Tickets on sale at Fnac.

Here’s a little musical lovin’ from Alabama Shakes. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Bjorn Berge

Bjorn’s style, which can initially come off as unsettlingly dark and demonic, is not for the fainthearted blues enthusiast. Though his main influences are Robert Johnson and Elmore James, his sound is a fusion of traditional blues, hard rock and metal (think Black Sabbath meets Bluegrass meets Frank Zappa). His burly 6ft5 stature, gritty baritone, thumping drum and virtuosic picking and slide skills also means he’s not here to fuck around. With all this stacked in his favor, Bjorn could easily alienate his audience and just do his thing. On the contrary, and much to my delight, Bjorn is an extraordinarily warm and charismatic performer. He is unassumingly funny and likes to play on his “big man” persona. After a few songs, he throws out a question to the audience: “Have you bought my CD?” To which only a handful murmured a “yes”. With a stern smile he says, “I think it’s on sale after the show. Or let’s put it this way, you don’t leave here without the CD.” And after introducing one of his encore songs, “Blackwood”, explains the origin of the title, “I couldn’t play Black Metal so…I play blackwood. No, actually my guitar is made from blackwood.”

In addition to playing off his new album, he wowed the audience with powerful covers of “Give it Away” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and “Keep It Greasy” by Mr. Zappa. Before we can categorize Berge as only being able to master a modern in-your-face brand of blues, it must be said that he can also show a more subtle, melodic side. His cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” which I was able to capture on video, is a great example of this.

All in all, a great show and a must-see if you enjoy twelve-string guitar blues and ain’t scared of big Norwegian bluesmen.

“Blackwood” (Dixiefrog) was released internationally on October 13 2011 and is available on Amazon and Fnac.

Alabama Shakes

Paris is majestic. Paris is beautiful. Paris is … not always on the tour list for many bands coming to Europe. This does not make me happy. I checked the tour schedule for Alabama Shakes today and to my horror and disappointment, London is the only non-US city they are going to hit on their upcoming tour to promote their much anticipated full-length debut album “Boys and Girls” (Ato Records). When in distress, assess. I narrowed down my options to the following:

a. buy a ticket to London and hunt down tickets to one of their already sold shows
b. stalk the band by sending daily messages to their promoters and booking agents
c. sulk
d. share their music in the hopes that they may see this post and come to Paris

I’m a dreamer. I went with option d.

If you haven’t heard the roar and thunder of Alabama Shakes, you really need to. Like, now. And be ready for real, homegrown rock and roll from a band that will perform a seismic effect on your soul. Yes, it’s intense stuff, but that’s what rock and roll is. What this quartet from Athens, Alabama is able to provoke is so powerful and raw, there is no room for any lingering demons. Brittany Howard sings from that place where few dare to go and you are thankful for it. Sadness, regret, love gone wrong, love gone right, hope: emotions that have invigorated or haunted us at one time or another are all there waiting to be appropriated. And that’s just from their recordings. From what I have read, their live performances are fierce, sweat-drenched experiences. As Howard was quoted saying in music blog The South Rail when asked what fans should expect at a show: “Wear your dancing shoes. Bring a sweat rag. Leave your fear. It’s gonna be a different kind of night.”

I’ve got my sweat rag ready. Bring it on. Bring it to Paris, Alabama Shakes.

“You Ain’t Alone”

“Hold On”

“I Found You”

Alabama Shakes’ full-length LP “Boys and Girls” is scheduled for release on April 9th (Internationally) and April 10th (US).

Sarah Carlier

Right when I was planning on hibernating until spring, I get invited to two concerts. Music production company Azimuth stumbled across my February Gig Guide post from earlier this week where I mention one of their artists, Bjorn Berge (more on him next week), and asked if I wanted to see him live. They also asked me to listen to a few tracks by another one of their artists, Sarah Carlier, and that if I liked her music, I could check her out live too.

Ummm. Yes and yes please?

After reading a bit about 21-year-old Belgian born Sarah Carlier, I was actually looking forward to shelving my hibernation plans and spending a cozy evening at the Sunset-Sunside jazz club with this budding singer and songwriter. In addition to her talent, Sarah can be admired for her DIY approach to promoting her music. When she had a few songs under her belt, she simply posted them on the increasingly popular fan-funded record label, Akamusic and before she knew it, had earned enough financial backing to cut her first album. The concert I attended last night, as well as the ones on March 7th and April 4th are in support of her first full-length album, “For Those Who Believe” (Universal), to be released February 27th.

