Paul Cargnello
Encyclopedia
Paul Cargnello is a Canadian singer-songwriter
and poet
whose unique musical repertoire spans punk rock
, reggae
, blues
and folk. Although English is his first language, Cargnello chooses to write and sing in both English and French, with French having gradually come to dominate his lyrics. To date, he has achieved modest success in this endeavour, and some have even described him as the next Jim Corcoran
and the rightful heir to Quebec rocker Jean Leloup
in 1979 to a Lithuanian mother and an Argentine-born father of Italian heritage. His musical career began at the age of fifteen when he and his friends Diego Di Gregorio and Adam Kardos formed The Vendettas. In 2000 the band released its first album It’s Happening to You, but weighed down by financial troubles, the group dissolved in 2002. However, three years later, the monetary support of one fan caused the group to reassemble for a final collaboration which spawned the album Say No to the Vendettas.
Following The Vendettas’ break up, Cargnello released his first solo album, Lightweight Romeo. He has since released four more solo records: Between Evils, Live au Va et Vien, Brûler le jour, and Bragging. The particularity of his latest album lay in the fact that it is available only at his concerts.
An interesting trend in Cargnello’s music is the adoption of French as his preferred language of expression. The artist explains this choice by citing the francophone
nature of his native city and reasons that writing in French has permitted him to express himself more simply and directly than in English. The shift began when Cargnello, who was educated in English, moved to the Plateau Mont-Royal, a very francophone quarter, at the age of nineteen. It took some time before Paul’s immersion really manifested itself in his music (his first two solo albums featured only one French composition each), but over time Cargnello embraced French as is demonstrated in his critically acclaimed fourth album, Brûler le jour, written almost entirely in French with only one English track.
Brûler le Jour is all the more noteworthy in that it marked the first time that Cargnello as a solo artist collaborated with other songwriters. These included Jim Corcoran
, Vincent Vallières
, Ève Cournoyer, Marco Calliari and Fred Fortin. The album was as successful as it was groundbreaking with the song "Une Rose Noire" making its way to the Top 5 on MusiquePlus
just weeks after the album’s release.
Cargnello performed at Montreal's celebration of Saint Jean Baptiste Day on June 24, 2008. This was yet another indicator of Cargnello’s growing popularity especially given that Anglo-Quebecers are rarely invited to perform at such nationalist events.
Cargnello signed with Tacca Musique in 2009, and completed his first tour in France & Switzerland, followed by two more the following year.
In 2010, Paul Cargnello released his third French language album, La Course des Loups and it has been critically regarded as the most ambitious one to date. The title gives a nod to Jean Leloup and a quote from Che Guevara
"On the route for wolves; one can succeed only at the cost of the failure of others."
and vocals), Ryan “Ace” Fleury (bass guitar
and vocals), José “le” Major (drums
and vocals) as well as his brother Christopher Cargnello (seven-string guitar
and vocals
, occasionally drums and/or bass). The ensemble released a live album in 2005 aptly titled Paul Cargnello and the Frontline Live.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
whose unique musical repertoire spans punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and folk. Although English is his first language, Cargnello chooses to write and sing in both English and French, with French having gradually come to dominate his lyrics. To date, he has achieved modest success in this endeavour, and some have even described him as the next Jim Corcoran
Jim Corcoran
Jim Corcoran is a Canadian singer-songwriter and broadcaster.-Biography:Jim Corcoran was born in Sherbrooke, but went to high school and his obtained his B.A. in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1960s...
and the rightful heir to Quebec rocker Jean Leloup
Biography and Musical Career
Cargnello was born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1979 to a Lithuanian mother and an Argentine-born father of Italian heritage. His musical career began at the age of fifteen when he and his friends Diego Di Gregorio and Adam Kardos formed The Vendettas. In 2000 the band released its first album It’s Happening to You, but weighed down by financial troubles, the group dissolved in 2002. However, three years later, the monetary support of one fan caused the group to reassemble for a final collaboration which spawned the album Say No to the Vendettas.
Following The Vendettas’ break up, Cargnello released his first solo album, Lightweight Romeo. He has since released four more solo records: Between Evils, Live au Va et Vien, Brûler le jour, and Bragging. The particularity of his latest album lay in the fact that it is available only at his concerts.
