Karkwa
Encyclopedia
History
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 quiverQuiver
A quiver is a container for arrows. Quivers have been traditionally made of leather, bark, wood, furs and other natural materials; modern quivers are often made of metal and plastic....
of arrows).
After reaching the final stages of the Francouvertes
Francouvertes
Francouvertes is an annual Canadian music festival in Montreal, which spotlights emerging francophone musical artists from Quebec.At the end of each year's festival, three finalists are named, following which a jury presents an award of $10,000 to an artist chosen as the Best New Artist of the Year....
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
Campus radio
Campus radio is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively by students, or may include programmers from the wider community in which the radio station is based...
charts, and was named the best album of the year by two critics for Montreal's alternative weekly Voir
Voir
Voir is a chain of francophone alternative weekly newspapers in the Canadian province of Quebec published by Communications Voir.The magazine was founded by Pierre Paquet in November 1986.-Editions:The newspaper publishes separate local editions in:...
.
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 Stills
The Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000. The band consists of Tim Fletcher , Dave Hamelin , Olivier Corbeil , and Liam O'Neil , Gregory Paquet .-History:The band members have known each other since the age of...
, The Besnard Lakes
The Besnard Lakes
The Besnard Lakes are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, two of their three albums have been nominated for the Polaris Music Prize.-History:...
and Mahjor Bidet, on the bill of Quebec Scene, a concert in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
sponsored by CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
.
On the third album, Le Volume du vent, as the band further expanded its reach into English Canada, guest musicians included Patrick Watson
Patrick Watson (musician)
Patrick Watson is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and the name of the band which he fronts, whose blend of cabaret pop and classical music influences with indie rock has been compared to Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley and Pink Floyd for their experimental musicianship.-...
and Elizabeth Powell. The album was a longlisted nominee for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize
2008 Polaris Music Prize
The 2008 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 30, 2008. The prize was won by Caribou for his album Andorra....
.
Their fourth album, Les Chemins de verre, was recorded in Paris, France and won the 2010 Polaris Music Prize
2010 Polaris Music Prize
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....
.
Current
- Stéphane Bergeron (1998–present)
- Louis-Jean Cormier (1998–present)
- François Lafontaine (1998–present)
- Martin Lamontagne (1998–present)
- Julien Sagot (1998–present)