Brothers Dube

Ah, the Great Canadian Cliché:

A hockey net in the driveway, kids racing home from school, the music turned up too high …

But wait, what is that music?
Rock ’em, sock ’em, so says Don,
He’s making millions but my brains are gone.
Take a stand, do what’s right.
Boom Boom – out go the lights!

Welcome to the home of the Dubé brothers, Canada’s youngest rock band, and the latest voice, even if none of the three has yet dropped, to join the chorus crying out for National Hockey League action on head shots.

Liam Dubé is 13, already a “retired” competitive hockey player. Brothers Jan, 12, and Quinn, 10, are also hockey fans. All three are outraged by what they have seen this winter as the likes of Sidney Crosby go down for months with concussion.

These are not kids without influence. When the three brothers – Liam on guitar, Jan on bass, Quinn on drums – set out to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims, they held concerts and did street busking in the Ottawa market until they had $106,300. They were a sensation and helped close out the Ottawa Bluesfest last summer. They were joined in the street for an impromptu jam by Arcade Fire, the Montreal group that won album of the year at the 2011 Grammy Awards. The brothers can be found all over YouTube with cover versions of works by Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana.

They come by their music naturally. Grandmother Cathy Dubé plays piano, accordion and sings. Father Rob plays numerous instruments (“I’m a hack.”). They began performing a few years back when their late mother, Michelle, was ill with cancer. The musical videos they left her with during the school day seemed to help inspire her and, since then, they have tried to use their music only for good causes. Their first fundraising effort was to help fight breast cancer. Then, when they heard that so many Haitian children had lost parents, just as they had, they turned their attention to that cause with the support of Rob and stepmother Christine.

“I’m not a stage dad,” protests Rob, a federal civil servant. “This is all them. We never thought this would ever become something big.”

To try to bring children’s attention to the dangers of hits to the head in hockey, they took an old hit by Pat Travers, Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights), and tweaked the words in a fashion that directly takes on Don Cherry of Hockey Night in Canada and the NHL.

Down at the schoolyard, we’re told it ain’t right.
But home on the TV every Saturday night.
They’re throwin’ headshots and gettin’ in fights.
Boom Boom – out go the lights.
You throw your hands up and say it’s part of the game,
Like offside or icing but it’s damaging brains.
Until Mr. Bettman does what’s right.
Boom Boom – out go the lights.

They may be children, but they say in their own short lives, attitudes have changed, and professional hockey has failed to keep up. Liam – the one with the Justin Bieber hair – was once a good young player whose hockey hero was Scott Stevens, the New Jersey Devils’ defenceman famous for NHL-legal head shots to the likes of Eric Lindros and Paul Kariya that left the stars severely concussed.

“I used to try making open-ice hits,” Liam says, “even though there was no contact allowed.”

He remembers how the coach drilled into them: “Keep your head up!” And yet, he also knows that something along the way changed. “Back then,” he says, referring all the way back to 2003, “it wasn’t the guy doing the hitting who got blamed, it was the guy who got hit with his head down.”

The Dubé brothers loved hockey to the point where they had the NHL game on PlayStation 3 and had memorized dialogue from the movie Slap Shot. They owned Cherry’s Rock ’Em Sock ’Em DVDs and loved them, but no more.

“Some kids grow up thinking you either have to hit guys in the head or else fight to be in the NHL,” Jan says.

“It’s not a good example for kids to follow,” Liam adds. “The NHL should be doing something about it, because now we know what it’s doing to players.”

“It’s really simple,” says Quinn, the youngest of the three, “in our schoolyard if we do this” – he reaches and lightly cuffs a brother’s arm – “you get a note. Get three, you get suspended.” He cannot comprehend the NHL argument that it is complicated. In his view, a hit to the head and you are gone, no excuses allowed.

As for Don Cherry, once their hero, they look to him to come around on all hits to the head, accidental or not, as well.

“People can change,” Liam says. “I think he’s more aware now. We’re not trying to get on his bad side, but if we do, well, all we want to do is raise awareness.”

Take a stand, do what’s right.
Boom Boom – out go the lights! - The Globe and Mail

EMC Events - Three kids wearing pyjamas and carrying instruments walk into a bar.

While it may sound like the setup to a bad joke, the Brothers Dubé are no laughing matter and on March 13, they'll prove it when they play their second annual fundraising show at the Heart and Crown in the ByWard Market.

