America + Madjo ( First Show) @ Casino de Paris, April 19 2011

America + Madjo @ Casino de Paris
April 19 2011

First of the two shows that Folk-rockers America is playing in Paris. Their first album was released 40 years ago.
They may have shorter hair but the voices are still there.
French artist Madjo opened the concert , on her own on the acoustic guitar.
Can't say it's bad but it's not fantastic either, sounds a bit like Ayo, so it's average.
We saw her and her band @ L'Album de la Semaine and it was much better.

Sold-out gig for America even though the tickets are expensive (between 55 & 77 euros),there's no one under 40 (apart from us LOL) and its all seated.
They will be playing tomorrow as well , same place and there are still a few tix left.
It looks like French mag or websites don't care about America as our photographer Guino Patrice was the only one taking pics.
Too bad, Folk music has never been so popular and America is probably the greatest of all, young folkies have a lot to learn from these old geezers who started in London back in the late 60's.
Most of the folk shows are sold out in Paris, lots of young girls to see new boring folk bands, where are they tonight ?

Great start with "Tin Man" & "You can do magic", nice lightshow and the sound is clear.
it's not only folk as they have a few rockier songs with heavy guitar licks.
This year 2011 is the 40th anniversary of the release of their first album (this one is really Folk) so they're playing half of the album (why only half ?), see setlist for details.

Dewey is not only playing acoustic guitar is also on piano for a few songs , Dewey and Gerry are both singing lead and sharing vocal harmonies with their musicians Rich & Woods.
The voices are intact, you close your eyes and it's a trip back into 1971.
America has always played a mix of Folk songs and a few rock ones with heavy guitars and that's what we have tonight.

They don't have any new album to promote so it's a Best Of setlist. This band has so many great songs... They're even doing "california dreaming" from The Mamas & Papas.

see ya tomorrow guys for the second show

Probably not the rockier audience I have ever seen, people are sitting down for the whole show until the encore.
The gig couldn't end without their hit " A Horse with no Name" (here on video) with Madjo on backing vocals and the daughter of one of their friend on piano.
They could have played an extra song as the audience kept singing for several minutes, they just showed up to say: "That's all folks we've done everything !"
Very american, they've fulfilled the contract .
90 min show, we'll be back tomorrow, see ya there

Full setlist with indications for light desk

Finale with " A Horse with no Name"

Check our previous review of America @ Théatre Marigny on April 05 2009

Van Halen to play the Parc des Princes in Paris for summer 2012

Van Halen with David lee Roth are recording a new studio album, the first one with the original singer in 28 years.
From what I've been told they've just signed for a stadium show in Paris @ Parc des Princes for the summer 2012

U2 and The Rolling Stones should also play stadium shows next year in Paris @ Stade de France.

Heligoland + Elizabeth Devlin @ Oliver Peel session Paris April 16 2011

Heligoland + Elizabeth Devlin @ Oliver Peel session

Paris April 16 2011

Elizabeth Devlin on Autoharp

Saturday night alright's for... an Oliver Peel session.
It was the Australian invasion tonight with Heligoland but first we have Elizabeth Devlin playing a show on her own, high voice and coool melodies on autoharp, it was like having Pj Harvey playing her latest album at home.

Heligoland

Then we have those giants from Australia, I'm really wondering if the french nuclear tests really DID affect them as they are all very tall I mean VERY tall or maybe is it the hormones in chicken they're eating.
Heligoland is playing a very ambiant music with atmospheric guitar harmonies, perfect for relaxing after quiche Lorraine and too much drinking, see below.

Australians can sleep anywhere when drunk (far left), Aurore on acoustic guitar

After more food and more booze, time for the aftershow with the lovely Aurore who played us (after being threatened to be locked up in the cellar if she didn't play) a couple of songs on the acoustic guitar.
Once again an entertaining evening @ Oliver's.

Check some of the previous Sessions with Horse Feathers, Rum Rum Tindles + Eux Autres, Jae + General Bye Bye, Sister Fay + Bird on the Wire.

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives @ Gibert Musique, Paris April 16 2011 12:00 am

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives @ Gibert Musique store for The Record Store Day
Paris April 16 2011 12:00AM

Swedish Psyche rock band The Soundtrack Of Our Lives is promoting the Record Store Day by playing showcases in Paris (@ Gibert in St Michel) & London for two shows.
It's early in the morning (for us) 12:00 am , lots of people and old geezers looking for collectors, most of the interesting vinyls were sold-out immediately when they opened this morning at 10:00 am.
As the stage is very small , we only have 3 of them out of the 6 members : the singer, the piano player and the percussionist.
The band is playing a 8-9 songs set for 40 min+ show.
Can't really tell you about the setlist but they've played a couple of covers including one from Nick Drake.
Cool set of 60's-70's influenced music

Then CARL BARAT who's playing later that saturday @ Trianon hall in Paris will make an appearance @ Gibert Musique in St Michel @ 3:00 pm to sign cds and vinyls for the record Store day.He will NOT be playing any music, sorry !

[NOOOOoo ! He was supposed to come and... he didn't turn up !!!]

