PAUL CARGNELLO/BIO [Français] [The Frontline]

Prolific singer-songwriter Paul Cargnello has received recognition from the city he has not only made his home, but his inspiration. Paul was nominated for the Felix Leclerc award last year, along side some of Quebecs best talent. As an Anglo Montrealer, it is a huge honour to be nominated for this award. Cargnello also garnered the Alex Soria Fountains Award for Best Singer-Songwriter-Performer at the 2005 MIMI awards. These were a watershed for a career developed and honed from the ground up, where Paul's personal vendetta upon the music scene was to be himself above all else. Marked by political activism, powerful lyricism, and an eclectic blend of musical styles, Paul has stayed true to a city that has influenced his now distinct sound that can only be labeled as Montrealaise. Cargnello's urban and edgy reggae-rock is backed by solid musicianship that can be transcended to the streets of any major city.

There is a feel to his music as if you are stepping out with him onto the city streets and seeing the world around you for the first time. Cargnello has the ability to take you to an intimate and poetic place in the same tradition of the great troubadours and chansonniers before him. In that same tradition, it is the public that has come forward to nourish and sustain his career marked by conviction and integrity.

Choosing to write and perform in both French and English, his first three albums "Lightweight Romeo", "Between Evils" and "Live Au Va Et Vient" all achieved critical acclaim. Paul has decided to build the bridge between "les deux solitudes" one album at a time. The highly acclaimed "Brûler Le Jour" is his first album written almost entirely in French, with only one song in his mother tongue.

 

PAUL CARGNELLO TIMELINE:

o Awarded Sacré talent! by Radio Canada. (2007)

o Nominated for Felix Leclerc Award. (2007)

o Cover of Hour magazine 100,000 copies. (2007)

o Release of Brûler Le Jour. (2007) "Musically, he's on top of his game, having possibly perfected the rebel reggae/rock/folk/blues blend that he's honed with each solo release." -Lorraine Carpenter (Montreal Mirror)

o Release of Live Au Va Et Vient. (2005) "If he crosses over because of the American hype relating to Montreal these days, then the hype will have all been worth it." -Richard Burnette (The Hour)

o Fountains award, Best Singer/Songwriter. (2005)

o Voted in the Montreal Mirrors top 10: "Singer songwriter", "Loudest Activist" & "Musical act". (2004)

o Cover of The link (Concordia University). (2004)

o Release of Between Evils. (2004) "…[Cargnello] has one of those smokey, rough edged voices, and he can construct a fine arrangement. Acoustic and for the most part simple, [Between Evils] is collection of impressive catchy tunes that explore the territory of folk-punk, reggae, blues and rock." -Elizebeth Bromstein (Now Toronto)

o Paul is voted in the Montreal Mirrors top 10: "Best Band", "Loudest Activist" & "Best Dressed". (2003)

o Poetry published in literary journal (EX)cite: Journal of Contemporary Writing. (2002)

o Cover of The Plant (Dawson College). (2002)

o Published "Old Hat" Book of Poetry. (2002)

o Release of Lightweight Romeo. (2002) "Protest, for him, is more than just a musical fashion statement…He has broadened his artistic scope while proving that he is far from lightweight anything." -Tcha Dunlevy (The Gazette)

o Cover of Hour magazine 70,000 copies. (2000)

o The Vendettas - It's Happening to You. (2000) "Frontman Paul Cargnello's earnest delivery and provocative lyrics help keep things from being derivative." - Erik Missio (chart Magazine)

o Editor/Coordinator of the NSC (New Socialist Climate). (1998-2001).

o Published "Driving in Reverse" Book of Poetry. (1997)

o The Vendettas Chom L'esprit finalists. (1997)

o The Vendettas Qualifié aux finales de CHOM-L'esprit. (1997)

PAUL CARGNELLO HAS SHARED THE STAGE WITH...

Billy Bragg, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Garland Jeffries, Ari Up (The Slits), Mathew Good Band, Big Sugar, Martha Wainright, Junkhouse, Me Mom & Morgentaler.