Jesse Sykes @ La Cigale

Invited by her European label Fargo for a press tour to promote their forthcoming album, Like, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul, which is due out in February, the duo of lead singer/guitarist Jesse Sykes and guitarist Phil Wandscher were in France for few dates including one in Paris (La Cigale, December 18) as a support of Emily Loizeau (also from Fargo).
The venue was sold out, last Monday, and it was not so easy for the beautiful Jesse Sykes (Seattle) to play her intimate music in front of a crowd who didn’t come to hear her. During the set which included 3 or 4 songs from her new CD, she mentioned that she thought the new songs were more band oriented then the solo stuff. She played well enough anyway but due to the circumstances nothing exceptional. Even Phil Wandscher didn’t play with the usual deftness and command that we've seen in the past. I am sure that Jesse will come back in 2007 in a smaller venue to share with fans what I may call her lo-fi country-blues and give us the shivers.
Backstage were old friends like Terry Lee Hale from Seattle and J Tillman (from Fargo) who also joined Emily Loizeau during her encore.

Web: jessesykes.com
MySpace: myspace.com/jessesykesandthesweethereafter

Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter - LLL .mp3 (via Pitchfork Media). New song from Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter's just completed album Like, Love, Lust & The Open Halls of the Soul coming February 2007 on Barsuk.
sunnO))) & Boris (feat. Jesse Sykes) - The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep) .mp3 (via Music Is Art). New track from sunn0))) & Boris featuring Jesse Sykes on vocals from their new album Altar (October) on Southern Lord.
Jesse Sykes - Doralee .mp3 from Reckless Burning, April, 2002
Jesse Sykes - Keep Me .mp3 also from Reckless Burning
Jesse Sykes - Tell The Boys .mp3 from Oh, My Girl, June 2004

Photo: le-hiboo.com. More pictures and comments (in French) here