Karkwa by Nick Vail, photography and text

Whistler Vancouver 2010 Olympics Day 3

by Nick Vail on February 15, 2010

So today is Valentines of the Olympics, and what a great valentines day it was.

The first show of the day was a live performance from Karkwa. I had never heard of this band before, but they started off their set with so much energy It was hard not to be hooked. Their keyboardist François Lafontaine had so much passion in his keyboard routine it was so amazing to be there and watch his performance. François was banging his head with so much energy it reminded me of a mix between Alicia Keys meets Slayer.

Francois Lafontaine playing the keyboard with strenght - Karkwa Live on Stage Whistler 2010

You could tell the members of Karkwa where really enjoying playing on the stage here in Whistler, their percussionist Julien Sagot had a big smile on his face the whole time while he was shaking the tambourine and beating on the drums.

Julien Sagot of Karkwa beating on the drums with a smile - Karkwa Live on Stage Whistler 2010

Karkwa was originally formed in 1998 in Montreal. A year later they performed at Cégeps en spectacle – a contest in Montreal which raised a lot of attention to their band which is when Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse (a France Quebec youth exchange organization) invited them to perform at the Printemps du Québec cultural expo in Paris.

Stéphane Bergeron with rythem on the drums - Karkwa Live on Stage Whistler 2010

The years following they performed in a few other contests in Montreal and started to receive more accreditation in their community while performing 75 shows across Quebec. With their debut of their first album Les tremblements s’immobilisent [The Tremors Come to a Halt] in 2005 they established their presence in the Quebec Rock scene.

Louis-Jean Cormier jamming the guitar - Karkwa Live on Stage Whistler 2010

Martin Lamontagne Strumming da bass - Karkwa Live on Stage Whistler 2010

In 2006 the Karkwa was honored with the Félix-Leclerc Award, and they jointly received the Félix for best singer or composer along with the exceptional Pierre Lapointe (who will be playing in Whistler tomorrow in the Medals Plaza). In 2008 Karkwa released their 3rd album Le volume du vent [Volume of the Wind].

Louis-Jean Cormier Strumming the Guitar - Karkwa Live on Stage Whistler 2010