Outre deux guitares, tous les autres instruments des VRP sont bricolés : contre-bassine de Stéphane (balai, corde et seau), un balai de vaisselle, un attaché-case, des cuillers pour le percussionniste Marc, un piano d'enfant pour Gilbert sans oublier boîtes de conserves et autres ustensiles. Leur musique est déjantée et inclassable, une sorte de chanson populaire en délire perpétuel, autant sur un plan instrumental qu'au niveau des textes. Les VRP restent avant tout un groupe de scène, quoiqu'ils se sentent peut-être encore plus à l'aise dans la rue ou dans les petits bars, malgré leur succès dans les plus grandes salles. Improvisation à outrance, les VRP enguirlandent le public, ils mettent leurs spectateurs littéralement à genoux avant d'aller voir ailleurs et de faire danser une valse endiablée et sans musique ! Chaque concert était un spectacle nouveau : on s'en aperçoit facilement en écoutant leurs rares lives enregistrés.
Founded in 1990 and fronted by Dédé Fortin, Les Colocs gave Quebecois unique songs colored with humanity, simplicity and social conscience (especially regarding poverty). They marked the history of Quebec music with their sound, infused with brass sounds, first very wild and festive, later more mellow, as well as more inspired by swing, country, blues and african music. This new direction inspired a collaboration with the Senegal-born Diouf brothers for the album Dehors novembre.
The group promoted tolerance and had a multicultural line up (for example, Mike Sawatzky is a Cree from Saskatchewan, André Vanderbiest is from Belgium and Patrick Esposito Di Napoli was from the French Catalonia). Dédé Fortin (as well as other members like Serge Robert, later to be known as Mononc' Serge) was a passionate Quebec sovereigntist and brought the band to play an important role in the 1995 Quebec referendum via partisan shows. They were part of the resurgence of political songwriting in Quebec, after a drought in the 1980s and part of the 1990s. They were past contenders in the music band contest L'Empire des futures stars.
This Final Performance Tribute all began on Les Paul's 90th birthday when luminaries from the musical world gathered to celebrate at New York's historic Iridium Jazz Club. Les and friends 'jammed' every Monday for the next four years until the legend left us. Great moments from many of those cool sessions are presented in this tribute to the man who created a sonic boom with the solid-body electric guitar. It's all here…
Guitarist Lou Pallo, …, has an album coming out on September 11 that pays tribute to his late friend and bandmate Les Paul. Titled Thank You Les: A Tribute to Les Paul, the 21-track disc covers a range of styles pop, jazz, country, rock and blues all tastefully…