Josh T Pearson will play a showcase @ Agnes B Store ( Rue du Jour) @ 12:00 am

That saturday night will be @ Oliver Peel's session

Troy Von Balthazar @ La Machine, Paris April 15 2011

Troy Von Balthazar + A NEWBORN RIOT OF DREAMS @ La Machine
Paris April 15 2011

First we have Chokebore's guitar player Jonathan Kroll opening with a short set of instrumental ambiant guitar playing with loops.
Then Troy is getting on the stage on his own, playing with the help of loops. Unfortunately after the first song his guitar broke down so he had to borrow one from the venue so it took a couple of minutes to sort this out.
He took time to "play" one of his song on a vinyl player while reading the Bible, he later did a bit of yoga (see pics).
He played most of the set on his own and was joined later by a drummer (from Chokebore) and female french bass player Adeline for a few rock songs, that's the part we prefered.

He ended the set on his own
Good show but we 're more into rockier songs with the band.

see ya

Josh T Pearson @ Gibert Musique Store, Paris April 15 2011 6:30 pm

Josh T Pearson @ Gibert Musique Store for the "Record Store Day"
Paris April 15 2011 6:30 pm

Folk Man Josh T Pearson is promoting the Record Store day, which is in fact tomorrow, by playing a showcase @ Gibert Musique Store in St Michel , the heart of the latin quarter of Paris.
It started 30 min late, he's a bit dodgy but nice, talking to people, he seems to be in his own world.
Hard to judge his music as he probably played the shortest showcase I have ever seen in my entire life of concerts as he only played 2 songs.
Sounds like Johnny Cash to me.
The songs he played were pretty short compare to what he's doing normally: 10 to 15 min long songs. He played later that night @ Café de la Danse in Bastille.
He then signed cds and EPs that were done specially for the record day.

Stornoway + John Grape @ Café de la Danse, Paris April 14 2011

Stornoway + John Grape @ Café de la Danse

Clap Your Hands Fest #1
Paris April 14 2011

Pop Folk-Rock band from Reims John Grape , we only saw the last couple of songs but they were great, really cool melodies between Grandaddy and folk.

Stornoway

Then we had Stornoway from Oxford, nice English pop band with some celtic-folk influences, they've played a few songs acoustic without amplification. They add banjo, cello and trumpet for extra flavour.
cool set

JOSH T. PEARSON free showcase @ Gibert Musique store on April 15 2011

JOSH T. PEARSON free showcase @ Gibert Musique store on April 15 2011 6:00PM before his show @ Café de la danse with Lisa Germano.

Josh will also play a free showcase @ Agnes B store ( 6 rue du Jour, next to the Pompidou Center) on saturday April 16 for the record Store day.


Cat Power will be playing @ Salle Pleyel on July 3rd for the Days Off Festival (click for the full program with Fleet Foxes, Peter Von Poehl, The Do,Metronomy, I'm from Barcelona...), her first show in 3 years in Paris. Wake Up ! it's almost sold-out, bookings opened on April 11.

Guns N Roses guitar player is joining Thin Lizzy for the end of world Tour

Thin Lizzy line up 2011 Part 2 with Richard Fortus (second from right)

GUNS N ROSES axeman Richard Fortus will join Thin Lizzy temporarily for the rest of their world Tour as Vivian Campbell is going back to Def Leppard which are about to tour the US.

Check our review with lots of great Pics & Videos from their show @ Bataclan (Part 2 HERE) in Paris.

New York Dolls @ Fleche d'Or, Paris April 11 2011

New York Dolls @ Fleche d'Or
Paris April 1 2011

New York Dolls have just released an album "Dancing backwards in High Heels". They were in Paris @ Trabendo just one year ago on April 16th. There has been a few changes withing the Dolls : Steve Conte and Sam Yaffa have left and new dolls Jason Hill (who's also the producer of the latest album) and Earl Slick have joined the New York Gang.

French "hard rock " band Fancy is opening, I don't know what to think : is this band serious or is it a novelty act ? They are between the Darkness and Quiet Riot.
Fuckin' ridiculous if they are serious about it, funny if it's a novelty act.

Sold-out show (just this afternoon) for the return of Sylvain Sylvain & David Johansen the only original & surviving members of NYD.
Late start at they're getting on stage @ 9:45pm.
Sylvain Sylvain on the far left, Earl Slick on the far right (in front of us) David and Jason Hill on bass in the middle and Brian Dalaney on drums in the back.
Cool start with an oldie "Looking for a kiss" then the band will play many songs from the new album , 7 songs in all, Including "Funky but Chic" (click for video)

Earl Slick is the main man on guitar, holding the house together as Steve Conte was, whereas Sylvain Sylvain is making the show playing also some keys for the new songs which are less heavy than on the two previous records.
David Johansen looks once again very tired or maybe is it his "Droopy" face that makes him look so tired but he's doing fine always with a smile on his face. His girlfriend is a bit useless doing backing vocals on a couple of songs or dancing on stage.
Only one song from each previous records :" dance like a monkey" for "One day..." & "Cause I sez so" from..."Cause I sez so".
Of course we had all the classics (see setlist for details).
New songs sound better live than on the new record which is a bit disappointing, not enough guitars for me.

Earl Slick on guitars

Really good 90 min show even though i would have prefered more songs from the first record when they reformed " One day It will please us..." which is one of my favorite rock album for these last 10 years, great atmosphere down the front in the pit.

Oh Yeah, forget to tell you that the lightshow was COMPLETE CRAP , certainly the worst I have ever seen at the Fleche d'Or, hard to believe usually it's great.Only Earl Slick had lights on him.

setlist