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Québec Rock !
- Thread starter Raman
- Start date
(Probably one of those threads that will get no likes or reactions whatsoever...)
I was reading the thread about bizarre duo, Angine de Poitrine, and thinking about all the Québec music that goes unnoticed in North-America because it is in French. (Québec artists usually get an international career in Europe, but more rarely in America, unless they go English like Céline Dion or Simple Plan.)
I thought maybe some people here might be interested in learning what we, the stubborn French-speaking people up North, were up to musically.
Here's a non exhaustive list of, imo, interesting musicians in Québec in the last years and decades.
(If, for any reason, you don't appreciate Québec, the French language, The French or French-speaking people, please feel free to skip this thread altogether. Thanks.)
...............................................................................
FRED FORTIN
Fred Fortin has been a driving force in Québec's rock scene for the last 15-20 years.
To my bassist ear, he brought back a type of heavy, distorted, dirty rock, the likes that bassists from Jack Cassady to John Entwistle pioneered, that was lacking from the rock scene since the 90s.
And he's definitely a fine guitarist to boot. Here's a piece of americana from Québec :
...............................................................................
MARTIN LÉON
Martin Léon is more of a shadow influence in Québec musical culture. He penned several film scores. (In fact, he flew to Italy on a whim to attend Enio Morricone's university lectures, learning Italian in 3 months after enrolling while he was drunk during a party in Montréal.) He recorded critically acclaimed albums.
...............................................................................
BERNARD ADAMUS
Adamus is the latest incarnation of a strain of French blues that takes its roots in the Creole of Cajun and French-speaking black America.
...............................................................................
OFFENBACH
A step back in history.
In the 50s and 60s, French-speaking Canadian musicians generally fell in 2 categories: those singing in French, mostly folk and folkloric material; then the more modern types who adopted blues and rock, and sang in English. Because, well, English was the only suitable language for such music of course!
Offenbach was the 1st to break the barrier.
In 1972-73, as they were rehearsing an American song called Call in the Blues, Pierre Harel told them it was time to try and sing blues in French. He took the lyrics sheet and came back with a whole new set of French lyrics, called "Câline the blues" which, in Québec French slang, means "Damned blues".
It's not an extraordinary track in itself, but it was a revolution. It opened the door for generations of French-Canadian musicians to appropriate their americaneness in their own language.
...............................................................................
DÉDÉ FORTIN
André (Dédé) Fortin is almost deified, both as a musician and a humanitarian in Québec, especially since he took his life in 2000.
Musically, his band, Les Colocs (The Roommates) brought fresh air on the musical scene in the 1990s. In the decade before, more and more young artists had turned to singing in English as it was a surer way to immediate material success. Fortin defiantly challenged that assumption and became the most popular and best-selling artist in Canada. His force, and that of his music, was to include everyone. (For example, his guitar player was an English-speaking Native from the Canadian Prairies... Not exactly someone you'd expect in a band where the leader is militantly for the indepedence of Québec. Yet, Dédé pulled it off.)
This is a musical masterpiece.
...............................................................................
LES COWBOYS FRINGANTS
The "Dashing Cowboys" have also been a driving force in the Québec musical scene for 2 decades. Their singer sadly died recently. Originally a side musical project for university kids, the band answered a void in politically and socially involved music that also provided great energy in a gloomy period.
Personally, I love the precision and exact amount of growl form the bassist's Stingray!
...............................................................................
Thanks for listening.
Harmonium
Has anybody mentioned Miriodor yet? (I know their bass player through the piano techniancs world)
If you’re not afraid to go back in time, 1990 from Jean Leloup is pure groove :
In the rock department , the best thing that happened in the last 10/20 years is by far Karkwa me thinks
Super writing , good musicianship
In my personal musical taste
Super writing , good musicianship
In my personal musical taste
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I'm French. I'm ashamed to say we only know Céline Dion.Just out of curiosity..... How well does French Canadian music do in the rest of the French speaking world?
Are any actually popular in say,...France?
Most of the French Canadian singers are popular locally and/or France only. Many of them become number one on the billboard in Paris though.Just out of curiosity..... How well does French Canadian music do in the rest of the French speaking world?
Are any actually popular in say,...France?
Rock Voisine
Isabelle Boulay
Garou
Coeur de Pirate
Natasha St-Pier
All absolutely non interesting
There is Charlotte Cardin wich is "pop music " and interesting , a bit known in France I think
OK thanks, now I see. I never listened to them and didn't know they were Canadian.
But I thought this thread was about Québec rock music…
It depends. Les Cowboys Fringants had a massive following in France and also Belgium and Switzerland.Just out of curiosity..... How well does French Canadian music do in the rest of the French speaking world?
Are any actually popular in say,...France?
Most successful Québec French-singing artists will tour in French-speaking Europe. It usually depends if they want to invest in having a European promotional team. In the Cowboys' case, it was all word of mouth and they were themselves surprised how huge of a fan base they had when they 1st traveled there.
Yep angine de poitrine, cowboys frigants, are names we hear time to time. Ici à Paris ou ailleurs en France.
(Probably one of those threads that will get no likes or reactions whatsoever...)
I was reading the thread about bizarre duo, Angine de Poitrine, and thinking about all the Québec music that goes unnoticed in North-America because it is in French. (Québec artists usually get an international career in Europe, but more rarely in America, unless they go English like Céline Dion or Simple Plan.)
