Parsons & Thibaud - Hello!

Just few words to complete my previous post. As I told you, Joseph Parsons gave a very impressive set enough for me to watch the audience’s expressions changing during his supporting set to Jeffrey Foucault. Joseph’s amazing voice and disarming ease ensure rapt attention from all and get a direct validation song after song. The result is that Joseph didn’t bring enough CDs to sell after the show; the demand was far more than he expected.

Set list (Joseph Parsons - La Pomme d’Eve, Paris – February 21st, 2008): I Saw You / Skipping Stone / Shades Of Gray / Tell Me Hello / Heavens Above / Dume Room / Tupelo Honey (cover of Van Morrison) // Sun Gonna Shine

Skipping Stone and Tell Me Hello come from Joseph Parsons’s latest released, an album that he co-signed with his old chap Todd Thibaud, it is simply called Parsons & Thibaud (January, 2008), just like Crosby & Nash, Simon & Garfunkel… The album is poetic with songs defining happiness and loneliness with gentle folk and infectious sing-a-longs. Let’s hope that Joseph Parsons will develop this approach further on his next record.

Well: josephparsons.com/home.html
MySpace: myspace.com/josephparsons
To find a CD of Joseph Parsons: cdbaby.com

Samples from Parsons & Thibaud: Joseph Parsons - Tell Me Hello or Joseph Parsons - Skipping Stone

Todd Thibaud - Face Of It All .mp3
Todd Thibaud - Carry Us Away .mp3

J.J. Friends - Jeffrey Foucault And Joseph Parsons

Another great evening at La Pomme d’Eve, last Thursday, my very good friend Joseph Parsons was on the bill together with Jeffrey Foucault and for nothing I would have missed this show. I knew Joseph worked recently on new songs for his forthcoming CD (summer?) and I was looking forward to hear some of them live. One is called Dume Room and talks about a homeless guy leaving somewhere in Los Angeles. Such a wonderful song. Joseph ended his too short set with a brilliant cover of Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey. Come back soon, Joseph.
The second part of the evening featured Jeffrey Foucault alone on guitar. Jeffrey is a young singer/songwriter coming from Wisconsin. Young but believe me in almost two hours he showed enough maturity with his folk ballads that could place him already amongst the best: Townes Van Zandt, John Prine or Greg Brown… I’m not joking, Jeffrey Foucault writes remarkable songs with sharp and clever lyrics and with the uniformity of mood that makes him comparable to Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks. (Van again!).
Before the show, I had the pleasure to chat with him and Joseph in a tiny restaurant across the street. We talked about last week’s Neil Young performance in Paris and if songs could change the world… What was not my surprise when during the second part of his show Jeffrey dedicated one song to me, a song from Neil Young, Albuquerque. Unforgettable! Thanks again Jeffrey!
Of course, I didn’t leave La Pomme d’Eve without buying Ghost Repeater his third solo album (December 2006): “Holed up in Iowa City for the coldest week of the year, Jeffrey Foucault teamed with legendary blues guitar player and producer Bo Ramsey (Greg Brown, Lucinda Williams) to create Ghost Repeater, a country and blues album at the crossroads of love and lament, exploring the hopefulness of new love and the seasickness of contemporary American living.” A great CD that doesn’t leave my CD player since Thursday night.

That was one of the last Acoustic In Paris evening, three more and it will be over: Kris Delmhorst (Madame Jeffrey Foucault!) & Dennis Crommett (March 19); Greg Brown & Bo Ramsey (April 15 and 16). Everybody must be there.

Web: josephparsons.com
MySpace: myspace.com/josephparsons
Web: jeffreyfoucault.com
MySpace: myspace.com/jeffreyfoucault

Joseph Parsons - Sun Gonna Shine .mp3
Joseph Parsons - Breathe .mp3
Jeffrey Foucault - Ghost Repeater .mp3
Jeffrey Foucault - One Part Love .mp3
Jeffrey Foucault - Miles From The Lightning .mp3 (a Song For Townes Van Zandt)

Exclusive (thanks Hervé): Jeffrey Foucault & Bo Ramsey - Nothin' .mp3 Live at The Mill, Iowa City – March 10, 2007

Photo from Hervé Oudet – Jeffrey Foucault – La Pomme d’Eve, Paris – February 21, 2008

