Adam Green, L'Alhambra, 8 mars 2010.

Hey, guys. Well, guys, people who come come here anyway.

I saw Adam Green last march, in the "Alhambra". It's been almost a year, so it's quite unclear, but I do remember the crowd was a bit mixed, most of us, were the " let's go, it can be cool" kind of part, but the other one was a total admirative Adam Green fans.
He's the kind of guy who doesn't do great impressive music, but he knows how to do a good show and keep people awake and attentive.

Adam Green ( 1981, from New York), is known for being one of the Moldy Peaches musician ( along with Kimya Dawson), who wrote Juno's "Anyone else but you" song, ( 2007), that you may know, but has also kept working for his solo career since 2002, and wrote others song like "Jessica" or " Friends of mine".

As I said, I don't know his songs really well, so I couldnt give the precise setlist and my memories are quite blurry from that night, so let's just post the several pictures as they come:

Patti Smith, Fondation Cartier, juin 2008.

These Patti Smith's concert photos ends this Nikon-bad-camera serie.

She made a exhibition of photos, drawing and art projects she did at the " Fondation Cartier". Besides of this who stayed a few months, she also did a few concerts/happenings in this same place.
These photos were taken at her last concert there, right before the exhibition ended, and the day before the "jour de la musique", during which she signed autographs and "met" fans.
This concert was more intimist if I recall, from the fact it was all accoustic and, apart of a couple musicians who came on stage for one or two songs, and a drummer, she was the only one on stage, with her daughter and son ( Jesse  and Jackson). I usually don't like people and stars stuff, this is not of our business, but I just noticed writing this post that Jackson got married to Meg White, the White Stripes drummer. Anyway.

helped by Google.

Since Patti Smith's life is way too long to be described, I suggest you go here and find out by yourself.
Let's just say seing here there in this atmosphere ( small museum backyard), at the end of the afternoon, playing with family, was more than unbelievable.
I'll never say enough how much I enjoy small venues.

 

drawing n°2

Biffy Clyro ( spring 2007, Nouveau Casino ).

Hello hello.

Here I am again. Slowly we're coming back to today.

Here is some pictures from Biffy Clyro "intimate" gig back in 2007, at the "Nouveau Casino", which is a 3 or 400 people venue. Even at that time Biffy Clyro was a lot more famous in the UK, which made this concert a great moment, for us, little froggys in our little country called France.

That was a pretty strange night, even though it seems like all my concerts are strange at this time.
They were actually three bands playing, but people came in and went out just for Biffy Clyro , which was a bit sad for the two other ones (Under the influence of Giants and Van den Love ).

I didn't know the band very well back then, just a few 'famous' songs, so it turned out, to be honest, to be quite stressful, all these 25/30 years old guys ready to make a mess. It was jumping, pogoing, yelling and mooning the biffy, and I was wondering why the hell I was here. It's fun how you can get used to things, I remember the very first I listened to Nirvana, my first thought was something like "oh my god it's too hard rock for me...", that's more or less what happened with Biffy Clyro, and then I turned to be a huge fan, as much as I was for Nirvana.

helped by Google.

Anyway, Biffy Clyro means totally nothing, in case you're wondering.
They are from Glasgow, Scotland, and are about 30 years old. They were in their early years fan of Nirvana, Foo Fighters , Weezer, Queen Of The Stone Age
They sound a lot like Queen of the stone age, a heavy unsteady rythm, often doubled by a very high and excited sounding guitar.Some of theirs songs are quite "experimental" ( 9/15th, Living is a problem because everything dies ), of more soft ( With aplomb, There's no such thing as crasp).
They released five albums, the first three ones ( Blackened Sky, The Vertigo of Bliss, Infinity Land) with Beggars Banquet, and signed with 14th floor record to release Puzzle (2007) and Only Revolutions (2009).
Due to Simon Neil 's ( lead guitar, vocals, lyrics) mother death, the songs lost this youth spirit to very adulthood and mature wonders ( even more than before I can say).
The band started after Puzzle to tour a lot more, notably outside the UK when the crowd became bigger and bigger at their concerts. The question of Biffy Clyro becoming mainstream can often be seen in fans discussions.

If you know them already a bit and you wondered either going to a gig or not, you really should, they are quite amazing, and very nice, they often ( and wow I never thought I could be so glad to be french) take time to sign autographs/ take pictures at the end. Something that is I think not possible anymore in the UK, and to make british guys jealous ( yeah, I know, I don't know anyone british who could read this one day), they played in november at the Boule noire, a 300 people venue, a few weeks before doing their Arena Tour, ending at Wembley ( something like 70 000 seats).

the only band picture I took.

