Thomas Boissy, een Franse ster in wording

Al vaker heb ik stukjes geschreven over de nieuwe artiesten die boven komen drijven via Sellaband. In het begin was ik nogal fanatiek aan het investeren in diverse artiesten (o.a. Julia Marcell, Lily Vazquez en Mandyleigh), de laatste maanden doe ik het wat rustiger aan.

Toch komt er zo af en toe weer een ongekend talent bovendrijven waarvan je instinctief weet: ja, dit heeft potentie. Thomas Boissy, een Fransman uit Parijs, is volgens mij zo´n man waar de wereld nog van gaat horen. Hij is afkomstig uit de Parijse musicalwereld (o.a. van optredens in de beroemde Folies Bergère) en trad vaak op voor de Franse tv. Zijn charme, zijn sterke persoonlijkheid en zijn zuivere stemgeluid, maken hem tot een bijzondere verschijning.

Echt talent valt direct op, ook op Sellaband waar de concurrentie hevig is. Met zijn Franstalige popliedjes had Thomas Boissy dan ook in no time de 50.000 $ binnengehaald, het bedrag dat nodig is voor het opnemen van een professioneel album.

Luister naar enkele van zijn sterke eigen composities op zijn Sellaband profiel.

MySpace Thomas Boissy

Interview met Kreg Viesselman

De Amerikaanse singer/songwriter Kreg Viesselman overweldigde mij enkele maanden geleden met zijn plaat The Pull (zie mijn eerdere stukje op Chenque Around The Globe). Ik word dan altijd nieuwsgierig naar zo'n artiest en zijn visie op zijn eigen liedjessmederij. Dus ik heb contact met het gezocht, wat resulteert in dit lange interview.

Kreg blijkt een uiterst sympathieke man te zijn, bereid om enkele vragen die ik hem stelde uitgebreid te beantwoorden. Hij woont sinds enkele jaren in Noorwegen en probeert van daar uit meer aanhang in Europa te verwerven, iets wat nog niet echt van de grond komt. Aan de muziek kan het niet liggen, die is wonderschoon. Het is waarschijnlijk voor hem eerder wachten op het juiste moment en de juiste plaats. Wie weet horen we binnenkort een nummer van hem onder een commercial en breekt hij door, zo gaat dat tegenwoordig met meer artiesten.

Dan nu het interview, ga er maar even voor zitten want de man heeft interessante uitspraken:

You painted the beautiful cover of The Pull yourself. Do you consider yourself more a painter or a musician?

Thanks! I am glad you liked it. I have never been asked that before. I guess I consider myself to be both, among other things. At the moment, however, I am expending most of my creative energy on songwriting. But in truth, I probably have more natural ability as a visual artist. When I was in my early twenties, I sold a fair few of my paintings. I sometimes wonder why I didn't continue down that path. Maybe it's because once a person begins to try to make money from something that would otherwise be a pastime, the nature of the pastime is fundamentally altered. Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if I switched the two (music and visual art) around one day.

And what is main the difference between the art of painting and songwriting/performing to you?

I think they are very similar.The one main difference is that the way in which the art is displayed. You can hang a painting on the wall for people to look at and then hide in the bathroom or go for a walk. With performing, however, you have to be there for people to experience the thing created. It's not just the lyrics or music, but also the performer that becomes the work of art.

The perfect song can be bombed by a bad performance. Other than that, I can't see much difference from a creative perspective. Both are forms of expression, whether representational, abstract, or otherwise. I get roughly the same feeling when writing or painting.

How does an American singer/songwriter end up in Norway (not one of the most logical places for an artist to move to I would say.....)?

I guess I never thought about whether or not moving to Norway was logical, but I like it here. It's nice to spend a good bit of time in Europe, learn another language, and have access to the rest of the continent. It must be said, however, that Norwegians are pretty logical people.

What is the Norwegian or Scandinavian music scene like?

I am not really sure, to be honest. I haven't played here very much. I get the sense that it is a bit more closed than, say, The Netherlands, which is famous for seeking out and patronizing lesser-known music from abroad.

What is the difference with the United States concerning the music scene?

The U.S. is just so big, and there is so much competition for what opportunities do exist. In my opinion, Art in general isn't viewed as absolutely essential to a well-rounded life in American culture the same way it is in many parts of Europe.

Your cooperation with the African musician and kora player Boubacar Diébaté on The Man Without A Care shows your interest in world music. How did this collaboration take place?

I have always loved many different types of African music, and for some reason, at the time I wrote that song, I knew it asked for some traditional African accompaniment. The kora seemed natural, due to it's own history and place in West African music.

