québécois

My name is François. I was born in Montréal, currently live in Toronto, Canada. I play melodeon (D/G and A/D/G) and a bit of fiddle. I am mostly into canadian and québécois music, but also enjoy Irish, Scottish, English and French trad tunes, which all contributed to the French-Canadian musical heritage.

Some of my oldest memories include the sound of my father’s accordion. Probably because my father used to play in all festivities and happy family reunions.

I have played something (guitar, drums, bass, piano, violin…) since the age of 14 but I really got into traditional music during the last year or so, when I bought a melodeon, then another, then another… My father showed me the basics of playing on a simple 1-row Ludwig “3 pines” melodeon when I was about 10 or 11, but I never followed up playing until about 40 years later.

When I was a little kid I think Alfred Montmarquette and J.O. La Madeleine were the two musicians that made the strongest impression of what Music, and traditional music was
about. I used to listen to their 78’s on our little pick-up. I was imagining that there where little magic musicians hidden somewhere inside the record player!

(March 2008)