For the past year, the rock band of Orléans brothers - consisting of Liam, 13, on guitar, Jan, 12, on bass and vocals and Quinn, 10, on drums - has been raising money for Haiti earthquake relief efforts.

"At first, our goal was $1,000, but we got to that pretty fast," said Liam.

The Béatrice-Desloges student explained they kept expanding their goal a few thousand dollars at a time before deciding to go all the way to $100,000.

The first Kids Helping Kids event packed the Raw Sugar Café last March, so this year, they've moved to a bigger venue and would not be fazed by a large crowd.

Although musically inclined from an early age, the brothers began playing together in 2006, performing and taping covers of their mother's favourite songs as a way to lift her spirits during her battle with cancer. After she passed away, the boys continued to make music, and began busking to raise money for various charities.

Since then, the trio has played to crowds inside Scotiabank Place and outside of the Bell Centre in Montreal. They have also been featured on a fundraising Christmas album sold on iTunes.

But it was their stint busking during last summer's Bluesfest that helped them make a special connection for their fundraising efforts.

Grammy-award winning group Arcade Fire spotted the boys and came over to jam with them after their main stage set.

"I talked to their tour people to coordinate sending pictures and found out Arcade Fire was raising money for Haiti," recalled Rob Dubé, the boys' father.

Acting as a corporate sponsor, the band matches donations up to $1 million through KANPE, a non-government organization helping the most vulnerable families sustain themselves and escape the cycle of poverty.

"It's not just throwing money at people, but teaching people," Rob explained.

"So for every dollar we raise on (March 13), Arcade Fire gives another dollar."

But despite the seriousness of the cause, the boys are intending to have fun on Sunday, and encourage those in attendance to kick back and do the same in the most comfortable nighttime wear.

"It's just our way of showing it's not an important show (musically)," said Jan. "We just want to get together and party."

The party soundtrack will feature covers of classic rock tunes as well as original material. Currently, the boys are working on an album they hope to release by Liam's birthday in May.

The second annual Kids Helping Kids runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the McGuinty Stage in the ByWard Market Heart and Crown March 13. For more information on the band, visit http://brothersdube.com.
- EMC News

What kind of buskers use stage monitors? That was the question I asked myself last summer as I passed an impressive trio of wee lads just outside the Bluesfest grounds. Shortly afterward, the story about local rockers the Brothers Dubé hit the front page of a local paper with this epic picture. Those sweaty folks in the picture (aside from the wee lads) are Grammy Award-winning Canadian ‘indie’ darlings Arcade Fire, who, after their own show on the main stage, jumped the security fence to join the fun. At the time the brothers weren’t really sure who these people were, nor was their sound man and father Rob Dubé; all assumed that they were just rowdy concert goers. I love this picture, especially the confused look on 12 year-old bassist Jan’s face … hilarious! Brothers Quinn (drums, age 10) and Liam (guitar, age 13) round out the power trio.

The boy’s story has a tragic beginning with the loss of their mother to breast cancer in 2008 after a brave battle. In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, with televised images of orphans striking a familiar chord, the Brothers Dubé focused on a charity mission for the ravaged country. Little did they know that the chance meeting with Arcade Fire would result in a $200,000 donation to various Haitian charities. The boys are now on the final stretch towards raising $100,000 in funds for Haiti, with Arcade Fire matching every dollar raised. They hope to top the $100,000 mark at an all ages show on March 13th at the Byward Market Heart and Crown at 2pm 4pm.

Bring your kids or borrow someone else’s (ask first) and bring a donation: this is a story you want to be a part of. I had the chance to e-mail back and forth with Rob Dubé and get up to speed on what else has been going on in their lives.

Daddy Dubé explained that after the boy’s escapade with the Arcade Fire local musician, producer Randall Prescott invited them out to his studio to shoot some old guitars with paintball guns off the back deck. Rob says it was a fun, informal way to begin a friendship between two rock and roll families who enjoy helping others. Having grown up in the business, Randall and his wife Tracey knew a lot more about where the kids might be headed than the Dubés. Randall wants to see the boys working with a good management team and in a situation that reflects the efforts they’ve made to date, not only as musicians but as humanitarians as well. I’m hoping Randall gets a harmonica solo or two on the upcoming album…The man can blow a mean harp!

