Cowboys Fringants

Cowboys Fringants is a group Québécois of music Folk with savor of Rock and Country. Their engagement for, in particular, the independence of Quebec and the Environnement causes a great passion in Quebec, particularly near a young public (mainly old from 15 to 30 years). In 2006, they launched the Cowboys Fringants foundation which fights to protect from the portions of the Québécois territory. All the members of the group take part in the writing of the songs, but the majority are written by Jean-François Pauzé. Their songs are for most of the time critical of the Québécois company, while being tinted of Ironie.

The current members are:

Karl Tremblay (Song, Kazoo) (1997, -)
Jean-François Pauzé (Guitar, Song, Harmonica) (1997, -)
Marie-Annick Lépine (Violin, Mandoline, Accordion, Song, Piano, Flute) (1997, -)
Jerome Dupras (low) (1997, -)

The ex-members are:

Dominique Lebeau (battery) (1997-2007) (Departure of the group announced on August 22nd, 2007)
Mathieu Beaudry (battery) (1997 per 2 spectacles)

History of the group

Cowboys Fringants had beginnings enough surprising. All started with the meeting of Karl and Jean-François at the time where they made both part of the team of hockey amateur, the Jets of Repentigny. Jean-François was at his second year in the team on arrival of Karl, and it was accustomed to speaking and laughing in the content of the cloakroom.

However, came one day time to reduce the size of the team. Jean-François did not have anything to fear, because, in spite of its small size, it was one of the best markers of the team. As for Karl, it did not have anything to fear either, since his/her father knew the trainer of the team.

Once the reduction of the team was made thing, Karl Tremblay, Jean-François Pauzé and Francis Parizeau formed the trio of elite of it.

Tremblay played at the time in an obscure group Punk and was the singer. Wanting to have fun a little, it invited Pauzé to play with him, knowing that it scraped a little the Guitare.

Surprised, Jean-François accepted the offer of Karl, and they met one evening in the basement of the parents of Jean-François to give the day to the “Fringants Birds”.

While falling on an emission Country from the name from “Ovila Landry Presents”, J-F and Karl, finding the concept stupid, laughed at the participants and… created a country group!

The evening even, they composed “the roads of happiness”, their first song, with a tape recorder of bad quality of Candle mark that J-F “had probably flown to the poly”, says it. The following day, they composed “Gaétane”, their first success.

A few days later, they were presented to this famous emission Country, J-F had threaded clothing of cowboy and Karl had arrived in " old man grunge fini" … This last had forgotten half of a verse of Gaétane, Karl will say besides that was " their first snap in face " … In short while returning, they thought that they would make never again of music!

They is a few weeks later that Karl and J-F pass in front of the brewery " Ripaille" , in Repentigny, where they see a poster for a casting of composer-songwriters. Without believing in it too much, they nevertheless decide to be registered… It is a real success!

Having worked during the summer with a named violonist Marie-Annick Lépine, J-F decides to contact it to propose to him to make violin with them. They are found one evening in the basement at J-F, and Marie-Annick considers the too beautiful violin for the songs of the two boys, but ends nevertheless up accepting because " perhaps it conceals the feeling to play on a scene " , she says.

Later, Jerome Dupras, the small cousin of Marie-Annick, will come to be added to the group as a bass player, then will follow Dominique Lebeau to the battery.

Thus constituted, the group Cowboys Fringants undoubtedly owes most of its success with the talents of the multi-instrumentalist Marie-Annick Lépine. During the years which followed, they were made known everywhere in Quebec by the means of the word of mount. It is the album Trade-union Break which concluded them the successfully with songs such as " Toune of automne" and " In berne" , probably their first compositions to be turned in the commercial radios. the Large-Mass , more engaged of their albums to date, did nothing but amplify the phenomenon.

The December 30th 2006, the group gave what was to be the last spectacle related to its album the Large-Mass with the Center Bell, to Montreal. The Henri Band, group with folk inspiration and nationalist whom Cowboys Fringants often assign with their first part, opened the spectacle. The singer Richard Desjardins made a surprised appearance to interpret the song the guy of the company and to sing its song Y will have always there. This spectacle is the second which the group gave in this big room (the first being held the December 30th 2003). Approximately 20.000 spectators attended this performance. They were supposed to take then a year of rest deserved well to devote itself to the composition of the next album, but they rather made a round in France followed by a summer of festivals to Quebec. These two rounds being now finished, they are at present in this delayed pause and work with the composition of their sixth album, which will appear in 2008.

