On the road to Karl Tremblay: 7 places in Lanaudière to remember the singer of the Cowboys Fringants

Karl Tremblay was a lover of the Lanaudière region. “Welcome to Repentigny-By-the-Sea”, he sang on the album Motel Capri. Here are seven places in Repentigny and L’Assomption where it is possible to make a little pilgrimage remembering the singer of the Cowboys Fringants.

Brasserie La Ripaille

To all lords, all honor. This is the place where Les Cowboys Fringants was born, almost 30 years ago. Until then hockey friends, Karl Tremblay and Jean-François Pauzé had decided to register for an amateur songwriters’ competition at La Ripaille, in the summer of 1996. Because it was a country competition, they had chosen an appropriate name: Les Cowboys Fringants. Violinist Marie-Annick Lépine joined them later, in the semi-final and final. They finished in second place. Note that the original building was razed by flames in 2012. A new brewery had to be rebuilt on Notre-Dame Street.

358, rue Notre-Dame, Repentigny

Randolph Pub Ludique

A great fan of board games, Karl Tremblay was co-owner of the Randolph Pub Ludique Repentigny banner, as well as the Le Chevalier games store. A few weeks ago, Marie-Annick asked the public for help to save the Randolph, which has been in financial difficulty since the pandemic. She will soon have an exhibition at the pub with the works received in the image of her late partner.

408, rue Notre-Dame, Repentigny

Motel Capri & Suites

Without knowing it, Les Cowboys Fringants put this modest motel in Repentigny “on the map” by deciding to give it the name of their album released in 2000. More than 25 years later, the establishment is still standing. However, we doubt that it is still “fifteen piastres a night”, as Karl Tremblay sang at the time.

658, rue Notre-Dame, Repentigny

A mural for Karl

The mural created in tribute to the singer will be inaugurated on Saturday. Designed by Hsix in collaboration with MU, this work “pays homage to the significant legacy of the singer from Repentigny, who touched all of Quebec”. The mural can be found in the Repentigny Cultural Space, where we presented an exhibition on the Cowboys, in 2022, and a fun outdoor trail, last year.

Repentigny cultural space (451, rue Robillard, Repentigny)

Place Karl-Tremblay

On November 16, 2023, the day after the announcement of the death of Karl Tremblay, thousands of saddened fans gathered on the grounds neighboring the Théâtre Hector-Charland, in L’Assomption. Positioned between the theater and the friendly bistro-spectacle L’Ange Cornu, this green space will officially become Place Karl-Tremblay in the fall of 2025. The mayor of L’Assomption mentioned having been in close discussion with Marie-Annick to offer a sober place of commemoration, like the singer.

261, boulevard de l’Ange-Gardien, L’Assomption

Old Palace

In the midst of a pandemic, in 2021, Marie-Annick Lépine decided to add a string to her bow by becoming administrative and cultural manager of the Vieux Palais de L’Assomption. The same year, because the Cowboys concerts were stopped, Karl Tremblay and Jean-François Pauzé decided to launch a wacky duo: Jean-Karl. Naturally, they played many times at the Vieux Palais. This is also where Karl gave his very last show, on October 3, 2023, a little over a month before his death.

255, rue Saint-Étienne, L’Assomption

Le Phoenix

During the pandemic, Karl Tremblay developed an intense passion for a little-known sport: disc Golf. The singer introduced many artists to it in the following years. He also helped the Mission Disc Golf team design a course at L’Assomption, Le Phoenix. Last month, a charity event was held in Karl’s memory, benefiting the Canadian Cancer Society. It raised more than $21,000.

935, chemin de la Presqu’île, L’Assomption