An interesting trend in Cargnello’s music is the adoption of French as his preferred language of expression. The artist explains this choice by citing the francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
nature of his native city and reasons that writing in French has permitted him to express himself more simply and directly than in English. The shift began when Cargnello, who was educated in English, moved to the Plateau Mont-Royal, a very francophone quarter, at the age of nineteen. It took some time before Paul’s immersion really manifested itself in his music (his first two solo albums featured only one French composition each), but over time Cargnello embraced French as is demonstrated in his critically acclaimed fourth album, Brûler le jour, written almost entirely in French with only one English track.
Brûler le Jour is all the more noteworthy in that it marked the first time that Cargnello as a solo artist collaborated with other songwriters. These included Jim Corcoran
Jim Corcoran
Jim Corcoran is a Canadian singer-songwriter and broadcaster.-Biography:Jim Corcoran was born in Sherbrooke, but went to high school and his obtained his B.A. in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1960s...
, Vincent Vallières
Vincent Vallières
Vincent Vallières is a Québécois singer from the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec.-Career:Vallières debut album, Trente Arpents, was released in 1999, followed by Bordel Ambiant in 2001 . He became popular in Quebec in 2003 with the release of his third album, Chacun Dans Son Espace...
, Ève Cournoyer, Marco Calliari and Fred Fortin. The album was as successful as it was groundbreaking with the song "Une Rose Noire" making its way to the Top 5 on MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating from Montreal, Quebec.MusiquePlus is devoted to music and music related programming from various genres including pop, rock, RnB and focuses on a younger demographic than its sister station, MusiMax...
just weeks after the album’s release.
Cargnello performed at Montreal's celebration of Saint Jean Baptiste Day on June 24, 2008. This was yet another indicator of Cargnello’s growing popularity especially given that Anglo-Quebecers are rarely invited to perform at such nationalist events.
Cargnello signed with Tacca Musique in 2009, and completed his first tour in France & Switzerland, followed by two more the following year.
In 2010, Paul Cargnello released his third French language album, La Course des Loups and it has been critically regarded as the most ambitious one to date. The title gives a nod to Jean Leloup and a quote from Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
"On the route for wolves; one can succeed only at the cost of the failure of others."
Personnel
Cargnello performs with a band called The Frontline, whose members include Sandy Belfort (keyboardKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and vocals), Ryan “Ace” Fleury (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and vocals), José “le” Major (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and vocals) as well as his brother Christopher Cargnello (seven-string guitar
Seven-string guitar
A seven-string guitar is a guitar with seven strings instead of the usual six. Some types of seven-string guitars are specific to certain cultures . The standard 7-string guitar tuning is BEADGbe...
and vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, occasionally drums and/or bass). The ensemble released a live album in 2005 aptly titled Paul Cargnello and the Frontline Live.
Political activism
Paul Cargnello is known to support the political left. In his youth he defined himself as a communist, but in 2007 Cargnello said that he no longer sympathizes with the extreme left although still considers himself a socialist and believes in “revolutionary politics.” Cargnello’s activism attracted attention when he, his wife (then girlfriend), and some band mates were arrested for participating in a police brutality protest in 2001. Four years passed before a formal acquittal. Cargnello acknowledges his wife Jessie, whom he has known since the age of fifteen, for introducing him to politics and feminism—as well as punk music.Awards and nominations
| Year | Organization | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Alex Soria Fountains | Best Singer-songwriter Singer-songwriter Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the... |
Won |
| 2007 | Félix Leclerc Félix Leclerc Félix Leclerc, was a French-Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and Québécois political activist. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 20, 1968... Foundation |
Prix Félix-Leclerc de la chanson | Nominated |
| 2007 | Radio Canada | Sacré Talent! | Won |
| 2009 | SOCAN | Le Prix de la Chanson Écho | Nominated |
| 2009 | Canadian Folk Music Award | French Singer/Songwriter of the Year | Nominated |
| 2009 | Quebec Indie Music Awards (GAMIQ) | Singer/Songwriter Album | Nominated |
Other Accomplishments & Trivia
- Paul Cargnello is also a standard poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. In 1997, he published his first collection of poems, Driving in Reverse, which was followed up with Old Hat in 2002. - Cargnello is an avid collector of hats. An article in Le Devoir from March 9, 2007 stated that he owns thirty.
- Cargnello enjoys bowlingBowlingBowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
.
Discography
- Lightweight Romeo (2002)
- Between Evils (2004)
- Paul Cargnello and the Frontline: Live au Va-et-Vient (2005)
- Brûler le Jour (2007)
- Bragging (2008)
- Bras coupé (2009)
- La Course Des Loups (2010)