Up in Seattle right now, lovely folks...in-store last night at Mossy Bottom Records, radio show this morning, sweet house concert tonight, and tomorrow the Sunset Tavern!!
Here are some of the tracks we played on the radio this morning:
The last Paris show was at La Loge, a lovely little theater nestled in the courtyard of old cabinetmakers' worshops, in the 11th arrondissement. You have to ring the bell from the street to get in!
The show was an afternoon marathon of 15 solo artists, put together by Les Boutiques Sonores - part of their summer festival, the Bittersweet Paradise. A lot of talent and friendly people, both on the artists' and organizers' sides...
It was seated affair, the theater is a sweet 50 capacity room, and there were pillows on the floor for the front rows. The ladies on the left are part of a music-loving knitting brigade called Les Pelotes Soniques ('the sonic balls of yarn'). Check out what they're all about on their blog here - they made the stage even cozier. Once again, a very quiet and attentive audience, thank you!
As I mentioned before, I visited a great record store in Bordeaux, Total Heaven. The owner took a few copies of The Deer Convention in consignment, so if you live or find yourself in Bordeaux, do go and pay Martial a visit, and ask him for a copy. He'll play you any record you want to hear in his store, and he has a great selection! Total Heaven is at 6 rue de Candale in the very center of town, near rue Sainte Catherine.
If you live elsewhere...well the record is now available through a very cool online vendor called Hands and Arms. It's only 17.50 euros, and that includes shipping for France. Cheaper (and faster!) than ordering through Bandcamp (but do visit Bandcamp if you just want the download). Read about them here (in French). I met the owner at a Boutique Sonores show (more on that later) and was intrigued by his collection - from Gainsbourg to Britpop, with some obscure or otherwise lesser known bands thrown in for good measure. I bought him a sweet little Field Mice reissue...memory lane!
I'm a little late on reporting on the shows and travel...Bordeaux was almost a month ago! - july 8 and 9. The show was a lot of fun, at the St Ex, a bar with a smoky downstairs basement that made me think of Liverpool or St Germain des Prés back in the days...at least what I imagine it might have been. I played with some fun loving lads, Alba Lua, and a sweet lady, also named Hélène (Queen of the Meadow) - it was only her second show!
Sadly I didn't take any photos of the club, or of the cool record store where I played the night before (Total Heaven), but I had one evening on my own when I traipsed the old town and the quays. There's a definite feeling you're in the south, south of the Loire but even further, I could have pretended to be in Spain or some mediterranean city. As recommended by my friend Rita, I had a thé à la menthe on the old square...sweet!
And what it all made me want to listen to on the train the next day:
