Alice Russell @ L' Album de la Semaine Canal+ Feb 23rd 2009

Alice Russell @ L' Album de la Semaine

Some of us were lucky to go to Le Grand Journal to see U2 doing an interview and playing 2 songs LIVE , I wasn't ...and i had already booked my evening to see White English Soul babe Alice russell.

L' Album de la Semaine is the coolest place to see a band live , 150 people seating in stalls just in front of the musicians , can't beat these perfect conditions.

She's here to promote her recent cd "Pot of Gold" , Lots of musicians on the stage : 7 all dressed in white ( black trousers for half of ' em ) plus Alice in black & PINK !

She's playing Soul with Jazz influences , her voice is great, crystal clear for moments and really Rock at others ( as if she had drink a bottle of JD before singing ).
Some might argue well , here's another Amy Whinehouse or Duffy .
First: after hearing Alice Russell i can tell you that Duffy can go back to school. Alice is one league above. But Second :unfortunately she doesn't have the Charisma or the Soul that Amy has.
There's something missing and i don't put the blame on her ( Alice ) but maybe on her musicians , these guys are perfect but when you're playing soul music , you need SOUL .

I can't feel any SOUL in them maybe she should add some black musicians to her band.
She did a very good soft version of Gnarls Barkley' s "Crazy" ( and i really hate that song ! ).
She came back for an encore singing an also very good version of The White Stripes' "Seven nation army".
Nice set but could have been better. But don't get me wrong she's worth 10 Duffys.

U2 @ Grand Journal or Alice Russell @ L' Album de la Semaine

Tomorrow two shows @ Canal+ :
1) U2 at the Grand Journal with interview and 2 songs LIVE
well we don't have anything for this one but we're gonna try to sneak in ...
2) Alice Russell @ L' Album de la Semaine .

Tuesday the 24th :
1) Chris Cornell @ Cigale
2) The Only Ones @ L' Album de la Semaine

AC/DC Bercy 25th & 27th Feb

Kings Of Leon @ Olympia Feb 20th 2009

Could'nt get a ticket for the kings of Leon yesterday night @ the Olympia.
It was sold out a long time ago, didn't bother asking for one in advance i thought i would find one easily on the night which obviously wasn't the case , funny with the music they're playing lots of trendy girls in the audience no rockers at all.
Lots of English & americans too.

The Marquee & the Opera de Paris

Nevertheless here's a review from our good friend Oliver Peel with pictures & SETLIST.
Finally i've found a good video on the net ( & another one ).

Popa Chubby & friends @ Jamel Comedy Club Paris Feb 19th 2009

Popa Chubby & Friends @ Jamel Comedy Club Paris Feb 19th 2009

Late night set for Popa Chubby ,of course when you think that it's gonna be alright that's when it's ugly : The show is supposed to start at 11 PM and we're still waiting outside just before midnight AND after seeing him at the Album de la semaine a couple of days ago we were put on the guest list and that bitch ( probably from the record company ) did NOT.
Anyway Patrice Guino our lovely camera man could get us in very quickly... just in time , Popa was just getting on the tiny stage.

Popa The Vicious country cat

Popa played many songs from his new country cd ( see review from the Album de la semaine here , it will be broadcast in March on Canal+ ).
We were lucky to get a few guests tonight , first was JJ Milteau ( a great harmonica player ) for a couple of songs . Then a french guitar player ( ? ) and the one that everybody was waiting for ... Nono from french rock band Trust on two songs ( including a 10 min version of "Red House" ).
Last guest was Jean Michel Kadjan who did tour with The Yardbirds recently.
Very nice bluesy-country gig.

Popa Chubby & JJ Milteau

Nice building next to my home

here's a video with Popa Chubby & Nono :

Pete Doherty @ L' Album de la Semaine March 2nd 2009

WORLD EXCLUSIVE !!! LoL
ROCKERPARIS can proudly tell you all that Pete Doherty
will be in Paris to promote his solo cd " Grace/wastelands "
the first week of March 2009

he will play L' album de la semaine on March 2nd
don't call now bookings are not open yet

It will be the first time you'll be able to listened to new songs even before the Official Listening party that will take place in Paris at a secret location on March 4th.

Other radio and tv shows are booked
for more info , stay tuned to ROCKERPARIS...

And remember when you saw it first ....