I really didn't know whether to post it or not.

Quite the same for that one.

not Biffy Clyro, one of the two other band playing that night.

I think this is the most detailed picture I took so far, all included.

      

                                sorry about the blue-blurry thing all around . Also, I love the guitar.

 

I used to love this photo, and then I stopped loving it, but I think I'm gonna keep loving it anyway.

Is he looking at the camera ? I think he actually does. From now on I decided to take musicians look as much as I could.

Jet ( November 2006, Bataclan )

These ones were taken at a Jet concert, a few years ago, in 2006 I think (Bataclan venue).
As some of you may know I used to have a not that bad camera, but unfortunately, absolutely not made for concerts.Anyhow, I finally took a few pictures who were worth showing here.
A lot of them were all blurred, so even though the quality of these ones isn't pretty either, I had to post some here, cause it was great concert. Unfortunately I dont have any of the opening band,  Five o'clock heroes.

Just a 'few' words about them.

helped by google

Jet was formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2001 by Nic Cester (vocals, guitars), Chris Cester (drums, vocals), Cameron Muncey ( lead guitar), and Mark Wilson (bass).
They released 3 albums, "Get born" (2003),in which is the "Are you gonna be my girl" song that you may know, "Shine on" (2005), and Shaka Rock in 2008.
Their music is a good balance between grubby and melodic rock. Their composition have always been naturally classic, good groovy rythm, catchy gimmicks. They tend though to have now a very soft pop sound, having began with Shine on and went on in Shaka Rock.
This sound was a bit helpful for Shine on, was part of the whole mourning and sadness kind of thing, due to Nic and Chris' father death, but felt a bit too much in Shaka Rock, due to missing real good song composition.
Although some of them ( Hearts on fire ) could've been a lot more better if they had been more simply produced and if singer Nic Cester hadn't tried to sing in the Nic Cester old way, the sort of dirty rock n roll type of thing. Special thoughts to Beat on repeat though, who makes think that Jet still know how to write good songs.


The Five o'clock heroes are based in New York and have released two albums ( Bend to the breaks, 2006 and Speak your language, 2008).They have a sound that doesn't change that much, based on a high sounding bouncy lead guitar and general dancing/entertaining atmosphere.
They have pretty good songs though, simple, sometimes precisely too simple to be good. They are this kind of band you want to keep an eye on, to see if they're improving their music in anything.
A new record should be released sometimes next year (2011).

So here are just a couple of pictures.

Cameron Muncey, guitars.

 

Still C.Muncey, I cannot quite be sure of what I think of this picture.

Some of the few unblurry pictures I managed to get that night.

Two brothers.

C.Muncey ( guitars), N.Cester (vocals, guitars), Mark Wilson (bass), Chris Cester (drums).

drawing

He, I almost forgot I was supposed to write in english...my bad.
Alright, so the beginning will be lead by the late Richard Sohl ( more here ), who I personally know for having been the Patti Smith's pianist for a while, but he also played with Nina Hagen, Elliott Murphy and Iggy Pop.

Richard Sohl, from a picture taken in a Patti Smith book.

Welcome (to the froggy house)

Alright.
It's been days I'm looking for time to begin this, looking for a good name for it, and now strictly nothing comes out of my mind.
I'll try to write everything here in english, which can seems like I'm a bit overrating myself, but wordreference is my friend, you too and we'll make it ok.
Everything for that some english speakers friends of mine can read it too.
By the way, that would be good, if you are one of these people, to tell me if I unfortunately make this beautiful english langage hardly readable.
Okay...couples of lines and I'm already thinking I should've not started, but, ya know...anyway, that was supposed to be a smart-funny-cool welcome message, but it'll just be a simple welcome.

Welcome, friends (or not friends, but it's ok, you can come in anyway).
Ok that's about it for the welcoming part.

Blog, I would like to introduce you to the readers, readers, this is the blog.
The blog will be mostly about music. Concerts I've been to, concerts I'm planning to go to, CDs I've listened,CDs Im planning to listen and bla bla bla...you'll see by yourself.
The readers are mostly from Paris, France, some from the US, a little bit less from the UK and just a few ones from everywhere else.
I really hope you guys will get along. Seriously.

As I said, I'll (try to) write in english,which can looks strange, since I'm french.
Well I must confess that my english gets rusty a little bit more everytime, so all this helps me to practice, but yeah for you who are natives it'll be a bit weird, and for sure quite often not understandable.
But I've really been into this whole anglo-saxon culture for a while and I'm always (still...) looking for something not to feel like a little helpless froggy...

And cause wherever you go, here you are, I think I should start to begin.