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2011 Shows

Andrea Lindsay

Friday August 12, 9:00 p.m.

Andrea Lindsay was born in Guelph, Ontario. Though she grew up Anglophone, she literally fell in love with French language and music when traveling to France, at the age of 18. Then, Andrea met Éric Graveline, a musician who would also become her accomplice and, together, with the simplest means, they composed and produced her debut album: La belle étoile. Released in 2006, La belle étoile was nothing less than a stellar revelation, as Andrea discovered her own style along with the pleasure of being recognized.

At first sight, Andrea Lindsay may remind you of Michelle Phillips, the blond signer of "The Mammas & the Papas", with the same grace and ethereal presence on stage. Her mesmerizing voice, with a slight and charming English accent, never fails to seduce her audience. With a solid technical background and a classical signing training, combined with her original song lyrics and fantastic musical compositions and arrangements, Andrea Lindsay will have you under her spell. Impossible to resist!

Les Respectables

Friday August 12, 10:30 p.m.

Eighteen years ago, in shady bars of Québec, Sébastien Plante, Stéphane Dussault and Stéphane Beaudin were embarking on a promising career.

Named after a Stones song, "Respectable", the band hits the stage in 1991 and plays its own music. The band members share the same passion for rock’n roll and they all have a strong desire to go beyond the beaten path, and so they write songs in their own image: true, festive, strong-going and honest.

In 1999, $ = bonheur, their debut album, proved to be a great seller, and the four musicians are put under spotlights. The fans are fond of this rock with a Quebec touch, mixed with reggae. L’argent fait le bonheur is unquestionably a bomb which propels the band to the forefront and the top of charts during weeks.

In 2000, l’ADISQ grants Les Respectables six nominations and, in 2001 and 2002, they receive the Félix award for Group of the Year, as well as a Disque d’Or for 50　000 sales of the album. They are also honoured with a prestigious award from SOCAN for the songs On fait c’qu’on aime, Ma vie à l’heure, J’arrive and Libre. The band is now recognized for its talent.

When they perform in front of 8,000 fans at the Théâtre du Centre Bell, there’s a huge celebration for the band’s 15^th anniversary: a moving moment when six renowned artists, sharing the same passion and fiery energy, joined Les Respectables on the stage.

To consolidate on their success and before taking another path, they release a Best Of in 2008, which includes hits from 1991.

Then, in 2009, the band returns with Sweet Mama, an English album, produced and co-wrote with a long-date accomplice, Gordie Johnson. Within a few weeks, the first single, Sugar, invades the English Canadian radio stations charts in the Top 10, almost superseding bands such as Nickelback, King of Leons, Kid Rock and even U2. It’s a new start for Les Respectables, who then became The Respectables... for the best of rock’n roll!

Mother Nature

Friday August 12, 12:30 a.m.

Mother Nature delivers pure solid rock through a music that is as true as the four members of the band. These four musicians, all from Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Northern Ontario, perform a straightforward music that reflects the deep connection they have with their northern home region, which they portray in sweet ballads as well as in hard rock.

With a debut album "Exile from the Shadows", released on March 19, Mother Nature has conquered the music scene with astonishing performances.

It’s just pure pleasure to listen to the powerful sound of Rocky’s guitar, the deep vibes of Alex bass guitar and Preston’s warm voice, while watching Yo beating the hell out of his drum!

Mother Nature may not be a very old band but it’s already making noise in the industry, and the boys definitely don’t go unnoticed!

-Preston J. Phillips

Chantal Archambault

Saturday August 13, 9:00 p.m.

Chantal Archambault, a two-award winner at the 2008 FRIMAT and a participant to Francouvertes 2009, is a songwriter and singer from Abitibi-Témiscamingue. She offers a range of musical creations branded by the richness of her texts, carrying images on voluptuous country-folk vibes. It was in 2007 that Chantal appeared on the music scene with the release of Le Collage, her first self-produced album, which immediately grabbed the public’s attention. It also drew the attention of Dany Placard, with whom Chantal teamed up to launch her second album, La Romance des couteaux, at the 2010 Festival de Musique Émergente. With this antagonistic album, Chantal brings contrasting images and sounds to form a base for heartfelt human stories, quickly sketched with a few strokes.