Popa Chubby & Galea @ L' Album de la Semaine Canal+ Feb 17th 2009

Setlist

Another bluesman at Canal+ , after seeing Seasick Steve yesterday , It's Popa Chubby & Galea 's turn to play for the Album de la Semaine.
He's promoting his brand new cd " Vicious Country " so now he has left his blues licks at the cloakroom and has turn into a heavy Tammy Wynett.
Poppa has a new band with him featuring Galea on bass and lead vocals plus a drummer and a player that is all over the place
It's surprising to hear him playing some country , there's still lots of guitar ; don't get me wrong , but it's more a band with Popa than Popa solo with backing musicians.
Show started with the classic country song and covered by The Beatles " Act naturally " .
The songs are more laid back than when he was firing on all cylinders with his Jimi Hendrix set.
Galea 's even singing one song on her own ( nice haircut too, Dolly Parton would be proud ).
Show ended with a cool "Hey Joe" ( Jimi Hendrix version ) even though they get it right after the 4th time .
Band came back on stage to play 2 songs they were not satisfied with and we had another version of " Hey joe ".
Nice concert.

Popa Chubby is playing the Jamel Comedy Club on Thursday the 18th ( Guest list only ) & Le Plan in Ris Orangis on March 8th.

Other bands playing The Album de la Semaine are :
ALICE RUSSELL : Feb 23th ( English soul )
The Only Ones : Feb 24th ( Cult Punk Band )
Book now call Bertrand on 01 55 93 40 48

Whitesnake in June in Paris + Lynyrd Skynyrd

Whitesnake will finally play a show in France @ Casino de Paris on June 4th 2009
Last time they've played over here was 14 years ago ... yes sir in 1994 at the Elysée Montmartre.

Lynyrd Skynyrd will be at the zénith on June 5th.
I really don't know if we'll go to this one as those right wing mother fucking bastards have talked so much shit about Frenchies for not joining the americans on their last invasion of Irak.
Why supporting these bastards after they insulted us ?

Pete Doherty in Paris soon...

Before coming to Paris to play 2 shows @ Bataclan with Adam Ficek on March 9th and 10th.
Pete Doherty will be in Paris in a week to promote his solo record "Grace/Waystelands".
Radio shows and TV shows are already booked so...

Stay tuned to ROCKERPARIS for more info !

Seasick Steve @ L' Album de la Semaine Feb 16th 2009

Seasick Steve signing stuff outside the studio

Seasick Steve @ L' Album de la semaine Canal+
For the last 2-3 years Steve is the media darling specially in England where he has played many times over the last couple of years including a sold-out Royal albert Hall and recently a sold-out Hammersmith Apollo..
Tonight he's not playing in front of 5 000 people but only 150 for this french TV show, but don't worry he's giving it all.
The ol' man might be seating down for most of this short gig but his blues-rock is quite powerful and the way he plays is very communicative , the fact that most of the songs are up-tempo is also very helpful , there's a drummer with him too.
He asks a young girl to sit down next to him while he was serenading her for one of the few slow song that he performed tonight ( " Walking Man " ).
After seeing him tonight I understand why he's so popular in England , his blues is very lively and the guy plays it with such a big smile on his face that's it's hard not to fell for him.

Steve with drummer in the back / Setlist signed + invit

After the show we had a nice chat with him , he was nice to everyone.
he's playing the Maroquinerie on Feb 25th don't miss this gig.
Sorry no live pics but here's a video from Jools Holland show from England.
© Guino Patrice

Best selling albums for 2008

1. Coldplay : Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
2. AC/DC : Black Ice
3. Divers artistes : Mamma Mia ! (Bande originale du film)
4. Duffy : Rockferry
5. Metallica : Death Magnetic
6. Leona Lewis : Spirit
7. Amy Winehouse : Back To Black
8. Divers artistes : High School Musical 3 : Nos années lycée (Bande originale du film)
9. Lil Wayne : Tha Carter III
10. Rihanna : Good Girl Gone Bad

Top 50 of Best selling albums and singles here

And remember that AC/DC's Black Ice was released at the end of October 2008 whereas Coldplay's Viva la Vida in June.

