Karkwa | |
|---|---|
 Karkwa receiving the 2010 Polaris Music Prize (Photo: Dustin Rabin) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Years active | 1998-2011, 2018, 2023-present |
| Labels | Audiogram |
| Members | Louis-Jean Cormier François Lafontaine Martin Lamontagne Julien Sagot Stéphane Bergeron |
| Website | (in French) karkwa.com |
Karkwa is an indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed in 1998.
Formed in 1998, the group consists of vocalist and guitarist Louis-Jean Cormier, keyboardist François Lafontaine, bass guitarist Martin Lamontagne, percussionist Julien Sagot, and drummer Stéphane Bergeron. The band's name is a phonetic rendering of carquois (French for a quiver of arrows).
After reaching the final stages of the Francouvertes contest in 2001, the band released its debut album, Le Pensionnat des établis, in 2003. The album's single "Poisson cru" reached the top of Quebec's campus radio charts, and was named the best album of the year by two critics for Montreal's alternative weekly Voir .
The band's second album, Les Tremblements s’immobilisent, won three Félix Awards in 2006. In 2007, they were featured, along with The Stills, The Besnard Lakes and Mahjor Bidet, on the bill of Quebec Scene, a concert in Ottawa sponsored by CBC Radio 3.
On the third album, Le Volume du vent , as the band further expanded its reach into English Canada, guest musicians included Patrick Watson and Elizabeth Powell. [1] The album was a longlisted nominee for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize. [2]
Their fourth album, Les Chemins de verre , was recorded in Paris, France. [3] The album won the 2010 Polaris Music Prize [4] and the 2011 Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year.
In December 2011, the band announced that it would release a live album in 2012, followed by a hiatus. [5] The album debuted at number 25 on the Canadian Albums Chart. [6]
Lead singer Louis-Jean Cormier released his debut solo album, Le treizième étage, in 2012. The album won Francophone Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2013. In June 2013, Le treizième étage was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. Percussionist Julien Sagot has also released the solo albums Piano mal (2012), Valse 333 (2014), Bleu Jane (2017) and Sagot (2021).
On July 7, 2018, the band performed a reunion show at the La Noce festival in Saguenay. [7]
In 2023 they announced that they had reunited to record and release a new album, Dans la seconde , for release in September. [8] The announcement was accompanied by the release of the album's first preview single, "Parfaite à l'écran", whose music video featured actress Pascale Bussières. [9] The album received a Juno nomination for Francophone Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024, [10] and was a longlisted nominee for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize. [11]
Les Tremblements s'immobilisent
Rat a Tat Tat is the fifth solo album by Jason Collett of Broken Social Scene. The album was released on March 9, 2010 from record label Arts & Crafts.
Les Chemins de verre is the fourth studio album by Québec indie rock group Karkwa. The album's title literally translates as "The Glass Pathways" or "The Glass Roads", although it is also a pun on the French language phrase chemins de fer, or "railroads".
The 2010 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 20, 2010. The gala presentation was held at Toronto's Masonic Temple, and was hosted by Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3 and Sarah Taylor of MuchMusic.
Lee Harvey Osmond, stylized as LeE HARVeY OsMOND, is a Canadian psychedelic folk project fronted by musician Tom Wilson.
Le Volume du vent is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock group Karkwa, released in 2008. The album's title literally translates as "The Volume of the Wind".
Peter Roy better known as Peter Peter is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for his French pop/rock compositions.
Lisa LeBlanc, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and banjoist, known for her enthusiastic "trash folk" performances. She has been noted for her "distinct" blend of folk, rock, and disco with both English and French language lyrics combined with chiac and her Acadian accent. Her accolades include two Félix Awards and an East Coast Music Award. She has also been nominated for three Juno Awards, the SOCAN Songwriting Prize, and shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize twice.
Marie-Pierre Arthur is the stage name of Marie-Pierre Fournier, a Canadian pop singer-songwriter from Quebec. Originally from Grande-Vallée, she is currently based in Montreal.
Louis-Jean Cormier is a Canadian indie rock singer and songwriter. Formerly associated with the band Karkwa, since that band went on hiatus in 2012 he has recorded and performed as a solo artist and was a judge on the second season of the television singing competition La Voix.
Kobo Town is a Juno-winning Canadian Caribbean music group, led by Trinidadian Canadian singer and songwriter Drew Gonsalves. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band blends calypso music with a diverse mix of Caribbean and other musical influences, including ska, reggae, dub, rapso, zouk and hip hop.
Bernard Adamus is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Quebec, whose music draws on folk, blues, country and hip-hop influences.
Thus Owls is a Swedish-Canadian experimental indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife duo Simon and Erika Angell, who are backed up at times by guest musicians.
Julien Sagot is a Canadian musician. Formerly a percussionist for the indie rock band Karkwa from 1998 to 2012, since that band's breakup he has released four albums as a solo singer-songwriter.
Leif Vollebekk is a Canadian indie folk singer-songwriter, whose 2017 album Twin Solitude was a shortlisted finalist for the 2017 Polaris Music Prize and the 2018 Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year.
Loud is the stage name of Simon Cliche Trudeau, a Canadian rapper from Quebec.
Philippe Brach is the stage name of Philippe Bouchard, a Canadian singer-songwriter from Saguenay, Quebec.
Alexandra Stréliski is a Canadian neo-classical composer and pianist based in Quebec. She has released three albums: Pianoscope (2010), Inscape (2018) and Néo-Romance (2023).
Corridor is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of vocalist and bassist Dominic Berthiaume, guitarist Julian Perreault, guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Robert and drummer Julien Bakvis, with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Samuel Gougoux in live performances. The first francophone band ever signed to the influential indie label Sub Pop, they are most noted for their 2019 album Junior, which was a longlisted nominee for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.
Flore Laurentienne is a Canadian instrumental music project, whose core member is Mathieu David Gagnon.
Dans la seconde is the fifth full-length studio album by Karkwa, released September 8, 2023, on Simone Records. It was the band's first album of new material since 2010's Les Chemins de verre.
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