--taken from: Waterloo Region Record
by Coral Andrews
Will Currie, of Will Currie and The Country French, is stumped when asked what music he has been listening to lately.
So he walks over to his record player.
"I am currently listening to Side 2 of Frank Sinatra; 'This is Sinatra — His Very Best.' I think someone put it on the last time we had people over. It is a good record," he says with a laugh adding he grew up on '50s/'60s music.
Ole Blue Eyes' 1964 vinyl release is perfect ear candy for Currie, a guy "guilty of loving (Leonard) Bernstein past his prime" as he writes in the title song of the band's sophomore CD, "They Killed Us."
He went from drummer in Grade 7 to trombone, "because of having long enough arms" in elementary school, to percussion major in university studying with music professors Lee Willingham and Carol Bauman.
Currie with fellow Country Frenchmen Dan Beacock, guitar, Aaron Mariash, drums, and Daniel MacPherson, bass, are all music majors from Wilfred Laurier University. Together they create sweeping symphonic pop songs informed by many artists past and present; from Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds Five to The Beatles, oft enhanced with the theatrical style of French composer Jacques Brel.
They did a "once-only opening gig" in 2006 for Tokyo Police Club.
But the band's popularity really began to blossom in 2007 when Jay Ferguson of the band Sloan discovered them playing at the now-defunct Tiger Bar in Toronto, opening for (Ferguson's pal) Halifax indie rocker Rich Aucoin.
"Jay was there to see Rich, and we were opening for Rich, so it was very serendipitous," adds Currie.
Ferguson immediately signed Currie to Sloan's Murderecords label which released both Currie EP "A Great Stage" and 2011 album "Awake, You Sleepers!" with pop single "Push Pins" which brought the band to national attention.
Will Currie and The Country French have toured Canada several times, sharing the stage with many artists including Sloan, Dan Mangan, Arkells, Our Lady Peace, David Wilcox, Zeus, Hey Rosetta!, and Said The Whale.
--taken from: Waterloo Region Record
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