Recording at the Randall’s Almonte studio began with a rocking version of Jingle Bells for a Food Bank compilation. He then introduced the boys to the Odds, who played with them on the CP Rail Holiday Train as part of that same initiative. Under Randall”s supervision, his son Kaylen Prescott along with Anders Dreup are producing the boys debut album.

All have learned that, aside from being talented musicians, the two families share other values, including independence, teamwork, and musical integrity. As father Rob explains, the Prescott team, like the boys, avoids reliance on technological aids such as auto-tuning, quantizing or synthetic drums. Rob says it’s not just about the music, but also about raising kids that are responsible, respectful, compassionate, confident, and happy. It’s about empowering kids to make a real difference in the world, whether they are musicians or anything else. Although musing that the village it takes to raise a child with must have a bunch of musicians in it, he’s also quick to point out that music is just something they boys do, not who they are. Who knows what they will wind up doing in the end?

The boys hope to get an album out before school ends and will continue to fundraise. Half of their proceeds will go to the Kanpe Foundation, and their contributions will continue to be matched dollar for dollar by Arcade Fire up to $1,000,000! For now the boys are rocking on and you can catch them March 13th at the Byward Market Heart and Crown at 2pm 4pm for other info and dates join them on facebook. Oh, and back to the question of what kind buskers use monitors? Well, buskers that sound like this. - Apt613

They may not be old enough to drive, but they’re driving fans crazy and putting their star power to good use by combining hockey and charity in the name of the Kanpe Foundation.

The Dube brothers started singing when they were 6, 8 and 10 years old respectively and have raised thousands for charity since then. It’s now four years later and their latest goal is to raise $12,000.00 for the Kanpe Foundation.

They’ll be opening for the Ottawa Senators on Friday, October 8 and Thursday, October 14, and promoting our cause by asking fans to text in their donations $5 at a time, or donate through their Canadons site


So spread the word to your Ottawa friends and family, and find out more about the Dube brothers at www.dubebrothers.wordpress.com

Who said youth is wasted on the young? - Kanpe Foundation

Even though the Brothers Dubé are quite possibly the youngest sibling rock band in the world, they have been drawing huge crowds while busking their way to raise funds for different charitable organizations with their originals and articulate renditions of rock’s greatest anthems.
With over a hundred live performances under their belts at festivals, stadiums, theatres and bars, and with dozens of interviews and live on-air performances, the Brothers Dubé are as seasoned as a performer can be before high school.
The Brothers Dubé got their start in music in Ottawa in 2006 at the ages of 6, 8 and 10 after posting covers of their mother’s favorite songs on YouTube as a means of keeping her spirits up while she fought cancer. Shortly after her death in 2008, they began fundraising. In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, however, with televised images of orphans striking a sensitive chord, the Brothers Dubé turned their sights on the House of Hope Orphanage and Grace Children’s Hospital in Haiti and recently reached about $100,000 in donations.
Now, they've started fundraising for Food Banks Canada. They recorded a rocking version of “Jingle Bells” which is featured on a compilation album alongside the Barenaked Ladies and Colin James called "Holiday Train Tracks," available on iTunes for 99 cents or $9.99 for the whole album and all proceeds will go to the food bank. - Orleans Star

They may not be old enough to get a job, but with the way things are going, four young local rock stars may never need one.
They’re known as the Dubé Brothers – a band made up of siblings Liam Dubé, 12, Jan Dubé, 11, Quinn Dubé, 9, and their friend, Sandro Ragusa, 13.

In their debut years, they played concerts to raise money for cancer research after their mother Michelle died of the disease in 2008.

But after an earthquake devastated Haiti in January, the boys decided to shift their charitable focus.

Their latest gig was a fundraising concert for children in Haiti, held at the Raw Sugar Café on Somerset Street West in two weeks ago.

Rob Dubé, the boys’ father, said along with raising money for a good cause, the boys are trying to set an example for other kids.

“They’re kids empowering themselves to take action to become responsible, active, involved, to change things, to empower and inspire other kids,” says Dubé.

The concert was the most recent of a series of fundraisers for Haiti held in Centretown.

The Christ Cathedral Church, Babylon nightclub and the Centretown Community Health Centre have all held fundraisers to assist the stricken Caribbean island.

The Dubé Brothers concert packed the Raw Sugar Café to capacity as they played well past their bedtime.

