait La Reine
Dans l’bout d’la rue Ste-Catherine et d’la Main

A’ s’promenait dans l’quartier depuis au moins dix ans
Cotoyant les putains et les itinérants
Mais quand on entendait son accent
On s’doutait qu’à v’nait pas du Lac-St-Jean


Common Themes (Chris D. Take Note): Solidarity, Sovereignism, Environmentalism, Poverty, Anti-Consumerism, Anti-Corporatism, Anti-Gambling, Anti-Political Apathy

Final Comments: This band is the real deal. I started listening to Les Cowboys in 9th grade after researching Quebec on Wikipedia (yes, I loved the Quebec trip that much). Anyway, there is a high probability that even the best French students won't be able to understand these Quebecois, but that shouldn't stop one from listening to these guys (and gal). Give these spineless liberals a try, you may be impressed.

2 comments:

  1. They don't seem like spineless liberals. But whats the anti-gambling thing about?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The anti-gambling thing is out of left field in a way. The political system is a bit different there than it is here. I guess the working class up there is against gambling. Here, as you know, it is the opposite.

    ReplyDelete

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