Simple Scoop:

Simple Plan -- Official Site

Buy Simple Plan's Still Not Getting Any at Amazon.com

Simply Simple Plan

SimplePlanOnline.com -- Fan Site

Just Before Eternity: The Simple Plan Fanlisting

Simple Plan Message Board -- Fan Site

Simple Plan are five high-school buddies from Montreal -- singer Pierre Bouvier, guitarist Jeff Stinco, bassist David Desrosiers, second guitarist Sebastien Lefebvre and drummer Chuck Comeau. However, Pierre and Chuck were just 13-year-olds when they got started in music, forming the punk act Reset, which toured with successful artists including MxPx. Reset released an album in 1997, but Chuck left the band soon after to return to school. Two years later, Chuck reconnected with Pierre, and Simple Plan were born. Naming the band was easy for the guys. "We had this 'simple plan' to not have a crappy job, and be in a band, have fun and travel the world," says Chuck. "Plus we had to play a show and we had no name." The band landed performing spots on the popular Vans Warped Tour in 2001 as well as gigs as part of Toronto's Snow Jam.

Following two rejections by Lava records, the label finally changed its tune and signed Simple Plan. The band asked Good Charlotte's Joel Madden and Blink-182's Mark Hoppus for some help on its major-label debut, and the guys accepted. "It's a huge honor [because] Blink-182 is definitely one of our favorite bands in the whole world," says Chuck. "To have [Mark] sing on our first album was huge for us. Every time you play your own disc, you get really stoked. You're like, 'Oh my God, my idol's on my record!'" In early 2002, No Pads, No Helmets . . . Just Balls hit shelves and spawned the hit songs "I'd Do Anything," "Perfect" and "Addicted." However, even though the band had cultivated a legion of devoted young fans, the press was not as kind to Simple Plan, often panning their efforts and criticizing them for the pop flavor of their punk tunes. "I wish we had the sort of respect other bands get," Chuck says, "but at the same time, we're not going to beg for it. We're just going to be ourselves." In January of 2003, Simple Plan kept their fans happy by releasing Live in Japan 2002 before heading back to the studio to record their next proper album.

The guys were serious about working on their sophomore effort. "A lot of the pressure came from ourselves," says Sebastien. "The first record did good, and we wanted to make a better record. We wanted a record we could tour three years on and have songs we'd always want to play." In October 2004, Still Not Getting Any hit shelves. The band was pleased with the finished product, which included the hit song "Welcome to my Life." "I think [the new album] is closer to what Simple Plan is than the first one [was]," Sebastien says. The guys have just released their latest single "Shut Up!" and are gearing up for a performance at the star-studded Tsunami Relief Benefit in Thailand on Feb. 2 and 3, after which they will take on opening-act duties for Green Day's Australian tour in March. Meanwhile, the guys plan to ignore their critics and just keep doing what they're doing. "This band is not about being the most original," says Chuck, "I think it's about being honest and putting out songs that we like, that we would want to hear. Maybe we're not changing the world . . . but in the end, I think it's more about the feelings you get when you hear the music. Who cares if you're not inventing a new style -- do you like the songs or not? Do you have fun at shows? Do you like the record or not? That's the bottom line." (Marian Carsman)

Chuck, on why the band sings in English: "When we play in France, Quebec and Montreal, we'll speak to the crowd in French. And we all still speak in French when we're together because it's our first language. And we're always making fun of people in French because [other people] don't understand us. But it feels more natural to sing in English [because] all the bands we love and the music we grew up on is all in English. Besides, French is more of a written language and less of a musical one."

Chuck, on Simple Plan's fans: "They come up to us and they want pictures, and it's like, 'Are you sure you want the most horrible picture in the world?' and they're like, 'Yeah.' It's awesome. It's really exciting that people recognize us, and know our music. That's any band's dream, is to write good songs, and then have people hear it, and like them, and go on tour and have people show it. It's awesome. It's the best thing in the world."

Sebastien, on his early musical influences: "I grew up listening to a lot of punk rock and some metal stuff as well. The first real record that I bought was Pyromania by Def Leppard -- it's still one of my favorite records ever. I did receive a New Kids on the Block record for Christmas when I was 10 or 11. I used to love it."