Seasick Steve , Popa Chubby @ L' Album de la Semaine + Samuel James @ Maroquinerie

These next few days will be Blues orientated :

Seasick Steve @ L' Album de la Semaine on Monday 16th Feb .
It's a free gig for a tv recording ( he will play 40 min live ) For Booking call NOW Bertrand on 01 55 93 40 48
Studio 104 is situated @ Plaine St Denis North of Paris , 5 min walk from Porte de la Chapelle.
http://www.myspace.com/seasicksteve

Great videos from La blogotheque:
http://www.blogotheque.net/Seasick-Steve,4552

Popa Chubby @ L' Album de la Semaine on Feb 17th ( same venue and booking Call NOW )
http://www.myspace.com/popachubbyband

Samuel James @ Maroquinerie on Feb 21st
http://www.myspace.com/sugarsmallhouse
Live Video HERE

The day the music died

The worst thing that could happen to the music has just happened :

Ticketbastard Entertainment Inc and Live Nation Inc will merger soon.

Everybody knows Ticketbastards for charging substantial service fees on its tickets ( one example Led Zeppelin @ O2 : 15 Pounds / 20 Euros Yes sir !). This company also has an almost complete monopoly when selling tickets in some countries ( USA ).

Everybody knows LiveNation ( Former Clear Channel ) they own radios , advertising , venues ,they are promoting concerts and now they are managing bands ( U2 and Madonna ) and are in charge of the merchendising. 360 ° .
Most of all they're pro-republicans ( neo-con ) and supported George W Bush. Remember how Dixie Chicks were axed by Clear Channel for expressing their thoughs on the war in Irak, Which means no radio airplays so you don't sell records if you're not selling records you can't go on tour.
In Belgium they've completely killed the music scene with prices for concert sky-rocketing.

Can you imagine one single company owning radios , promoters , venues , advertising & ticketing ?

Travis @ Casino de Paris Feb 10th 2009 ( + The Alexandra Quartet )

Travis + The Alexandra Quartet @ Casino de Paris Feb 10th 2009

(Scroll down for video)

The Alexandra Quartet + Travis fan

The Casino de Paris is a beautiful parisian theatre that has been recently refurbished , there is a nice restaurant upstairs next to the balcony like at the opera.
I arrived there late , i went to the Bataclan ( stoopid me ), so i've missed most of the support band 's set .
Travis is very popular with girls here , it's a 70% female audience tonight most of 'em in their twenties. Don't know if it's sold-out but the place is packed. They took off all the seats so the pit is standing only which doesn't happen very often in this theatre.
Never understood why the bass player always wears his pea - coat on stage, Fran is wearing his trademark boiler hat.

Show started nicely with " chinese blues " , Travis has always been a good mix of Pop-Rock songs with some nice guitar licks but nothing that can afraid your little sister of.
Of course they've played many songs from their most welknown record " The Man who " ( Their best to me )
Fran went down in the pit to sing one song to screaming girls. Doughie sang one too ( on acoustic guitar while Fran was on bass - see pictures)
Gig ended with a great version of " Why does it always rain on me ? " with audience participation ( see video )
Nice gig !

Exchanging instruments

Whole band singing

setlist Travis

A/S The Alexandra Quartet

Pete Doherty 'Grace/Wastelands' artwork revealed

Here it is :

The cover was made by french artist Alize Meurisse on collaboration with Pete .

Read a short interview here.

See our videos of Pete Doherty @ Maroquinerie here and here.
Babyshambles @ Fete de L' Humanité in front of 50 000 people here , here , here and here. From the stage and backstage !!!

Black Lips @ L' Album de la Semaine Canal + Feb 9th 2009

setlist, invit + giveaway posters

Live recording for Canal+ TV show " L ' album de la semaine " in front of 150 people .
Lots of fans are here tonight so the atmosphere is really cool with many people screaming.
Funny guys , the guitar player is dressed with a poncho and a huge hat and the drummer wears the french football team tee-shirt of St Etienne. The guitar player ( the one with the poncho ) is spitting in the air and catch his saliva back into his mouth. Nice !
Musically they're a bit wild sounding like a 60's garage band. They do share the lead vocals duties between the drummer , the Poncho man and the bass player who's singing most of the songs.
Lots of energy but they should sometimes focus on the way they're playing as they're singing often out of key , same with the guitars.
Nevertheless is was Fun.
Some posters were given on our way out .

