Simple Plan Biography

Simple Plan is a pop punk band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada—all five members are French-Canadians who were born and grew up in the province of Quebec. The band has released two original albums: No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls (2002) and Still Not Getting Any... (2004); as well as two live CDs: Live in Japan (2002) and MTV Hard Rock Live (2005).

Simple Plan is a pop punk band that came about in stages that began with the founding of the band Reset in 1995, a Canadian punk rock band, by high-school friends Pierre Bouvier, Charles-André (Chuck) Comeau and Adrien White. Reset toured around Canada with bands such as MxPx, Ten Foot Pole, and Face to Face, but only managed to gain modest popularity. The debut album was released in 1997. Comeau soon left to go to college, but two years later he hooked up with Jean-François (Jeff) Stinco and Sébastien Lefebvre, and again started making music. It was coincidence that brought Comeau and Bouvier back together at a Sugar Ray concert in late 1999, and Bouvier soon left Reset and joined his old friends. David Desrosiers replaced Bouvier in Reset, but when asked to join the foursome, he too left the band and joined the four friends.

The origin of the band's name is obscure. Band members have given various responses on this point, including a liking for the movie A Simple Plan; that the band was their simple plan to avoid getting a "real" job; and that the name was only intended to be temporary, but they never thought of anything better, and with shows coming up for the new band, they needed a name.

In 2003, the band played as a headliner on the Vans Warped Tour. The same year, they opened for Avril Lavigne on her "Try To Shut Me Up" Tour. [1]. In addition to several headlining tours, they have also opened for such bands as Green Day and Good Charlotte.

The band tours intensively, and in the period March 2005-March 2006, covered all six inhabited continents. However, since then, it has given few concerts, but has announced plans for a third original CD, to be released most likely in early 2007.

Although Simple Plan maintains a devoted following and has produced two multiplatinum records with numerous hit singles, it has received its share of criticism. Members of the punk movement, are especially hostile towards the band as they see them as trivializing their culture. Moreover, the juvenile subject matter of some of their work (especially the first CD) provokes additional hostility due to the fact that its members are now in their mid-twenties.

Nevertheless, the members of Simple Plan have stated quite clearly that they enjoy the backlash of critics, as they believe in the old adage, "all publicity is good publicity", and that they will never stop doing what they love.[2]

Role Model Clothing, the label that Bouvier and Comeau are often seen sporting, was actually formed before Simple Plan by Comeau, Bouvier, and their friend Patrick Langlois, who is now responsible for merchandising and distribution via the web, as well as being videographer for the band. Langlois and Lefebvre also had their own side project, a label called Man of the Hour, which has been inactive. The two have recently started a weekly podcast on idobi.com under that name.

Patrick (Pat) Langlois (a.k.a. Patrick Cunningham), the band's webmaster, videographer, merch guy, and best friend, has appeared in every Simple Plan video to date except for "Crazy." His appearances are often painful: He was kicked in the crotch in "I'd Do Anything", had a bowling ball dropped on him and his apartment destroyed in "Addicted", and was knocked down by the band in "Don't Wanna Think About You." He is also seen giving a thumbs up in "Perfect", as a valet in "Shut Up", in the crowd in the gym in "I'm Just a Kid", getting out of a car in "Welcome To My Life", and as an emergency services worker in "Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?)" Also in "Untitled", at the end, when the driver is photographed for a mug shot, the sign he is holding says "P. Cunningham".