The beginning.
The band that today the whole world knows as SIMPLE PLAN began to take its first steps while most of us were still a baby or learning to walk. It was the mid ’90s, when Pierre Bouvier and Chuck Comeau were 13 years old and were in a band called RESET, who was on tour in Canada, along with MxPx, Teen Foot Pole, and Face to Face. Shortly after Reset record their 1st record, Chuck left the band to pursue in college, but the music was louder and two years later he formed a new band with his college friends: Sebastien Lefebvre and Jeff Stinco. But there was still missing the voice that would explode on vocals. Ironically, Chuck and Pierre met by chance in a show of Sugar Ray. At this point, Pierre was already disillusioned with Reset, which did not achieve great popularity. He was almost giving up on the music career when he was invited to join the new band, which seemed quite interesting to Bouvier.
David Desrosiers replaced Pierre in Reset and assumed the vocals of the band. When they went to the show of his old group, they were surprised by the size of David’s talent and invited him to join the band. At first he was unsure, but after some difficulty he accepted.
Before the name of the band was Simple Plan, Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), which was already a longtime friend of the boys, suggested other names. One of them was “One Legged Duck” and “Ocean’s 11″ but was the movie “A Simple Plan” that the band took its title.
From the travels by van to the top of the charts worldwide!
After knocking on doors to promote their work and constantly being turned away, they were hired by the label, Lava Records.
The fruits came in 2002 and the band released their first album, “No Pads, No Helmets … Just Balls”, marked by the relaxation, which peaked at 3 million copies sold worldwide. But not everything is perfect, Simple Plan was surrounded by an implacable enemy: the music critic.
Labeled as “posers”, accused of having little talent and low creativity, the band had to withstand bombings and angry editorials mocking reviews of their albums, so they won only with the support of their fans, who never lacked.
Although very young, the band’s musicians have good previous experience: were in other bands and they edited records before Simple Plan. Perhaps it was essential for the group did not abate with the negative repercussions of their CDs by the specialized critic.
Without ignoring that they never were “critical lovers”, the boys usually retort what is writen about them saying that they do what they like and do not intend to change, as their fans will understand they much better.
In 2004 they released their second album, “Still Not Getting Any …”, produced by Bob Rock who has worked with Montley Crue, Metallica and Bon Jovi. The CD has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and put Simple Plan definitely on the world of music.
One of the singles of the 2nd CD is called “Shut Up” has a right address: To the part of criticism that insists on mistreating and reducing the quality of their work.
In December 2005, the band created the foundation: Simple Plan Foundation, which aims to help independent institutions, children and young people who go through problems, that are caused by disease, poverty, drugs, war, etc …
The 3rd album of the band, the heteronomous “Simple Plan ” was launched in 2008, produced by Danja Nate Hills, Max Martin and Dave Fortman. Considered by the band and the fans more different than the other albums, it has dance bits and even touches of R&B and hip-hop. One of the tracks, the song “Save You”, was dedicated to Pierre Bouvier’s brother, who had cancer, as well as the mother of the guitarist Jeff Stinco, Mrs. Francine Bergeron-Stinco. With the money from selling that song on iTunes, all the income was donated to charities around the world via the Simple Plan Foundation
Main curiosities
• They were part of the soundtrack of two Scooby Doo movies, with the songs Don’t Wanna Thinks About You and Grow Up. In addition, the opening song of the cartoon is sung by them. And they also participated of it in a episode called “Simple Plan and the Invisible Mad Man.”
• Participated in the movie “New York Time”, released in 2004, with the Olsen’s twins.
• The video for the song Welcome To My Life, would be recorded on the Jacq-Cartier bridge in Montreal, but was not allowed.
• They won two awards at ADISQ, for the most prestigious artists of Quebec and best anglophone album for MTV Hard Rock Live.
• There have been rejected twice by Atlantic Records, before the contract.
• They won the award for Favorite Canadian Band four years running in the MMVA.
