The members of Les Dérailleurs first played together in a band formed for a Bowie tribute night at the Ashfield Lakehouse shortly after his death. They next played one song to open up the Anti-Inauguration Party at Flywheel. This song became available on vinyl as a “45 for 45” in October 2018. People hearing them play at subsequent shows have described their music as “well-dressed punk” or bring up bands from the 70s and 80s like the New York Dolls, the Buzzcocks and the Replacements, and of course, Bowie and Iggy. Their 4-song EP “False Start” was released in July 2018, and is widely available for digital streaming and download.
Les Dérailleurs have their immediate roots in the DIY scene of Western Mass. Joe Pater (g. v.) and Franky Sinistra (b.) played together in Atomica in the early 2000s, and Jeremy Smith (d.) was in the New Harmful at the same time. Pater and especially Smith are long-time members of the Flywheel arts collective. Dan Cooper (g.) is also a long-time part of the W. Mass music scene, playing in the mid-1990s as the bassist for Flycatcher and then with Leticia on guitar. He currently records and performs as part of the Americana duo Our Wicked Hearts. Before the New Harmful Smith played in punk bands in Western Mass, and Sinistra played in punk bands in southwest France. Pater’s deeper roots are in the rich music scene of Kingston Ontario, which he still participates in when he can. The latest Dérailleurs EP “2003” is set of songs Pater recorded that year with Kingston drummer Grant Ethier (Thirteen Engines, Hellbillies).