August 18th, 2007, the beater Dominique Lebeau announces to the other members of the group and with the recording company, by the means of a letter, its withdrawal final of the group. The public and the fans will know it on August 22nd, 2007. It justifies its departure by personal reasons which it prefers to conceal. The day even of this advertisement, of innumerable fans post their reactions to this sad news on the discussion forum of the group. All wish good luck with the old beater in its projects to come, while testifying their sadness and declaring qu'" A drummer that is replaced, but not a domlebo.". The group declares that the beater will not be replaced and that they will continue their musical career as a quartet, engaging occasional beaters sometimes, with the manner of the two cuivrists who accompany them in spectacle.

Profile

Since their arrival in the musical decoration Québécois, Cowboys Fringants came from there to be the subject of true a Culte, in particular among the young people and the people concerned with their message. They are also (though modestly for the moment) known in the French-speaking countries of Europe (France, Suisse and Belgium), especially by their Web site. There exists even a group of French fans called “the Fringants Cousins”, who undertakes to make be up to all the tricks of their cousins Québécois in France.

Cowboys Fringants belong to three important movements of the musical changing in Quebec. First of all, they fall under the revival and the popularization of the traditional music, as the group My Aïeux. Secondly, they mark, with other groups like Capitaine Revolts and Loco Locass, the return of the committed music to Quebec, movement which had died out little by little in years 80-90, victim of the Syndrome post-chief clerk but especially of the planetary surge of music and song with commercial savor characteristic of this period. The message of Cowboys Fringants in is one of left reformist, encouraging the popular solidarity, the protection of the Environnement and the Souveraineté of Quebec, the whole adapted to the reality of modern Quebec. Finally, they adopt a simple style and minimalist, while being intelligent, as well as a use of the Joual in their texts, with the mode of the Robert Charlebois and Michel Tremblay, but without being exaggerated. This Tendance is also present in the texts of new artists like the Three Agreements, the Denis Drolet, Daniel Boucher or Martin Lapalme, with his song “Carole” for example.

The typical subjects tackled in their songs are the Environnement, the Pauvreté, the problems personal and family, just as the denunciation of the Surconsommation, the influence of the corporations, the state-croupier, the governmental Cynisme or of the general Apathie with regard to the Politique. These rather serious subjects are often covered with humor or irony in their music. The words of their songs also relate to the Histoire of Quebec, the independence of Quebec, the life of Banlieue as well as the Nostalgie of the Enfance and the Adolescence, inter alia things. Their musical work is famous for his hundreds of fictitious characters, whose adventures are followed with interest by their fans throughout their songs. Cowboys Fringants are large fans of Passe-Partout and its type-setter, Pierre F. Brault, as well as Renaud, well-known French singer.

The originality and the freshness of Cowboys Fringants are mainly due to the presence of Marie-Annick Lépine, whose musical contribution gives to the group a distinctive character. It has a traditional formation in violin and integrates into the songs the involving melody of the violin, the mandoline and the accordion, in particular. It contributed to the album of Dumas entitled “the current rate of exchange”. Cowboys Fringants are recognized for their explosive services on scene, which one can note on the album in concert “Attaches your tuque! ”, just as on the DVD “Live at the Center Bell”, recorded on December 30th, 2003, having more than 20.000 people with the Center Bell. The members of the group are also appreciated for their personality sympathetic nerve and the convivial relation which they maintain with their fans, as much in person than on their forum Internet.

The Anglicism at Cowboys Fringants

In their song Québécois of stock , Cowboys Fringants seem to rather firmly underline the use of the Anglicisme in Quebec:

It is not that I do not know Ben speech

But chu a colonist anglicized…

They draw up there a sung list of Anglicisms which one employs in Quebec:

A' shop the servant boys said to me:

" The foreman wants that you déloades the van

Before puncher has fine of your shift

I will seek

in saw-tooth of shopping the packing-slipway of the guy

Y' câllé his helper which slept su' has switch…

It is certainly about a typically Quebec car-derision since Cowboys Fringants do not hesitate them-even to make of it rather great use in many of their songs:

Impala Blues

I was made to slaquer with the shoppe

I su' is made steal my record player

Su' my big Wheel (it conceals the fun)

Su' my big Wheel (it conceals the fun )

In Bern

When the boss of a gross corporation

Ferme its factory in Gaspésie

Te of does not mandera your opinion

Y' you slaquer without you will say thank you!

the plumber

Just as I left for the squash

With my “satchell” Adidas

My runnings to velcros

Toune of autumn

content Anyway chu that you r' come

(further in the song)

should to You have seen it there fakait

the winter approaches

Chérie, the winter will be tough it you year

Camping Co.-Germaine

Y' has parké their roulotte

On a p' tit ground not far from the Snack

It does not conceal a bad spot

Discography

1997 12 Great songs (1st album studio)

