Les Trois Accords in Concert
The title of Les Trois Accords' sixth album, ‘Beaucoup de Plaisir' (Lots of Fun), could just as easily have fit any of the Québécois rockers' earlier French-language releases. Singer-songwriter Simon Proulx, the sole original member of the quartet — whose name translates to The Three Chords — began matching snarling guitar riffs to sing-along earworms in Drummondville, Quebec, in 1997. On Les Accords' 2003 debut ‘Gros Mammouth Album,' Proulx's pop-punk wit lent a specific territorial tinge to tracks like "Hawaienne," which reflects nearly every Canadian's desire for a tropical paradise, and the country-rocking ode to rural romance, "Saskatchewan." The LP went platinum upon its re-release in 1998.
The group got a big national boost in 2005, when it opened for the Rolling Stones in New Brunswick. In 2006, the Accords released ‘Grand Champion International de Course,' followed by the live ‘En Beau Country' (In Beautiful Country) in 2008. 2009's ‘Dans Mon Corps' (In My Body), kicked off a rewarding series of collaborations with producers Gus Van Go and Werner F. While the band's sound expanded to shades of '60s AM radio, Seattle grunge, and moody British New Wave, Proulx's humor remained intact, if more grown up, in the touchingly direct title track of 2012's ‘J'aime ta grand-mère' (I Love Your Grandma) and the new-age parody "Les dauphins et les licornes" (Dolphins and Unicorns) from 2015's ‘Joie d'être gai' (Joy of Being Gay).
With longtime bandmates Pierre-Luc Boisvert (bass), Alexandre Parr (guitar), and Charles Dubreuil (drums) fleshing out Proulx's songs with increasingly expansive rock arrangements, Les Trois Accords have continued to develop artistically while staying true to their pop-punk roots. And while they may have started out as young fans of often-humorous predecessors like Blink-182 and Weezer, they remain Canadian to the core. Just drop by Drummondville in August, when the band throws its annual Festival de la Poutine, the weekend-long celebration of Canadian music and gravy-drenched cuisine that Les Trois Accords launched locally in 2007.