Donations were made throughout the night and even afterwards when fans opened their wallets to take pictures with the boys.

In the end, the concert raised $2,000 on top of the $41,000 they had raised already through other shows and donations.

Craig Senior, who attended the concert, said he was impressed with the boys.

“The crowd was singing along, it was great,” says Senior. “I was the Ottawa representative last year in the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride and the best I ever did at a concert was $900.”

If the private donor who will match every dollar the boys raise up to $50,000 is factored in, they are only $14,000 shy of their $100,000 goal.

The boys’ father says it still hasn’t sunk in.

“We don’t even stop long enough to seriously think about that,” says Rob Dubé.

“It’s a lot of money.”

Jan, the band’s lead singer and bassist, said it’s not always easy playing in a band with your brothers.

“We more don’t get along than we do get along,” says Jan.

In reality, every band has its drama. But the Dubé Brothers want to experience all the realities of a musician’s life.

“We’re in the middle of writing one of our own songs right now,” says Jan. “It’s weird cause you have be like inspired, you can’t just – bam – write a song just like that.”

Along with meeting their goal of $100,000, the boys have other big plans.

They envision playing fundraising concerts for hospitals around the world and then visiting them, a cross-Canada tour or even making a movie.

“I’d like to make a documentary about the lives of some kids who had an event happen to them when they were young and who one way or another wound up deciding not to turn that event into an excuse for the rest of their lives,” says Rob Dubé.

When Quinn looks ahead, his goal for the band is simple.

“Be famous,” he says. - Centertown News

If you went to Bluesfest earlier this month, chances are on the way out you saw The Dube Brothers -- the three kids who were rockin' out just beyond the main gates.

Last Tuesday night, Arcade Fire dropped by for an impromptu sing-along with the brothers. Blogger David Forcier snapped some photos of the event, and soon the Ottawa Citizen picked up the story.

(The boys didn't know it was Arcade Fire singing along with them that night -- they thought it was just a bunch of drunk people.)

The Dube Brothers are Quinn (drums, age 9), Jan (bass, age 11) and Liam (guitar, age 13). Their mother died of breast cancer two years ago, and the boys started singing and performing when she was sick to cheer her up. Over the past year or so the Brothers have played over 20 concerts, raising money for earthquake victims in Haiti. Over $85,000 so far, if you can believe it.

The band has a Youtube channel with videos from some of their shows. Here's a cover of Smells Like A Teen Spirit, performed at Capital Music Hall.
- OttawaStart Blog

Brothers' music for mother helps Haitian orphans

Updated: Sun Mar. 14 2010 3:21:44 PM

ctvottawa.ca

Quinn, Jan and Liam Dube all began playing music to cheer their mother up when she fell ill four years ago. She's since passed away, but the music continues -- now raising more than $40,000 for Haitian orphans.

The original inspiration was to help their mother feel better as they battled cancer. They say they're able now to transfer those feelings of warmth to the Haitians.

"I think they're familiar with some of the realities in life, what life can be like," says Liam. "It makes it fairly easy for them to identify with kids who have lost one or two parents."

Even their father Rob is joining in the jam.

"To me, I'm not the dad. I'm just one of the sounds in the band."

Like all families, the bands and brothers do have their spats. But they have learned through working with each other how to get past the little stuff and look, literally, for harmony.

"(You just) enjoy the little things that end up being fun," says Liam.
- CTV

The Dubé Brothers are an inspiring trio of young, devout rockers with both the instrumental skills and musical merits needed to take them to the top. What began as YouTube performances for their mother has now blossomed in to a major musical endeavor, championing some seriously worthy causes including funding cancer research, inspiring other young Ottawa musicians, and even traveling to Haiti in support of a local orphanage & Children’s hospital.

It’s really not everyday you meet such an impressively talented and purely motivated band whose members are under the age of 13. Not only are these boys driven, they’ve got some real stage experience under their belts - including jamming with The Arcade Fire and Hollerado at this year’s Ottawa Blues Fest, taking top spot at the 2010 Band on the Run, opening for The Organ Thieves, and being invited to play Oshega!

A tight knit family and a really generous collection of musicians, Liam, Jan, Quinn, dad Rob and step mom Christine are 100% dedicated to the causes they’ve set out to support, while at the same time nurturing The Dubé Brothers' young, but rapidly maturing sound.

