French-speaking Canadian folk-rockers Les Cowboys Fringants—loosely translated as The Frisky Cowboys—are pioneers of the politically charged Québécois neo-trad genre. ∙ The band’s 2002 breakout LP, Break Syndical, earned them international touring opportunities and a Juno Award nomination for Francophone Album of the Year. ∙ They won back-to-back Group of the Year honors at the 2003 and 2004 Félix Awards, which celebrate independent music in Quebec. ∙ With its poetic lyrics and alt-folk musiciality, the band’s 2008 LP, L’expedition, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Canadian Albums chart. ∙ As part of the 2018 OSM Pop Series, the band played multiple shows in collaboration with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. ∙ In 2019, Cirque du Soleil picked the group’s music for their month-long tribute show, Joyeux Calvaire – A Tribute to Les Cowboys Fringants, crafting 18 remixes of their most popular songs.