Accompanied only by her percussionist and armed with her guitar, Sarah Carlier gave a thoroughly refreshing performance. Her voice is rich and soothing and the warmth that I had detected in her recordings are immediately palpable. Her lyrics speak of her aspirations and a better world and her melodies, while rooted in folk, are punctuated by soft afro-soul rhythms. Though she has cited influences such as Tracy Chapman, Nina Simone and Gnarls Barkley, it is clear she draws some inspiration from her mixed cultural background (her father is Belgian-Congolese and her mother is from Chad). Although her songwriting skills will no doubt mature and develop over the years, her lyrics already reveal an introspective, poised voice. “Tenderness” is an affirmation, a tribute to independence “I don’t believe in fairytales and happiness frightens me” and in “Backstage”, which has already gotten airplay in Europe, Sarah shares her need to be alone in order to create “I’d rather be alone in the dark than exposed in front of you”. In addition to playing most of the songs off of her new album last night, the audience was treated to a great cover of Sting‘s “Mad About You”. After every song, she thanked her audience with an enthusiastic, incredulous smile. A smile that seems to say “Wow, I can’t believe I am here”. She must have realized at some point that the dreams she sings about are just around the corner.

Sarah Carlier will be playing at the Sunset-Sunside jazz club on March 7th and April 4th. To reserve your tickets, click here
For more information on Sarah Carlier, click here

View from my privileged seat at the Sunset-Sunside

The King of Rock and Roll (and really good covers)

In one of those breakthrough moments while rehearsing with my band, that delicious moment when one of us comes up with a different direction for a song and it works, it dawned on me: what we are trying to achieve is actually quite challenging. After all, we are taking soul (and some funk) classics that were often big productions with layers of arrangements for full-piece string, brass and back-up vocal sections, and making it work as a trio. We like to think we distill the song enough so we keep its essence (there isn’t much choice, there are only three of us!), and add our homemade flavor to it. As a singer, I study the original as well as other cover versions so I get to know the song inside and out, then begin the process of erasing about 90% of what I listened to so I can come up with my own interpretation, uninfluenced. Again, not an easy feat, but that’s my work as a musician. But, you know, I just do covers.

I get asked a lot if I write my own songs or play an instrument and my answer is often a lame justification for something that doesn’t need to be justified. It sounds something like this:
“Well, for the moment we are doing covers, but we may branch out and start writing our own songs. And yes, I play the piano. Studied 12 years of classical piano but I left it a number of years ago so my skills are rusty.”

What I should answer is this: “You know, covering songs is an art in itself. Some of our most cherished songs are actually covers of an original. And some of our favorite musicians never wrote any of their own songs. Oh and btw, the voice is an instrument.” [Insert big toothy smug smile]

Do I sound annoyed? Nah. Yeah, ok, maybe a little. It’s just that I would hate for people to drown in ignorance. I just wonder if the same people who ask if I “just do covers” remember that our very own “King of Rock and Roll” (and also the best selling solo artist in the history of popular music) didn’t write any of his songs. That’s right, not one single one of Elvis’ number one singles was written by him. And yet, he was awesome. And what about that group of women (who seem to be at every wedding) who jump onto the dance floor almost as if on command, belting out R-E-S-P-E-C-T with feminist defiance? Do they remember that the original was a man‘s plea to his woman, begging her to just be nice to him in exchange for whatever she wants? Or did they just forget?

My point is, it’s ok to forget this stuff. I mean, in an ideal world, we all know that “Proud Mary” is a song written by John Fogerty but that Ike and Tina created a memorable, powerful cover of it. We would all know and remember that “Tainted Love” was not a New Wave song from the 1980s, it’s a rock and roll song from 1965. And that Norah Jones did not write “Don’t Know Why”; that credit goes to Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Jesse Harris. It’s ok to forget this stuff because at the end of the day, if your ears like what they hear and you are able to connect with a certain version of a song, then that’s all that matters. What is important to remember is that it takes creativity, intelligence, musicianship and a certain amount of risk in order to produce a successful cover of a song. It takes work.

