“Bravo de promouvoir notre culture Québécoise merveilleusement!” (Jacques Gagnon, June 16, 2024)
We love sharing our passion for all things Canadian folk-roots music related, and advocate strongly for the wider inclusion of the Francophone variety into much broader and general discussions. Sure, some notable Québecois artists (such as Coeur De Pirate) receive national and international media attention, but there is so much more out there itching to be discovered throughout the French speaking regions of Canada.
Scratch the surface of Francophone music and you will be rewarded with some phenomenal talent worthy of your time and attention. Concerns over language barriers can be quickly dismissed – fear not, you do not have to speak the language to enjoy the music. Just take that first step outside of your comfort zone and allow yourself to be immersed in the culture. Trust me – you’ll thank me – and I’ll happily hold hands as you take this leap. Still not convinced? Okay, can’t win them all – but ‘unconvinced’ was also ‘once me’ – never say never…
When we first subscribed to SiriusXM satellite radio approaching twenty years ago, the world of French-Canadian music became available to us here in PA. Having attended a festival in Montréal before the two of us ever met, Lesley had already added some prominent Québecois (Daniel Bélanger) and French (Francis Cabrel) musicians to her album collection, thus making the arrival of these radio stations essential listening for both of us in our ongoing pursuit of new Canadian music. Listening to the (long retired) Air Musique channel, I very quickly became charmed by a high energy indie folk-punk band based out of the Montréal suburbs. A band that called themselves Les Cowboys Fringants.
With many cuts from the bands’ 2008 “L’expédition” album receiving frequent airplay, once I stumbled upon a copy of the CD during my first trip to Montréal, it was promptly purchased and remains in our collection to this very day. Of course, with the vinyl revival that followed many years later, the 180-gram double album has since been added and is spun frequently here at GDW HQ. Our CD collection grew in volume following both subsequent releases and earlier albums being discovered (replicated again with more vinyl) – elevating this band into our regular listening rotation. One day, we’d be lucky to catch them in concert, perhaps…
I did not personally know, nor had I ever met lead vocalist Karl Tremblay, but for some inexplainable reason, the sudden and shocking news of his passing in November 2023 hit a raw nerve. Losing his short-lived battle with prostate cancer at just 47 years of age, during our vacation in Montréal just a week later, the province remained in a period of mourning. The loss of Tremblay in Quebec was held in the same regard as the national reaction to the death of Gord Downie, as the international reaction to the loss of John Lennon – so popular and beloved was Tremblay. A national funeral and tribute to Karl’s memory held at the Bell Centre just after we departed the city drew over 15,000 attendees, joining bandmates Marie-Annick Lépine (spouse), JF Pauzé, and Jérôme Dupras to pay their respects and shed their tears in unity.
While any opportunities to catch live music from Les Cowboys Fringants had diminished following Karl’s passing, we knew that a return to the city the following summer to attend the first few days of the 2024 Francos de Montréal festival was a must. Good fortune would intervene, with the festival announcing Marie-Annick Lépine as a performing artist for an early evening set on the main festival stage. During our journey towards Canada, a social media post from QC folk-country duo Hauterive (Mara Tremblay & Catherine Durand) announced their surprise inclusion as part of Marie-Annick’s band – this gratuit event was shaping up to be quite special.
Arriving early to snag a good spot close to the stage, we quickly found ourselves surrounded by many wearing Les Cowboys Fringants merchandise, some donning face paint, some holding signs and flags, and all there to live and breathe in a space filled with love and admiration for their musical icons. Bassist Jérôme Dupras was spotted around the side-stage area (not performing), who came down to the barrier to meet with some of those fans and sign memorabilia. The crowd-size increased dramatically by the time Marie-Annick commenced her set; their reactions like the whoosh of a spinning turbine as Lépine performed several popular cuts from her solo catalogue. The intensity reached fever pitch when a surprise guest appearance by JF Pauzé occurred mid-show – leading to a selection of timeless Les Cowboys Fringants tunes that did more than tug at the heartstrings. Heart rates were elevated. Tears were close to falling. Just living and experiencing Karl’s tunes was a monumental moment that we simply had not expected.
Fast forward to November 2025, the second anniversary of Karl’s death would be honored with the screening of a previously unseen live recording of a Les Cowboys Fringants concert recorded in Quebec City from January 2023. Available only at select movie theatres across the province, our late November vacation was taking place in Ottawa this time around, meaning the possibility of catching the screening with a quick hop into Gatineau. With a matinee viewing on a Wednesday afternoon, we purchased tickets (smiling back at the clerk who felt obliged to inform a pair of Anglos’ that ‘it’s in French’) and sat in the movie theater with perhaps twenty other people to enjoy this opportunity to see the band perform at the height of their career.