Vic Chesnutt @ Paris - February 15, 2008

Fresh on the heels of his wonderful 2007 release North Star Deserter and with 7-piece band in tow, Mr. Vic Chesnutt beamed down onto the close confines of La Maroquinerie’s small stage to warm us all up with some great music on a cold winter’s night here in Paris. Vic and supporting cast sold the venue out and from what I saw not a spare meter was available even for standing.
We got to spend a little time with him before the show and he was definitely in good health and high spirits. Who could blame him after what I saw and heard at the evening’s concert? Contributing cast of 2 electric guitarists, keyboardist, drummer, electric and acoustic bassist and violin player surrounded, pummeled, absorbed, piled on and slipped into the master songwriters own fine guitar and noise contributions for a wonderfully long and rich evening of rock and roll music. Songs could be quite as a mouse and then explode into cacophonous landslides of noise and then abruptly downshift into just Vic’s plinking and plucking, wobbles and warbles. And the focus of all of this, of course, were the songs of one of America’s finest and most adept lyricists. We were all mesmerized and believe me, for the 19 € ticket price, it was the full meal deal.
I also have to thank La Maroquinerie for the concert. It’s a great place to see and hear music at a fair price. Also with great food upstairs in the restaurant and also fair prices for the beer and wine make this a cool place to hang out. There is a paucity of such places in this much too much expensive city! Come back soon Vic!

Bookerfatz2

Read more: Vic Chesnutt - Keeping It On The Road

Web: www.vicchesnutt.com
MySpace: myspace.com/vicchesnutt

Vic Chesnutt - Marathon .mp3 via Ketelmuziek
Vic Chesnutt -What Do You Mean .mp3
Vic Chesnutt - Everybody Can Change .mp3

Sorry, no photo from Paris, so thanks to Berbera van den Hoek : Vic Chesnutt – February 13, 2008 – Amsterdam, Holland

Neil Young @ The Grand Rex, Paris

Neil Young was in Paris at the end of last week for the second leg of his 2008’ Continental Tour. After Antwerp and before Amsterdam, the Loner played two consecutives nights, Thursday and Friday, at The Grand Rex. It was his first visit to France since 2003 (Greendale Solo Tour). The Grand Rex is one of the most famous and prestigious venues in Paris like the Olympia Hall. The audience was very much international: people from all over Europe came to city of lights including “Rusties” as well as lonely fans that usually filled Neil Young concerts everywhere. The Canadian played for more than two hours. The first part was a solo acoustic set; the second one was an electric one backed by his old friends Ben Keith, Rick Rosas and Ralph Molina. The band came back for two encores. That is for the facts.
Since Friday, I tried very hard to convince myself – me, a hardcore fan of the Loner since decades - that this show was amazing like every Neil Young performances I attended before. First, when I stepped out of the show after midnight, I had the feeling that I was lucky enough to be here again that night as well as a bit sad that maybe I saw the "old man" (62) for the very last time. Secondly, I had the sensation that it was not as magic as everyone tried to pretend at the end of the show. It was just a very good performance, that’s’ all (but, let me tell you that with Neil Young it’s always a very high level of quality, nobody, except Dylan, is able to fight against a setlist like the one he offered us last Friday, no one). So, where was that little thing called magic (love) that I experienced so many times before in every of his shows since 1974? Neil just did his job like a very well trained professional artist. He is experimented and very respectful of the audience, ok, but there was a lack of real emotion. Songs after songs I felt quite unsatisfied and waiting for THE moment that never came even during songs that I enjoyed very much like Ambulance Blues, Love Art Blues or Oh, Lonesome Me. It’s hard for me to say, something didn’t work.
Sure, in few days, I will regret what I am writing know, but, it’s a way to be honest with myself and not to be blind because this man changed my life long time ago.
By the way, between you and me, he’s the best… Rock and Roll will never die and keep on Rockin’ in the free world.

Neil Young - Mellow My Mind .mp3
Neil Young - Harvest .mp3
Neil Young - Mr. Soul (Dance Remix) .mp3
Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl .MP3

Photos: Uli Schätzle – Neil Young – Le Grand Rex, Paris – February 15, 2008

Magma - A Tribute To John Coltrane

Christian Vander will turn 60 at the end of this month. Magma will turn 40 next year. Three shows will celebrate this event in the Casino de Paris in February 2009. No doubt it will be sold out. Sold out, like last Monday’s performance of Christian Vander and his friends at the Cité de la Musique (1 400 +).
Magma? What is Magma? Who is Magma? You remember, two years ago, I briefly introduced to you this one and only incredible band in a short post… Christian Vander (drummer/composer/singer) is the charismatic leader of this unique musical progressive rock band and the creator of an original music universe called Kobaïa. Mostly inspired by the music of John Coltrane, Stockhausen, Carl Orff and Chet Baker, even Frank Zappa – among others – Christian Vander built an amazing and imaginative music that has never been equalled since 40 years.