1. Roads of happiness
2. Awikatchikaën
3. Évangéline
4. Case of pouëlle
5. Agaspésie
6. Dieudonné Rastapopoulos
7. Plattsburg
8. Willy Joe Hachey
9. Gaétane
10. Repentigny-by-tea-sea
11. The hurlot
12. Impala blues

1998 On my settee (2nd album studio)

1. Marcel Galarneau
2. The plumber
3. Special #6
4. Maurice with the bar
5. Goldie
6. Denise Martinez
7. My country (real of the aristocrats)
8. The quay of Berthier
9. Large woman
10. The kid with Comeau
11.
12 collapses. Suburbs

2000 Motel Capri (3rd album studio)

1. Su' my big Wheel (it tai the fun)
2. The plumber
3. Inhabitant of Quebec of stock
4. Awikatchikaën
5. Maurice with the bar
6. With you
7 has me to live. The shack with Hector
8. Marcel Galarneau
9. My country, follow-up of the Reality of the Aristocrats.
10. Street Chapdelaine
11. Suburbs
12. Hooligan
13. Léopold (followed by wasted time)
14. The Guy of the Company
15. Pouceux
16. A p' tit turn

2001 Finally Joined together (12 great songs + On My Settee)
2002 trade-union Station-wagon (4th album studio)

1. In Bern
2. The head with Papineau
3. Toune of autumn
4. Heavy metal
5. The demonstration
6. Trade-union station-wagon
7. The winter approaches
8. General-purpose À'
9. The wedding
10. When I r' guard
11. My chum Remi
12. Hello my Ron! (followed by an extract of Karaoké) (homage has Ron Fournier)
13. Merry Martyrdom
14. Lane Bay-tree (followed hidden toune)

2002 Overtime (Individual of news of Trade-union Station-wagon)

1. Holy peace
2. Greedy the
3. Karaoké
4. Karaoké (Version karaoké)

2003 Fastener your tuque '' Live '' in two CD + DVD “Interval”
Disc 1 “First part”

1. Heavy metal
2. Inhabitant of Quebec of stock
3. The pouceux
4. My chum Remi
5. Hello my Ron!
6. Time lost
7. The guy of the company
8. Léopold
9. The shack with Hector
10. The plumber
11. Toune of autumn
12. My country
13. The reality of the aristocrats
14. The head with Papineau
15. Lane Bay-tree

Disc 2 “2nd part”

1. The demonstration
2. Maurice with the bar
3. Suburbs
4. Holy peace
5. Robert Bob Bourgoin
6. Su' my big wheel (it conceals the fun)
7. Awikatchikaën
8. King Katché (1st part)
9. Merry martyrdom
10. King Katché (2nd part)
11. Impala blues
12. In Bern
13. The winter approaches
14. The hidden toune
15. A p' tit turn

2004 the Large-Mass (5th album studio)

1. Intro
2. Shooting stars
3. Ti-bottom
4. 8 seconds
5. More nothing
6. Hannah
7. Symphony for Caza in the minor
8. The Queen
9. While waiting for (followed reality of our people)
10. Letter with Lévesque
11. These times
12. My beautiful Sophie
13. Shish Taouk!
14. Camp-site Co.-Germaine
15. If the life interests you
16. Epilog (If you think a little like that)

2007 Cowboys Fringants with the Large Theater of Quebec '' Live '' in two CD
Disc 1

1. Ti-bottom
2. While waiting for
3. Camp-site Co.-Germaine
4. These times
5. Merry martyrdom!
6. The guy of the company
7. Hannah
8. The pharmacist (of Felix Leclerc)/Jam of the Aristocrats
9. 8 seconds
10. The winter approaches
11. If the life interests you

Disc 2

1. The demonstration
2. The queen
3. Marcel Galarneau
4. The return of king Katshé/Awikatchikaën
5. Suburbs
6. Symphony for Caza
7. Letter with Lévesque
8. In Bern
9. Epilog
10. My beautiful Sophie
11. More nothing
12. Shooting stars

To note that the quartet prepares a new album planned for 2008.

Videotex

DVD “Attaches your tuque”, live with the spectrum in December 2002 including a documentary heading Country: The epopee of Cowboys Fringants .
DVD “Live at the Center Bell”, recorded on December 30th, 2003

Rewards

the video clip Plus nothing gains on October 23rd, 2006 the price of the best Québécois video clip in 2006 of ADISQ.

It were rewarded by the Official reception for the ADISQ with two other recoveries.

Sources and references

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