Hello. Can you provide us a little information about yourself and what you are attempting to do with your music?
Hello, i am Alex, one of the lead singers of Francbâtards. We are a reggae-ska music group from Montreal. We play different music styles and languages. We integrated world music, punk and hip-hop. We sing mainly in french and creole from the island of the Reunion , but we also sing in other languages, such as spanish, russian and portuguese. Our vibe is positive and festive, but we also have engaged lyrics. Thus, the main goal is to make people dance and to improve people’s awareness about things that are significant to us.
What difficulties have you experienced in your musical career?
In the beginning, our group was created for fun, but with time, we started to play more often and now has become more serious. Some members of the group found that it was too much work and decided to leave. The original three members of the group have always been the same, but we had to change a few of the musicians.
Who has influenced you as a musician? Which artists most influence the band’s overall sound?
Personally, I have been influenced by the 80-90’s french rap. My music is mostly influenced by surrounding nature. I completed my university studies in cinema, so I have a lot of influence from movies. Members of the group come from different scenes. I am a hardcore kid, two other members come from the world music scene, our brass section has a jazz formation and the bassist comes from the punk scene. It is sometime difficult to be on the same wave length. But we can say bands like Sublime and Toots and the Maytals have influenced our music.
Do you have any particularly interesting stories about your travels as a musician?
We all come from a french province, so our english is not that good. While touring in Ontario (Canada), an english province, when people asked for us to play again, I said ‘Stop, I will have a heart break’, but I really meant that we would have a heart attack if we continued dancing.
What songs are the favorites on your current (self-titled) album?
Personally, my favorite song is Bulletin Special because I like it’s vibe. However, you have to listen to it because it’s hard to explain.
How does a track move from initial thought to finished effort? Can you describe your creative process and your recording set up for us?
In the beginning, we start with a music idea of one person, usually Jérôme’s ideas, or with the lyrics of a song, and we compose as a group together. It can be quite difficult to compose a song with eight people at the same time. So, now, we meet in small groups to create a new song. For lyrics, Jérôme and I do some creative brainstorming. If we find an interesting subject, we will listen to all documentaries on the topic and read articles to have a broader understanding of the theme. Sometimes our lyrics are more poetic on traditional subjects, like friendship, love and art.
Are there any live dates or events that you will be performing to support your album? What are your plans for 2015?
For the next months, we are working on a a new album. Springtime, we will be on tour in Quebec and other parts of Canada. We will be doing a european tour in July. We already have scheduled shows in France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Netherlands and Russia.
Do you have anything else to tell NeuFutur readers?
You can listen and download our album on Itunes, Google Playstore and others. We hope that we will play in the United States very soon.
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Francbâtards Interview
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