There’s a saying in French that people use when they’re crazy busy: dans le jus, which translates to “in the juice.”

Between preparing for a trip to France, planning a European tour for October, finalizing the details for some Western Canadian shows, speaking with the media about his new album and taking care of his nine-month-old son, Montreal musician Paul Cargnello was seriously dans le jus when reached by phone at his home late last month.

He has the support of a record label, publicist and booking agent – the chart-topping single Une Rose Noire from his 2007 album Bruler le Jour made him a minor celebrity in Quebec – but none of them know English well enough to contact the English-speaking press on his behalf.

“The second that I step out of the sort of Quebec bubble, it bursts pretty quick,” the upbeat 30-year-old said. “So I’ve gotta be the guy contacting the media and assembling my own press kit and booking my own tour. I think it’s good, though. It keeps me honest and very connected to that side of things.”

Cargnello will be in Winnipeg Thursday, Sept. 17 to perform at Le Garage Cafe in St. Boniface. He’ll be playing songs from Bras Coupe, his sixth and most recent CD – a collection of 15 songs that mix rock, folk, soul, blues and reggae.

On paper, that may sound like a sketchy mix, but Cargnello pulls it off. And he comes by it naturally.

Between playing in Quebec punk band The Vendettas in the ‘90s and visiting New Orleans with his wife, Jessie, every summer for the last seven years, Cargnello has been exposed to a lot of styles of music.

“I think for my entire life I’m going to be searching for a bridge between all genres,” he said. “When I listen to artists like Tom Waits or Paul Simon, they’ve created a genre in themselves. Tom Waits is his own genre, his own reference point.

 

“ Ultimately, I’m not Tom Waits, but I am striving to create my own genre, if that’s at all possible.

Paul Cargnello, musician

“Ultimately, I’m not Tom Waits, but I am striving to create my own genre, if that’s at all possible.”

Cargnello grew up an anglophone Quebecer, but learned to speak French when he was 19 in order to respect the francophone nature of his native city. Save for one track on each, Bruler le Jour and Bras Coupe were written and performed entirely in French.

The title of the latter album comes from the name of a revolutionary slave who lived in New Orleans in the early 1800s. After losing his arm as a result of a gunshot wound, Bras Coupe eventually killed his master and started a rebellion in the bayou.

Cargnello’s leftist political views and concern for social justice are a big part of who he is. The Vendettas were especially politically active, he said, with ties to Winnipeg’s G7 Welcoming Committee record label and the Mondragon Bookstore and Coffeehouse.

Cargnello even used to identify himself as a communist. So what would teen-aged Paul think of 30-year-old Paul?

“He’s super pissed off at me right now,” Cargnello said with a laugh.

That’s all right though, because Cargnello is doing what he loves.

“The last four years have been going very well. I started a family, I own property – I’m a full-blown middle class capitalist now. I’ve successfully made a living out of music.”

Published in Volume 64, Number 3 of The Uniter (September 17, 2009)