Perfect

Background:

“People that hate our band, they will never hate me enough to make me stop it. They don't phase me. They go out there and tell us to fuck off or they flip us off or whatever, it's like, that's nothing to me. It's like I love what I do so much they will never stop me from doing it no matter how loud they scream, I will scream louder. And I will always be there for people who love us. They could never boo me off stage, I'll keep playing until my set's over and that's it. .” Pierre Bouvier of Simple Plan

French/Canadian pop punk band based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Simple Plan, comprising of drummer Chuck Comeau, lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier, lead guitarist Jeff Stinco, rhythm guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre and bassist David Desrosiers, was launched to prominence with their debut album, “No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls,” which went multi-platinum in Canada and double-platinum in America. The album spawned such hits as “I'm Just a Kid,” “I'd Do Anything” “Addicted” and “Perfect.” In addition to becoming the group's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Perfect” also topped the American Top 40 and reached Top 6 in Australia. The fivesome gained additional attainment in 2004 with their sophomore effort, “Still Not Getting Any....” The first single “Welcome to My Life” was a worldwide hit, peaking at No. 1 in Spain in addition to became the Top 40 on the American Billboard Hot 100. The third album “Simple Plan” was released in February 2008 with the lead single “When I'm Gone,” a Top 30 hit in U.K. Simple Plan has also released two live albums: “Live in Japan 2002” (2003) and “MTV Hard Rock Live” (2005).

A popular band in Canada, Simple Plan has picked up four consecutive MMVA Awards in the category of Favorite Canadian Band from 2002 to 2005. They also won a Teen Choice for Choice Music-Rock Group in 2005 and a Juno for Fan Choice in 2006. Some nominations that the group has received include a 2004 NME for Best Music DVD A Big Package For You 1999-2003, a 2005 Juno for Group of the Year and two VMAs for Best Cinematography in a Video and Best Editing in a Video.

“We never asked everyone in the world to like our band. I think we make music for ourselves and the kids out there who enjoy it. The rest of the people don't have to come to out shows and don't have to fucking wear Simple Plan shirts.” Chuck Comeau

Aside from music, members of Simple Plan have participated in numerous side projects, including the Simple Plan Foundation, which dealt with youth problems like poverty to drug addiction. Prior to the establishment of the foundation, they supported nonprofit and advocacy groups like the MTV Asia Aid benefit, RADD (Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes against Drunk Driving), the Make-A-Wish Foundation and MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Pierre Bouvier hosted a reality TV on MTV called “Damage Control,” which debuted in March 2005, while Sébastien Lefevbre and Patrick Langlois started a clothing company, Man of The Hour, which later evolved to an internet radio show named “Man of the Hour Hour.” Along with Chuck Comeau and Langlois, Bouvier also has a clothing line called “Role Model Clothing.”

Montreal Boys

Childhood and Family:

In 1995, in Canada, the future Simple Plan founders Pierre Bouvier (born on May 9, 1979) and Charles-André “Chuck” Comeau (born on September 17, 1979) formed a band called Reset with their friends Philippe Jolicoeur, and Adrian White. The foursome hit the street around Canada with fellow punkers like MxPx, Face to Face and Ten Foot Pole, and even managed to release a debut album in 1997 called “No Worries.” They, however, only enjoyed moderate success, and Comeau, who first worked as a writer in a music magazine, quit the group shortly thereafter to attend college.

After two years, Comeau decided to put his studies on the backburner to start a new group with his former high-school friends Jeff Stinco (born on August 22, 1978) and Sebastien Lefebvre (born on June 5, 1981), both of whom just left their bands. Growing tired with his double duty as both the front man and guitarist of Reset, Bouvier, who reconnected with Comeau at a Sugar Ray show in late 1999, decided to leave his band and joined Comeau. Bouvier's successor in Reset, David Desrosiers (born on August 29, 1980), soon completed the lineup, and Simple Plan was born.

Welcome to My Life

Career:

Before heading to the studio to make a record, Simple Plan landed show appointments with the annual Warped Tour in 2001 and spots with the Toronto-based Snow Jam. Their debut album, “No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls,” was released on November 15, 2002 on Lava/Atlantic Records. The first single “I'm Just a Kid,” penned by Bouvier, was featured in such motion pictures as ED Decter's “The New Guy” (2002), Casey La Scala's “Grind” (2003) and the remake “Cheaper by the Dozen” (2003), while the follow-up “I'd Do Anything” features vocals from Mark Hoppus of the blink-182 fame. The group, however, did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 until after the release of their third single, “Addicted,” which reached Top 45, and when the single was released in Australia in 2004 it reached the Top 10. The last and forth single from the album was “Perfect,” which went on to become Simple Plan's biggest hit on Billboard's Hot 100 (#24). Besides, the song peaked at No. 6 in Australia and No. 1 on the American Top 40.“No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls” received multi-platinum in Canada and double-platinum in America.

Simple Plan solidified their rising status with hundreds of local show performances in 2002 and a successful concert in Japan, where their debut album went gold. They also served as opening acts for Avril Lavigne's 2003 “Try To Shut Me Up” Tour. The same year, they also headlined the Vans Warped Tour.

In October 26, 2004, Simple Plan resurfaced with their second studio album, “Still Not Getting Any....,” which rose to No. 3. Its lead single “Welcome to My Life” debuted at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the Top 11 and Top 21 on the Top 40 Mainstream and Top 40 Tracks, respectively. A huge international hit, the song also became a No. 1 hit in the Spain chart and stayed at the position for 52 consecutive weeks. The was followed by the singles “Shut Up!” (# 99 on Billboard's Hot 100), “Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?)” (#49 on Billboard's Hot 100), “Crazy” and “Perfect World.” “Still Not Getting Any....” was certified 4xplatinum in Canada and platinum in the U.S.

A year later, Simple Plan released “MTV Hard Rock Live,” a second live album after “Live in Japan 2002” (2003). The album comprised tracks from their first two albums. Also in 2005, they could be seen touring with other artists like Avril Lavigne, Good Charlotte, Relient K and Green Day. They slow down their touring schedules in the following year to start working on their new album in Montreal. Entering the studio for recording in June 2007, the third album “Simple Plan” was eventually released on February 12, 2008. The lead single “When I'm Gone” peaked at No. 26 on the UK chart, marking the group's first entry to the chart.

“When people ask me to describe our sound. I always think of it as angry, negative, depressive lyrics over really poppy, uplifting music. That's the way it's always been. This is just a really personal record. It's a record about how we're feeling, so that's what reflects out of it.” Pierre Bouvier

Simple Plan will tour in Japan in May, where they were also scheduled to appear on the MTV Japan awards. Next, they will perform at several festivals, including the Download Festival.

Awards:

• Juno: Fan Choice, 2006

• Teen Choice: Choice Music: Rock Group, 2005

• MMVA: Favorite Canadian Band, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005