I thought maybe some people here might be interested in learning what we, the stubborn French-speaking people up North, were up to musically.
Here's a non exhaustive list of, imo, interesting musicians in Québec in the last years and decades.
(If, for any reason, you don't appreciate Québec, the French language, The French or French-speaking people, please feel free to skip this thread altogether. Thanks.
...............................................................................
FRED FORTIN
Fred Fortin has been a driving force in Québec's rock scene for the last 15-20 years.
To my bassist ear, he brought back a type of heavy, distorted, dirty rock, the likes that bassists from Jack Cassady to John Entwistle pioneered, that was lacking from the rock scene since the 90s.
And he's definitely a fine guitarist to boot. Here's a piece of americana from Québec :
...............................................................................
MARTIN LÉON
Martin Léon is more of a shadow influence in Québec musical culture. He penned several film scores. (In fact, he flew to Italy on a whim to attend Enio Morricone's university lectures, learning Italian in 3 months after enrolling while he was drunk during a party in Montréal.) He recorded critically acclaimed albums.
...............................................................................
BERNARD ADAMUS
Adamus is the latest incarnation of a strain of French blues that takes its roots in the Creole of Cajun and French-speaking black America.
...............................................................................
OFFENBACH
A step back in history.
In the 50s and 60s, French-speaking Canadian musicians generally fell in 2 categories: those singing in French, mostly folk and folkloric material; then the more modern types who adopted blues and rock, and sang in English. Because, well, English was the only suitable language for such music of course!
Offenbach was the 1st to break the barrier.
In 1972-73, as they were rehearsing an American song called Call in the Blues, Pierre Harel told them it was time to try and sing blues in French. He took the lyrics sheet and came back with a whole new set of French lyrics, called "Câline the blues" which, in Québec French slang, means "Damned blues".
It's not an extraordinary track in itself, but it was a revolution. It opened the door for generations of French-Canadian musicians to appropriate their americaneness in their own language.
...............................................................................
DÉDÉ FORTIN
André (Dédé) Fortin is almost deified, both as a musician and a humanitarian in Québec, especially since he took his life in 2000.
Musically, his band, Les Colocs (The Roommates) brought fresh air on the musical scene in the 1990s. In the decade before, more and more young artists had turned to singing in English as it was a surer way to immediate material success. Fortin defiantly challenged that assumption and became the most popular and best-selling artist in Canada. His force, and that of his music, was to include everyone. (For example, his guitar player was an English-speaking Native from the Canadian Prairies... Not exactly someone you'd expect in a band where the leader is militantly for the indepedence of Québec. Yet, Dédé pulled it off.)
This is a musical masterpiece.
...............................................................................
LES COWBOYS FRINGANTS
The "Dashing Cowboys" have also been a driving force in the Québec musical scene for 2 decades. Their singer sadly died recently. Originally a side musical project for university kids, the band answered a void in politically and socially involved music that also provided great energy in a gloomy period.
Personally, I love the precision and exact amount of growl form the bassist's Stingray!
...............................................................................
Thanks for listening.
Je vais creuser tout cela. Merci beaucoup
JEAN LELOUP
Leloup is one of those artists that you can say there is a before and an after him. He dragged the local music scene out of the 80s keyboards and hair metal. He brought back influences from young French artists such as La Mano Negra, who infused rock with latin influences, which you can hear here in the brass and accordion. He paved the way for many aforementioned bands, such as Les Colocs.
He is probably one of the most internationally renowned French-singing artist from Québec in the last 2 or 3 decades. A song like 1990 hit the charts in countries as far away as Turkey. This is quite rare because, in my experience, non-English-speaking people will usually listen to music in their own language and then in English, but rarely in a 3rd language.
Leloup is also popular among the English-speaking minority in Québec. French artists are usually largely ignored by our English-speaking neighbors.
(Personal anecdote: I used to work in cinema with the bass player on this track. )
A song about his childhood in Algeria (his dad was an ambassador there).
Leloup is one of those artists that you can say there is a before and an after him. He dragged the local music scene out of the 80s keyboards and hair metal. He brought back influences from young French artists such as La Mano Negra, who infused rock with latin influences, which you can hear here in the brass and accordion. He paved the way for many aforementioned bands, such as Les Colocs.
He is probably one of the most internationally renowned French-singing artist from Québec in the last 2 or 3 decades. A song like 1990 hit the charts in countries as far away as Turkey. This is quite rare because, in my experience, non-English-speaking people will usually listen to music in their own language and then in English, but rarely in a 3rd language.
Leloup is also popular among the English-speaking minority in Québec. French artists are usually largely ignored by our English-speaking neighbors.
(Personal anecdote: I used to work in cinema with the bass player on this track.
)A song about his childhood in Algeria (his dad was an ambassador there).
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LES DALE HAWERCHUCK
Now for something heavier. These musicians emerged, along with others such as Fred Fortin, from the Lac St-Jean area up north. They blend heavy rock with country influences. (Americans are often surprised to learn that country music is massively popular in rural Québec, with a thriving French-speaking scene).
This video couldn't be more Québécois !
Now for something heavier. These musicians emerged, along with others such as Fred Fortin, from the Lac St-Jean area up north. They blend heavy rock with country influences. (Americans are often surprised to learn that country music is massively popular in rural Québec, with a thriving French-speaking scene).
This video couldn't be more Québécois !
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