Oldelaf et Monsieur D.

The French comedy-pop duet Oldelaf & Monsieur D. was formed in 2000 around two high school friends: Olivier Delafosse (Oldelaf) and Frédéric Draps (Monsieur D.). Together they created an amazing set of mocking portraits, among them their famous "Gros Ours," to which they gave life on-stage and on record. Delafosse came up with a strong musical background, having already formed a couple of bands (Les Oh La La's, Les Petits Humains, Caméléon), written numerous songs, and followed musicology studies. Draps came up with a serious comedian background, making the duet a relaxed and very communicating act on-stage. The band performed a lot before recording their first studio LP, the self-produced 2004 album Chansons Cons. After a series of acclaimed concerts, Draps decided to draw back from the band to concentrate on his day job. Kind of stranded, Delafosse had to cast a bunch of comedians in search of a new Monsieur D. and quickly set his mind on Frédéric Vaysse, another versatile comedian involved in many projects. At this point in time, they decided to add another character to their show, Pepito Valdez. The character was impersonated by Alexandre Zapata, a member of Les Petites Bourettes. The new set of songs still contained Draps works in large proportions and was tried out on-stage in increasingly large halls, all around France. It led to the recording of 2006's L'Album de la Maturité, showcasing the same blend of comedy, various hijacked musical styles, and tasty characters. In 2007, the band planned to release a self-produced, self-distributed DVD that would mix their show at La Cigale with the humorous Spinal Tap-like story of the Pepito era, thereby celebrating his departure from the band to focus on Les Petites Bourettes and entering a new stage of their career.