Next musicians to play @ " L' Album de la semaine " are :

Seasick Steve on Feb 16th
Popa Chubby on Feb 17th

To book for both these shows ( it's free ) call Bertrand 01 55 93 40 48
Studios are situated 5 min walk from Porte de la Chapelle , north of Paris

A Camp The side-band from The Cardigans' lead singer Nina Persson will play a " Black Session " for C'est Lenoir on Feb 16th.
UPDATED fEB 13TH : BLACK SESSION CANCELLED

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss @ Grammy Awards

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss ( here with producer and musician T Bone Burnett ) won 5 Grammy Awards yesterday.
It's not good for a Led Zeppelin reunion , that will never happen... anyway as Robert Plant confirmed in an interview a couple of weeks ago.

U2 @ Stade de France July 17th & 18th 2009 ( TBC )

The title says it all
U2 will be playing 2 shows in Paris @ Stade de France July 17 th & 18 th 2009 ( could be 16th & 17 th ) TBC

U2 will be in Paris promoting their new cd on Feb 23rd playing 2 songs live at " Le Grand Journal " tv show on Canal+

Iron Maiden in Paris ?

A couple of friends told me that the musicians from Iron Maiden are in France rehearsing in a studio near Paris .
I'll check and see if i can get more info about it .

Tower of Power @ bataclan Paris Feb 06 th 2009

Tower of Power @ Bataclan in Paris Feb 06th 2009

the Marquee

Mr James Brown is dead , The JB's ,Parliament & Funkadelic are long gone , Sly ( & his Family Stone ) is high up in the clouds God knows where .
But there 's still one band funkin' & Groovin' in 2009 and he's playing the Bataclan tonight.
41 years together, a real performance in itself. Tower of Power is in da house .
A bit sad that the parisian theatre is far from being full , the balcony is closed and there are lots of empty spaces down in the pit.
What are you doing froggies on friday night ?
Anyway ToP is here to groove and that's what they're gonna do for 90 min.
Storming set very Funky but they know also how to keep things calm too with a couple of slower songs including one reminding me of those vocals band from the sixties
The band will release a new cd next month ( they've play one new song from it ) featuring Tom Jones ,the legend from Sam & Dave : Sam Moore and the lovely Joss Stone.
Nice evening & some of the guys came to sign stuff to fans just after the show
I guess that everyone went home happy

The whole cast & signing session with singer and original bass player

Groovin' in Paris + Setlist

Aftershow meeting

Dewey Martin ( Buffalo Springfield ) dead at 68

Original drummer from the 60's band Buffalo Springfield , Dewey Martin died at his home in L.A. on Feb 1st of apparently , natural causes. He was 68 years old
Buffalo Springfield had a few hits in the late 60's and is famous for having both Stephen Stills & Neil Young as singers and guitar players.

The Stranglers @ Olympia Paris Feb 5th 2009

The Stranglers , live @ the Olympia theatre in Paris , Feb 5th 2009

Couldn't see support band Kim Novak as i've stayed late outside talking to friends , i made my way in as the Stranglers were playing their first song.
It may not be sold-out but it's really packed, hard to find an empty seat at the balcony , Nono guitar heroe for french rock band TRUST is among the guests.
i came to the gig out of curiosity as i don't really know what they've done apart from a few songs that were EVEN hits in France.

JJ Burnel plays his bass in a very relax way , he's also perfectly fluent in French but doesn't use it to communicate with the audience apart from the usual " Merci" . He took time to thank the guy in charge of the Olympia for welcoming the band here .

The band is really rocking, the keyboard is not too much forward in the mix, they' ve done a nice rocking cover of the Kinks' " all day and all of the night " .
Of course the gig wouldn't be perfect without " Golden Brown " and " always the sun " which are very welknown over here.
The audience mainly in their forties is reviving its youth down in the pit by pogoing in a friendly way ( yes sir they do have manners )
The set ended with a storming " No more Heroes "

The Stranglers playing The Kinks :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPgLyWeqK9g

" No more heroes " LIVE :

Lux Interior ( The Cramps ) dead at 62

Another sad news for 2009
Lux Interior from The Cramps died yesterday at a hospital in Los Angeles
Myspace the cramps

Dita Von Teese @ Crazy Horse Paris Feb 4th 2009

A relation of mine kindly invited me to see Dita Von Teese @ Crazy Horse Paris
Just a GREAT show , if you can go there don't hesitate
Then we ended up for a drink at the nearby George V hotel
Nice evening.

Here's a video from her performance ( not my video ) :