There are some amazingly gifted songwriters out there and we are blessed to have their music. Cover artists (and covers) are a different kettle of fish, so let’s stop comparing the two. In honor of musicians who have created memorable covers, I have chosen ten recent covers that I think are pretty cool. Some haven’t strayed too far from the original (Bon Iver), some have clearly stamped their musical identity on their version (Coldplay), some are just breathtakingly refreshing (Sara Bareilles). All are examples of what a good cover should strive to be. So have a listen, enjoy and show them some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

1. “This Charming Man” (The Smiths) by Miracles of Modern Science
I only very recently discovered Miracles of Modern Science, but I already give big props to this mostly string-ensemble who started out in the dorms of Princeton University. I will admit, I start to twitch a little when I hear anyone cover The Smiths because so many of their songs are sacred to me, but this version is a true gift to Smiths fans. A beautiful instrumental version that holds onto the original’s morose underpinning while keeping it light and whimsical. And I love that for once, you can forget Morrissey’s notoriously ambiguous lyrics and just enjoy… the music.

2. “I’d Go Blind” (Etta James) by Holly Miranda
Etta has been on my mind since she moved to a higher place on January 20th. She will be missed. And luckily we have talented artists like Holly Miranda to keep her gems alive. A warm, fragile version held together by guitar strings and Holly’s honest vocals.

3. “Venus in Furs” (The Velvet Underground) by The Kills
I had the fortune of hearing The Kills’ version of “Pale Blue Eyes” live a few months ago. I really like how they cover The Velvet Underground. They have the right amount of nonchalance, melancholy and grittiness to make it work.

4. “Um Oh Yeah Dearest” (Buddy Holly) by The Black Keys
Dedicated to the love of my life, wherever you are.

5. “Yellow” (Coldplay) by Sara Bareilles
Coldplay who? From the first note you have no choice but to surrender to Sara’s exquisite piano arrangement. Add to that, suspenseful vocals, and you have a chilling live performance. If I were Chris Martin, I would be immensely flattered. Maybe even shitting my pants a little.

6. “Everlasting Light” (The Black Keys) by Alex Winston
I nearly fell off my chair when I heard this version of “Everlasting Light”. Quirky, haunting and explosive. Expect big things from this 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

7. “We Found Love in a Hopeless Place” (Rihanna) by Coldplay
This song is my guilty pleasure. It all started when I went to a gay party at Maxim’s with a friend and we requested this song about 10 times before the DJ finally gave in and played it. I danced, bounced and jumped to this song like a freak. It’s amazing how dancing among men who are completely uninterested in you unleashes your inner dance diva. I felt like Carrie in a Sex and the City episode. The band captures the giddy (ok, cheesy) euphoria of this song, all while keeping it very Coldplay.

8. “Never Tear Us Apart” (INXS) by Beck. Vocals by St. Vincent
I’ve already commented on this version in a previous post but I love it so much, I couldn’t NOT include in the list. Annie from St. Vincent’s vocals are just divine. Even when she trips on the words.

9. “Electric Feel” (MGMT) by Katy Perry
I am a little annoyed because I wanted to cover this song, one of my favorite MGMT tunes. And well, now Katy Perry’s been there, done that. Grrrr. I might still do one. It’s nice to hear a stripped-down Katy with just some percussion, guitar and non-intrusive backing vocals.

10. “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (Bonnie Raitt) by Bon Iver
Are you sitting down and have a box of Kleenex handy? Again, tricky stuff considering the original is perfection, but Bon Iver’s version makes my heart hurt… a lot.

I stopped doing the weekly gig guides because, well, those posts got few hits and I thought that maybe the information was redundant. You can, after all, look up upcoming gigs and shows in TimeOut or Lylo. My conscience was clean until friends starting asking me about new music I am listening to and my thoughts on who they should check out live. I thought, “Hmmm..so you DO care what I think!” and smiled. I love being needed.

So here’s what I’m going to do. At the start of every month, I will pick out all the gigs I would go to if I had the time and money to do so (some are actually free). Whenever possible, I will make sure there are available tickets to these shows so you avoid the frustration of getting excited and clicking on Fnac or Digitick and discovering that a show is sold out. And of course I’ll keep sharing photos and reviews of shows I really enjoyed. How does that sound?

(As an FYI, I do tend to avoid promoting mainstream, “headlining” acts because, well, they don’t need my promotional help.)