Surprisingly, Chantal is relatively new to the music scene. In fact, it’s only in 2007, after she returned to her hometown, in Abitibi, that she felt the urge for writing and promoting her musical talent. After self-producing and releasing Le Collage, Chantal was rapidly noticed as a talented, inspired and natural artist. Within only a few years, she performed many times and she was remarked as she did opening acts for Mara Tremblay, Dany Placard, Richard Desjardins, David Martel, Theresa Anderson, Bonjour Brumaire and Tricot Machine. Unfailingly, her audience is charmed by both her charisma and her honesty.

Alfa Rococo

Saturday August 13, 10:30 p.m.

In 2004, Justine Laberge and David Bussières team up to form Alfa Rococo and, together, they record a song. From this moment, a musical bond is created between the two artists and, in May 2007, they produce Lever l’ancre, their first album. Yet, it’s not exactly a debut for the two songwriters and signers: David Bussières was DobaCaracol guitarist and he made the Cirque du Soleil Dralion European tour, while Justine Laberge lent her beautiful voice to many television series soundtracks and she was a backing vocalist for many artists. Their combined experience definitely had an influence on the duo’s first album. Lever l’ancre offers a music that sounds both retro and groovy, enriched by lyrics reflecting Alfa Rococo personality: deep, poetic, refreshing and colourful.

Lever l'ancre is a big success and can be heard on every radio station. The singles Les Jours de pluie et Lever l’ancre climb up on the Top 100 BDS Francophone. The songs Je pense à toi, La Fenêtre and Plus rien à faire also drew much attention on the FM waves, and video clips were made out of four of these songs and were in good position on MusiquePlus and MusiMax charts. While its music is making hits on radio stations, Alfa Rococo nourishes its image by giving many performances on stage. On the Lever l’ancre tour, the duo did more than 200 shows, some at major events. In 2008, Alfa Rococo’s work is recognized at the 2008 Gala ADISQ as David and Justice received two Félix awards: "Album of the year – Pop" and "Revelation of the Year"

After a debut album and a successful tour, Alfa Rococo comes back strongly with a new album, Chasser le malheur. Enriched by the thrilling experience of 200 shows, Justine Laberge and David Bussières gave to their new album a unique sound. Chasser le malheur reflects the energy deployed on stage during the last tour, with music that is both rock and electro, and songs containing introspective lyrics carried by perky and uplifting melodies. A breath of fresh air to forget the daily hassles.

Pépé Goes français

Whether he’s playing guitar solo, with his power trio band or even in the Goes français formula, it’s obvious that Pépé was born for the stage! His latest album and his shows still talk, with true words, about girls, partying, and about life... under all its forms. His catalogue includes three previous albums and hundreds of live shows where he’s literally
bursting with energy and charisma on stage. Pépé’s neat punk songs are highly enjoyed by music fans everywhere!

As a child, Pépé is surrounded by music. With a musician-mom and a father who loves music, needless to say that party is a key word in his family! After playing tennis for a while, he took piano lessons for many years and, finally, he decided to go for classic guitar.

Since then, the singer and song-writer, definitely a phenomenon in the Kébeco-folk-punk style, a sweet, generous and skilled showman who is as good with a guitar than with a ukulele, has seen his reputation grow in synch with the number of his appearances on every stage and media in Quebec, for the greatest happiness of fans.

He became well known after winning a series of music prizes: he won Festival en Chanson de Petite-Vallée, in 2003 and the 7^th edition of Les Découvertes de la Chanson de Magog contest; he was a finalist for Cégeps en spectacle, in 2002 and he represented the province of Quebec at Festival International de Musique de Belfort, in France, where he basically swiped all the awards, using his guitar as only weapon. Pépé never failed to charm the crowd with his catchy music and songs, but mostly because of his unique personality and contagious energy.Pépé gives us songs that are puerile and deep at the same time, with a sound that is sometimes reminiscent of that of Brassens and Plume, and he moves the audience every time he performs. Having made hits with his previous albums, Pépé et sa guitare, Fakek’ choz and 100% Boeuf, Pépé now reveals another side of his unique personality with Pépé goes français.