Supernova was lucky enough to have these boys play at Band on the Run 2010, and we grabbed a quick interview to learn more about how these young siblings came to form such an impressive performing act.

First, can you introduce yourselves?

Liam 13 lead guitar, Jan 11 Bass and lead vocals, Quinn drums and vocals.

And I know you have a pretty amazing story... can you tell me what got you to where you stand (as a band) today?

We started out making videos on Youtube for our mom, who was in bed fighting cancer. After she passed away, we started playing fundraisers for cancer, entered the school talent show, then raised funds - over $80K - for Haiti's orphans. And THEN we started busking... from there it got nutty!

Haha, well you guys are quite a sensation. As "Canada's youngest performing rock band," how would you describe your sound?

We have some original material, but we're still a cover band. We're working on our sound and haven't had time to jam together and explore things because we've been so busy fundraising... but that is next on our list.

From the stuff we've written, I'd say it's alternative rock; but that's not necessarily what will come out as a final product. In addition to the classic rock we cover, we have LOTS of influences... pop, metal, reggae, punk, and even big band jazz.

We can't wait to hear more from you. So far, what has been the most rewarding thing about being in a band?

Having fun while working to help others, ie: "work and helping others is fun" instead of "work sucks"... we love our job!

Was there any particular moment or event that made you realize you wanted to pursue music full time?

Watching all the bands play on stage at Bluesfest last year made us want to work hard to become a band. We met some kids from a band called Homemade Jamz, their drummer was 10... bassist was 15, and lead guitarist and vocalist was 17. When we asked them how much they practiced a day, they told us one to one and a half hours... but that when they skipped they noticed how rusty they'd become. (Jan)

What is the biggest challenge facing ‘new’ artists, in your opinion?

Writing songs that haven't been written, and getting the support you need to keep you going.

How did your band find Supernova.com?

We Googled "battle of the bands" and the Band on the Run gig came up. It's fun to be able to play with other bands and meet other artists regardless of who "wins".

So what's your secret to putting on a good show?

Get the crowd involved in the experience of a show so that they feel part of something, and they are not behind a wall. When they participate it contributes to our show; we thrive off of each other. It's hard to play a show for a wall of faces staring blankly at you.

For sure. Where is your favourite place to practice or play?

Busking in the market on Sparks Street is fun, but the rush of busking Bluesfest crowds is fantastic. People are there to see and hear music performances... they are receptive to the spirit of music, and that's all we're doing: just playing the songs we love listening to, for them. It's a place to share.

What other artists do you look up to?

Pink Floyd were creative geniuses who didn't care what others thought of their weird music in the beginning, and had the stamina to craft their sound while having the confidence to believe in their product. They stuck to their guns.

Led Zeppelin, for their raunchy hard blues approach to rock and roll.

Prince as well, because he has been able to redefine himself throughout the years; he's been through a lot and still made it.

You have amazing taste in music. Is there such a thing as ‘bad’ music?

No. Music isn't a sport, where you're "better" than someone else. Anyone's music is "good" to someone... Pink Floyd isn't too fond of Atom Heart Mother, but I like it a lot. (Liam)

Well said. Is there anything else that makes your band unique that new listeners should know?

We're all brothers under the age of 13, covering music whose listeners were only listening to it at our age... We're likely the youngest sibling rock band in the world.

What really makes us unique though, is the experience we leave you with. We're used to people approaching us on the street from afar thinking, "Oh that's so cute, little kids with guitars... it's Rock Band," and as they approach, we see them smile when they realize, "Oh my God, those might be cute little kids, but they are totally blowing me away with their rendition of [whatever it is]!"

We love taking advantage of the opportunity to pleasantly surprise people and deliver a solid performance.

The Dubé Brothers are a band that represent what good music is truly all about - passion, persistence, and playing for a cause; pillars that many older artists tend to forget. We wish the boys all the best on their trip to Haiti, and in their future charitable endeavors.

You can catch The Dubé Brothers coming up at the following shows:

September 18 - Capital Speedway - Ashton, Ontario
October 8 - Scotiabank Place - Ottawa, Ontario
October 22 - Urbandale Center - Ottawa, Ontario

One can only imagine what another year or two will mean to this band's development, experience and success; of course, Supernova expects to hear much much more from these young, inspirational artists!
- Supernova