February 2012 Gig Guide:

Thurs 2 Feb Dropkick Murphys @ L’Olympia – 7pm / 36.30€
Tues 7 Feb Liz Green @ Point Ephemere – 8pm / 15.80€
Thurs 9 Feb Wine + The Bashing Souls @ Scene Bastille – 7:30pm / 11.80€
Fri 10 Feb Bjørn Berge @ Sunset – 10pm / 18€
Sun 12 Feb Nick Lowe + Band (yes, as in the “Cruel to be Kind” guy) @ New Morning – 7pm / 40€
Thurs 16 Feb The Subways @ L’Alhambra – 7:30pm / 26.40€
Fri 17 Feb Soirée Waxgroove: Lord Funk + Erik Ruig @ Le Nouveau Casino – 12am to 6am / 10€
Fri 24 Feb Reel Big Fish @ La Boule Noire – 7:30pm / 13.80€
Wed 29 Feb Popa Chubby @ Le Plan (Ris-Orangis) – 8pm / 26.40€
Wed 29 Feb Chairlift @ La Maroquinerie – 7pm / 23.10€

All tickets available online at Fnac or Digitick

Punch Brothers

Another rainy, chilly day in Paris was the perfect backdrop for a chillaxed performance by Amos Lee at La Cigale last night. Amos belongs to that group of underrated artists (both as a singer and songwriter) who really just deserves more attention. Backed up by keys, drums, steel guitar, bass and electric guitar, his music is effortless. He shines best though when it’s just him and his guitar.

Amos Lee

Setlist:

El Camino
Supply and Demand
Truth
Careless
Cup of Sorrow
Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight
Violin
Flower
The Golden Age (Beck cover)
Soul Suckers
Colors
Behind Me Now
Street Corner Preacher
Low Down Life
Windows Rolled Down
Arms of a Woman

Encore:

Night Train

Concert at Athénée theatre with Edith Piaf, 1950

I’ve been back in Paris physically for two weeks now (Happy New Year, btw), but mentally, I still seem to be in Argentina where I spent a month visiting family and friends.

The other day I was browsing through the agenda of the Maison de l’Amérique Latine and came across a talk and concert on Argentine folk musician Atahualpa Yupanqui. Before I even started to get homesick or run out of dulce de leche, I find this great opportunity to check out some music from la patria! Plus, despite the fact I used to work near the Maison for three years, I had never set foot inside. Two birds with one stone, perfect.

The talk was given by Fabiola Orquera who received her doctorate degree from Duke University, after completing her studies in Latin American literature at the Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. She is currently a researcher with CONICET-ISES (the Argentine version of France’s SNRS), focusing on Atalhualpa Yupanqui’s musical ties with France.

Considering my current knowledge of Atahualpa Yupanqui did not extend further than the few records my parents used to play growing up, I was surprised to learn that he spent considerable time in Europe (died in Nîmes on May 24th, 1992) due to his Communist party affiliations and was invited to perform, on July 7 1950, with the legendary Edith Piaf. Tours throughout Europe and an award winning LP “Minero Soy” (Miner I Am) later, Atahualpa was named Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1968.

Concert poster for L'Olympia

I will stop here because as always, the music of this great poet and ethnographic ambassador, affectionately known as “Don Ata”, speaks for itself. And if you feel like transporting yourself to Argentina or any other country in Latin America (at least until you can travel there physically!), I do recommend checking the agenda of the Maison de l’Amérique Latine for future events and concerts.

Buen viaje.

Thomas Brun

I’ve been meaning to interview my friend, musician extraordinaire Thomas Brun for sometime now, so when I remembered that Wednesday night is Open Mic night at The Highlander, I thought I would try my luck and catch up with Thomas over an informal interview while he got ready for his weekly MC-ing gig.

I did catch Thomas, but the circumstances last night were rather exceptional. Thomas was rushing around plugging in cables and fiddling with speakers, answering my questions between bites of sashimi, and I was fighting back tears after some not-so-optimistic news from home. I almost cancelled on him at the last minute, but I needed to get out. And Thomas also thought I should sing.

My interview with Thomas took place in the 20 minutes before the Open Mic was meant to start, in the downstairs “cave” of the Highlander pub and in the smoking den. We may be in a Scottish pub in Paris, but Thomas’ story as a musician starts in Santorini.

Me: At what age did you start singing?

Thomas: I’ve always sung, just because I love it. To the point where sometimes my friends would ask me stop. (he laughs)

Me: What kinds of things did you sing?

Thomas: Probably stuff like The Beatles or The Stones from the age of 7-8…whatever hit was popular at the time..maybe a bit of George Michael.

Me: Right, old stuff…cause you grew up in the 60s right?

Thomas: (indulging my silly joke) Before that! I grew up in the 40s..during the war.

More on Thomas’ musical influences:

Me: And guitar came in when?

Thomas: After graduation. I borrowed a guitar after high school. I’m left handed and I borrowed my neighbor’s classical right handed guitar. I was too scared to move the strings, so I learned two or three chords right handed, which was enough to start playing songs. And the only reason I was into playing the guitar was so that I could have an instrument to accompany myself when I sang.

Me: And was that the moment that you wanted to become a musician?