To come back to Magma's show, last Monday, the first part introduced a new symphonic rock creation from Magma called Ëmehntëht-Rê which will be released in CD pretty soon. The second part was mostly a tribute to John Coltrane’s music. The encore showed Christian Vander, alone, leaving his drums behind, offering himself in an unbelievable a’cappela singing that amazed all the audience.
Still alive, strong and in a great shape after so many years, Mister Christian Vander, happy many returns!

Web and label:

seventhrecords.com
MySpace: myspace.com/magmaofficial
Christian Vander Trio: christian-vander-jazz.com

Magma - Nebehr Gudahtt .mp3
John Coltrane - Resolution .mp3
Carl Orff - O Fortuna .mp3

Dirtmusic In The Desert

My very good friend Peter from Stuttgart just returned from a trip to Africa with Dirtmusic. There, he had the chance to attend the Festival au Desert, a unique musical event held every year since 2001 in the very deep center of Africa, in Mali, a Tuareg country. You’ll find the full story of his journey on his website together with pictures and musical video clips. Peter allowed me to extract parts of his aventure where he also discovered the music from TamiKrest.

“I have long been friends with Chris Eckman (The Walkabouts). He’s a great fan of African music and attended the festival in 2006. When we met up in spring 2007, the desire to go there took concrete shape. He was touring with his newly-formed band, Dirt Music, and renewed the contacts he’d made in 2006 to discuss an invitation.
Besides Chris Eckman, Dirt Music includes singer/song-writer Chris Brokaw (Come, Codeine, Eleventh Dream Day, Steve Wynn and many more) and Hugo Race (True Spirit, Nick Cave, to name but a few). All these musicians are very versatile, open-minded and prepared to let themselves in for an adventure into the unknown. What more could one ask for…
…Then, in the evening of the 10th of January, the Festival au Desert was officially opened on the main stage. About 2,500 visitors were expected, but it’s unlikely that anyone can estimate the number exactly since the large numbers of Tuaregs coming from the desert on their camels naturally don’t pay admission and are therefore not counted. I'd say the majority of visitors are Tuaregs. Europeans or Americans represent perhaps 10% of the visitors. The festival originated aeons ago as a marketplace and trading centre of the Tuareg, who are a nomad people. Once a year, the Tuareg met at this “neutral” place in the Sahara where the tribes could compare notes and generally exchange views, marry off their children and, of course, also celebrate together. Celebrating includes music and since 2001 they have always organized a musical festival around this meeting, which in latter years has opened up more and more to the general public.
The festival is not only a musical event. It is intended that the peoples celebrate and communicate together and mutually help each other to solve the problems…”

Full story: www.hcmf.de/desert (in English and in German)

Dirtmusic web: myspace.com/dirtmusicband
Tamikrest web: myspace.com/tamikrest
CD available at Glitterhouse

The Walkabouts - Devil In The Details .mp3
The Walkabouts - Fuck Your Fear .mp3
Nick Cave - The Mercy Seat .mp3
Eleventh Dream Day - Writes A Letter Home .mp3 via Harmoniummusic

Photo : Peter Weber - Dirtmusic (January, 2008)

Nada Surf - Five Is The Lucky Number

With Lucky, it’s the second time only that Nada Surf reaches my CD player. The first time was with The Proximity Effect (Elektra, 1998); the song 80 Windows attracted me enough to buy the album. It was a great tune. Sorry to say but the other “pop-songs” didn’t give me the same effect so I never came back to Nada Surf. Meanwhile, the band followed his way with confidence and I heard that the last albums were more than just conventional hit songs for young fans.
Nada Surf have been a band for twelve years now and Lucky is their 5th album. It’s a punchy power pop plus a little country twist with velvet vocals ala Grandaddy, heavenly harmonies and guitars that slice open heartbreak. Lucky is a drunken sway through glorious ’70 AM radio, the sound of summer sunsets; the perfect record for this cold month of February.
Lucky (out February 5th) was produced by John Goodmanson who has worked with Blonde Redhead, Sleater-Kinney, Blood Brothers). Special guests on Lucky include Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), Ed Harcourt, John Roderick (Long Winters), Coralie Clement, Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger) and Martin Wenk (Calexico).

Web: nadasurf.com
MySpace: myspace.com/nadasurf
Label: cityslang.com/barsuk.com/cooperativemusic.com

Nada Surf - See These Bones .mp3 from Lucky (2008)
Nada Surf - Do It Again .mp3
Nada Surf - Blonde On Blonde .mp3
Nada Surf - Popular .mp3