La Bottine Souriante

La Bottine Souriante is a folk band from Quebec specialising in traditional Quebecois music, often with a modern twist. Formed in 1976, they have toured extensively through North America and Europe. As well as the traditional accordion, fiddle, guitar, piano and double bass, the band added a four-piece horn section in 1990 which gives an element of jazz to the music. In 1998, they contributed a song to the Canadian Celtic music compilation by The Chieftains, Fire in the Kitchen. The group's name means "the smiling boot", which refers to the appearance of a work boot with worn-out soles. They have received three Canadian Juno awards and several Felix awards from the Quebec recording industry. They are known for their high energy live performances and in 2000 were voted Best Live Act at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. BBC Radio 3 has also played their music in mainstream programmes. See their website: http://www.bottinesouriante.com/