(we both pause for a token random “Wasabi!” moment, squealing in unison)

Thomas: (regaining his composure after our silly outburst) No, but I don’t think I ever thought I wanted to be a musician. Not sure. Do you mean playing music?

Me: I mean did you wake up one morning and think “Oh, I want to be a musician!”

Thomas: No. My dad was playing piano at home a lot and I learned how to play when I was 9. He had a quartet that would come to the house and play every Saturday afternoon. So I guess, music and playing music was just…I mean, it was a decision to play football, it was not a decision to play music. So I learned the guitar, learned some covers and wrote some songs…mostly about death, in French. The chorus to one song was “La mort l’appelle et il lui tend les bras”.

Me: Ok, that’s very dark. But normal considering you were probably going through puberty.

Thomas: Exactly. It happened two years ago. (grins)

Me: So when did you start playing for an audience?

Thomas: It started on a trip to Greece with friends. On the island of Santorini. I brought my guitar and since I was practicing a lot, thought I could start busking. After trying out a couple of spots, we took this large staircase that lead up to where a volcano was or something and just played at the top of the staircase. It was right in front of a cafe and people would stop for a drink and hear some music after walking up all those stairs. By the end of the first song, the waiter of the cafe (which I didn’t realize was kind of chic) came up to me with a big wad of cash and politely said, “Can you please stop playing now? It doesn’t fit with the clientele of our cafe.”

Weeks in Greece, and after a memorable romance with a Danish girl named Mathilde, Thomas comes back to Paris and debates between Math and Music. Or maybe it was already clear what he needed to do.

Thomas: I had to take about 10 Math exams when I got back to Paris. I passed all of them except one, which meant that I couldn’t move onto the next year. I could keep my scores, but had to prepare and retake the missing exam. My schedule the following year would include only 2 or 3 hours a week and I thought that was a waste of time.

Me: So you were like “fuck that”.

Thomas: Well, no I did it. But first, before starting over the exam I missed I thought, well, let’s go see Mathilde. But I didn’t have any money left cause I spent it all in Greece. So I thought “Hey, I could play the guitar!”. So I organized a little tour throughout France, Germany and all the way to Denmark to see Mathilde. (this is where I go “Awwww!”) This time the busking was serious because I didn’t have any money. But it didn’t work out. I got there right for her birthday and I bought her a little bottle of perfume and I gave her the bottle of perfume and she looked at me and said “I’m allergic, I can’t wear it”.

Me: I hope you told her to drink it.

Thomas: Nah, I was like “Keep it, it’s a present”. But then I just continued busking in Copenhagen and then when I came back to Paris I decided that playing music would be my student job. That’s how it all started.

Me: And the rest is history

Thomas: And the rest is…not as clear as that (winks)

We chatted a bit more, joked around lots, I begged him for a cigarette he initially refused to give me but knew I needed. He opened the mike at around 9:20 with a song by Wilco and welcomed the first act on stage.

Those who have had the pleasure of hearing Thomas at one of his many regular gigs at St Germain pubs like The Financier or The Galway, know that Thomas is first and foremost a storyteller. He’s lived, he’s loved, he’s been heartbroken, has gotten lost and has found his way back. He is a seasoned showman, transforming mainstream pop songs into his own creations with the help of his guitar, harmonica and loop station. He is a songwriter who lets his rock/folk influences shine through all while preserving the quirkiness that is Thomas Brun’s trademark. As a singer who has shared the stage with Thomas many times over the last years, what I most appreciate about Thomas is his generosity and intuitiveness. Before going through what songs we would do together, I told him that I received news about 45 minutes earlier that my grandfather had very little time left. My eyes were red from crying, my hands were sweaty and my stomach was in a knot but I decided I would sing. I would sing for my grandfather and I would sing because I knew that I would have a friend by my side. I dedicated our last cover, “Ain’t No Sunshine” to my grandfather and held onto each word, my voice wavering somewhere in between hurt and numb. Thomas dutifully accompanied me on his guitar and graciously gave me the space to express what I needed to express. Thank you, Thomas Brun.

One of my favorite covers, Thomas Brun-style

For more info on Thomas Brun, check out his myspace page
or his Facebook page.

You can purchase his music here

NB: Today on Thanksgiving I am thankful for friendship, especially when being so far away from family. I am thankful for music and the shelter it gives me when nothing else seems to make sense. My grandfather passed away this morning at 5:35am Paris time, 11:35pm New York time. I am thankful I got to send my love to him one last time and I just have to hope that he heard me.