Têtes Raides is a French
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk music, folk and rock music, rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the American fo ...
group.
Group history
The group was founded in Paris during the 1980s. Originally, they played music heavily influenced by the punk movement and depended on electric instruments. Their third album featured Anne-Gaëlle, a classically trained cellist, and marked a turning point in the group's music toward a more acoustic sound. The group's later efforts misleadingly take on the air of
quotidian folk songs while actually using stunning musical arrangements, experimental soundscapes and poetic lyrics rife with very dark humor.
Listeners find the influence of classic French musicians like
Jacques Brel
Jacques Romain Georges Brel (, ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, l ...
,
Georges Brassens
Georges Charles Brassens (; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet.
As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and a ...
and the
Négresses Vertes in the later work.
Group members
* Christian Olivier : Voice,
accordion, acoustic guitar,
graphics
Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture, ...
* Grégoire Simon (a.k.a. "Iso") : Saxophone, flute,
accordion, voice
* Pascal Olivier (a.k.a. "Cali") : Bass guitar, double bass,
Hélicon
The helicon is a brass musical instrument in the tuba family. Most are B basses, but they also commonly exist in E, F, and tenor sizes, as well as other types to a lesser extent.
The sousaphone is a specialized version of the helicon. The fir ...
,
tuba
The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th&n ...
, voice (Christian's brother)
* Anne-Gaëlle Bisquay : Cello, violin
* Serge Bégout : Acoustic guitar,
baritone saxophone
* Jean-Luc Millot (a.k.a. "Lulu") : drums, voice.
* Édith Bégout (a.k.a. "la p'tite dernière") :
Tuba
The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th&n ...
,
baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the sport of baseball to hit the ball after it is thrown by the pitcher. By regulation it may be no more than in diameter at the thickest part and no more than in length. Although hist ...
, piano (Serge's sister)
Discography
;Studio albums
# : Vocals by
Sara Mandiano.
;Live albums
;Compilation albums
*2000: ''10 ans de Têtes Raides''
*2006: ''Aïe''
*2008: ''Best Of – 20 ans de Ginette'' (FR #70)
Videography
*2003: ''Têtes Raides aux Bouffes du Nord'' (filmed live in 2002)
*2008: ''Trash live au Bataclan'' (live filmé en novembre 2006), qu'on retrouve au sein de la compilation ''20 ans de Ginette''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tetes Raides
Musical groups from Paris