Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“The crowd gathered at the Regina Folk Festival was won over by the vivacious vocals and toe-tapping rhythms of La Raquette à claquettes. A succulent morsel of Fancophone culture decked out in it’s Sunday best!” - Estelle Bonetto (L'Eau Vive)
“Two hours of energy and humor!”
- Richard Caumartin (La voix de Missisauga)
“This album is a real gem filled with toe-tapping party songs served up with intelligence and conviction!”
- Marc Lalonde (Centrart magazine - France)
“While the songs celebrating French Canada were rousing and lively, it was the songs termed as “bawdy, but all in good taste,” that really shone. Specifically the misdirectional humour of “Monsieur le curé,” from their recent album L’Abbé Rôde.”
- Emmet Matheson (Regina Leader-Post)
Discography
CD: Quand la pluie viendra (2005)
CD: L'Abbé Rôde (2000)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
La Raquette à claquettes is a one-night stand that has just kept on going... for a decade! Created in 1995 as a house band for the Francophone Pavilion for Regina's Mosaic Festival, everything just sort of happened. Everyone dove into the songs and the music. Thinking this was a short-term-party-band, no one scratched their heads for too long to come up with a name.... "Tap-dancing snowshoe, anyone?" La Raquette à claquettes was born and so was the magic! Fueled by the spirit of the Voyageurs who hurled themselves over whitewater rapids with reckless abandon and who sang their songs and played their jigs with the same energy, the band was an instant hit and soon, wherever La Raquette went, the party followed.
Many moons have come and gone over the Prairie skies since that first night... and against all odds, the magic continues to this day. Building on its traditional French-Canadian and Métis influences, the band created its own sound and approach, paying homage to local icons along the way as well as chronicling contemporary events.
The music of La Raquette à claquettes is steeped in many traditions, which are all linked to roots music in one form or another. From bluegrass to string band, from traditional Country to Eastern European folk music, from Sea Shanties to Celtic Rock, these guys have seen it all. La Raquette à claquettes is a tasty blend of warm vocals, spicy humour and savory stories, served over great melodies and churned to an irresistible beat.
All this without a sextant or a map, without a business plan or a manager... In the early days, much playing, rehearsing, finding songs, arranging, singing harmonies... then an album (L'Abbé rôde) recorded in three days, followed by extensive touring across the country. The group has played venues from Tadoussac, Quebec, via Ontario, across the prairies and all the way to Bella Coola, British Columbia with countless festivals, concerts and special events in between... And everywhere, since its humble beginnings in 1995, this Regina band has always made crowds rock and reel.
La Raquette à claquettes are David Lawlor (piano, bass, guitar, tin whistle, vocals), Michel Chammartin (banjo, vocals), Michel Lalonde (guitar, vocals), Gilles Groleau (fiddle, mandolin, feet, vocals) and Francis Marchildon (accordian, mandolin, vocals).
This past June, to commemorate a decade of music and good fun, the band released a second album and made a return visit to Mosaic. La Raquette à claquette's latest offering, Quand la pluie viendra, is both a celebration of good times together and a gift to their fans who have been so supportive over the years.
Produced by David Lawlor and La Raquette à claquettes and mixed by Ed Stasium (The Ramones, Garolou, Cano, Living Colour, Talking Heads), Quand la pluie viendra is a lively collection of songs and tunes that will get your blood flowing. Step to the music and follow the tracks of La Raquette à claquettes!
Email : info@laraquetteaclaquettes.com
Distribution : www.apcm.ca 1 (800) 465-2726
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