Once the theatre burst into life, we immersed ourselves in this feature length event (run time approx. 100 minutes), and while words do not fail me to summarize the experience, a perfectly composed synopsis dropped into my social media feed prior to purchasing tickets: “a festive crowd, unique audience connection, moved fans, cinematic visuals, and the band’s major anthems – this new recording echoes legendary rock concert films!” Quite an accurate statement – and most notably was the cinematography, which (in leaps and bounds) exceeds the visual quality found on the band’s 2003 Centre Bell concert DVD (itself still timeless, but with limited raw footage and quirky editing).
This 2023 concert had the added benefits of a professional film crew, seventeen camera angles and excellent sound quality – capturing perfectly the ambiance of the show, and allowing casual viewers a strong sense of connection, of feeling as though right there, in the moment, among a swarming crowd of like-minded fans. Goosebumps formed immediately upon hearing the recognizable riffs of “Ici-bas” to commence the show, and a lump in the throat soon followed shortly after as Karl made his way to center stage – a man undergoing the early stages of his chemotherapy, but still with so much to give. Six other musicians would join the core four, including Jean-Sébastien Chouinard (guitar/bass), Daniel Lacoste (guitars/banjo), and Pierre Fortin (drums) – who we saw as part of Marie-Annick’s band last year – and the trio of multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Boulay, Renaud Gratton, and Jérôme Dupuis-Cloutier. And what a show they would collectively perform.
With a ton of popular cuts, the visual element added so much – witnessing Pauzé opt for his electric guitar during “Plus rien,” watching Lépine take lead vocals on “Marine marchande” (and frequently switching instruments all night), and – of course – attempting to keep up with the raw and seemingly endless energy of Dupras, who split time between bass and secondary percussion, while taking a moment to scale a ladder on the floor, and dive into the crowd for a full mosh-pit experience as his unperturbed bandmates continued to play. And, oh, if ever there were a moment of heartfelt sentimentality, Karl’s solo acoustic performance of “Pub Royal” to commence the encore could reduce any tough guy to tears – perfectly captured on film, and so beautiful in its execution.
With a pair of popular cuts from “L’expédition” included in the set list (“Droit devant” and “Tant qu’on aura de l’amour,” which closed the regular set), other standout moments for myself included “L’Amérique pleure,” “La Reine” (complete with AC/DC “Thunderstruck” samplings), and, of course, the finale – a stunning, rip-roaring, emotionally charged rendition of their huge hit “Les étoiles filantes” (and one performed by Marie-Annick et al last year). The set list was a perfectly curated journey across the band’s illustrious career, newer cuts earning plenty of love, and those popular early cuts accompanied by a sea of additional vocals from the crowd.
Props to the production team that sought to capture this moment on film. French-Canadians – especially in Québec – are incredibly proud of their music scene, their culture, their language – and are often very protective of them all, as is evident throughout this event. The cultural and emotional significance of Les Cowboys Fringants upon their audience is a challenge to articulate effectively to the Anglophone community. Both the music and the experience a part of their psyche, part of their bloodlines – like what Great Big Sea did for Atlantic Canadians when breaking onto the scene, or what US band The Dropkick Murphys continue to do for Irish American music communities. There is mutual respect, mutual understanding, a mutual connection far, far beyond the music itself – but as this concert demonstrates, it is the synergy between band and audience that takes the experience to another (truly hard to describe) level. Hence the inclusion of the kind words received about our coverage of Marie-Annick Lépine’s concert from Jacques Gagnon back in 2024 – interpreted as being welcomed into the French-Canadian culture – historically a tough nut for us Anglophones to crack.
A fabulous concert captured on film, and one we remain ever grateful for having the opportunity to enjoy on the big screen in la belle province. Merci ben! Oh, and if you have not been checking in on some of Marie-Annick’s social media posts lately, you may have missed hints dropped of one final posthumous Les Cowboys Fringants album currently in the post-production stages. We are naturally eager for more news regarding that here in 2026.
“Pour toutes les salles bric-à-brac (For all the odds and ends rooms) / Et les gros arénas jam-packed (And the big jam-packed arenas ) / Les hangovers de tarmac et tous les mauvais late-night snacks (Tarmac hangovers and all the bad late-night snacks) / Pour les tournées, les voyages et les souvenirs dans nos bagage (For tours, trips and souvenirs in our luggage) / Merci ben, merci ben, merci ben (Thank you well, thank you well, thank you well).”
Photo Credit: Official Poster – Artist Website.
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