Boubacar and I met through my friend and producer Evan Reeves. He seemed like the obvious candidate. Luckily, he agreed to do it. The fact that Boubacar is a griot from Senegal now living in the U.S. far from home just added another layer of meaning to the song's lyrics.

I remember after I wrote that song having felt as though I had written the first song of mine that noone else could have written, if you take my meaning.
Boubacar's participation only added to its authenticity, especially when we asked him to sing and he just belted out those beautiful lines in his mother tongue. After he translated them to us, I was certain he understood what the song meant, and I was also certain I couldn't have found anyone more fitting to contribute to the song. That kind of understanding is what makes some albums sound so real, while others merely sound like a studio.

Do you have future plans to do this kind of fusion with other world artists?

I have no plans, really - about any thing creative I do - other than to keep creating. I may collaborate with artists from cultures other than my own in the future, but I am not interested in doing fusion for the sake of fusion. For me, it has to have a purpose. It has to have 'heart'…not just a bunch of noodling around on exotic instruments all at the same time. To me, that can get kind of academic...and I am no intellectual.

I'm surprised to see how little known you are in the singer/songwriter world. How come? I mean you only got a 1000 songs scrobbled on Last FM (just to compare, another Scandinavian singer/songwriter like Ane Brun has over one million of songs scrobbled on this site)?

I really don't know. It could be because I have had virtually no publicity. I have no idea who likes my songs, or why, or how to cultivate the interest that exists out there into legions of loyal fans. Perhaps it would be easy if I noticed some demographic trend. But I get responses and interest from people of all ages, genders, countries, etc. who find me one way or another. I reckon at some point I will meet somebody out there familiar with the music business who gets what I am doing and knows exactly what to do with it. That'd be great, as I would rather that someone else worries about that kind of stuff. Either way, there is probably some
niche I will eventually find myself in without trying to force it...for better or worse.
Ane Brun has been scrobbled 1,000,000 times?!? And I always thought she was such a nice girl. Then again, she is living in Stockholm. They say Stockholm is the Rio de Janeiro of Scandinavia. I hope her grandmother doesn't find out. She's very talented, and deserves what ever successes she gets.

What are your future plans as a solo artist?

At the moment, I have a boatload of new songs. I am hoping to record them and get them out into the world to the people who will enjoy them. The next album will most likely be very different stylistically from "The Pull"… more spare, more melodic.
I am also hoping to accompany each song with it's own artwork. Almost like a little book of illustrated short stories that work well together as a collection. Other than that, I'd like to be able to tell people 'I am a songwriter' when they ask me (unoriginally) what I do for a living, without having to follow that up with, 'No, really...I am not joking'

What are your long term ambitions as a musician?

I want to keep writing songs and performing them. I want to improve. I would like to perfect my own sound over and over again, and then abandon it just as often. Then, when I am finished, I would like to be able to look over everything I have created - from song to song and album to album - and see how all of my contradictions, tangents, and shifts of personality make perfect sense when looked at from a distance. As for now, any sort of cohesiveness or underlying theme completely eludes me.

P.S. Thanks for taking the time to interview me. If this doesn't get me scrobbled on a more regular basis, nothing will!

(einde interview)

MySpace Kreg Viesselman

Website Kreg Viesselman

Voicst live @ Sounds

De Amsterdamse band Voicst draait op volle toeren. Hun energieke mix van rock en pop spat je tegemoet in de poppodia van Nederland, 3FM lijkt de groep als troetelkindjes te hebben geadopteerd en hun nieuwe plaat A Tale Of Two Devils heeft overal goede kritieken gekregen. Uiterst sympathiek van deze jongens dus, dat ze gewoon de tijd nemen om voor een kleine honderd man een instore optreden te verzorgen.

In de Rotterdamse platenzaak Sounds, waar vaker leuke instore optredens plaatsvinden, speelde Voicst gisteren een korte akoestische set als opwarmertje voor hun optreden in Waterfront later die avond. Met een extra blazerssectie van twee saxofonisten en één trompetist op de achtergrond was het een fijne luisterervaring. Zanger Tjeerd was duidelijk goedgemutst, drummer Joppe roffelde strakke beats weg op zijn cajón en gitarist Sven deed relaxed zijn ding. En alhoewel de band in deze akoestische setting niet het gehele Voicst-repertoire kon naspelen, was het verrassend hoe lekker hun muziek op deze manier klinkt. Ga deze band eens live bekijken zou ik zeggen.








MySpace Voicst

Video van de single Everyday I Work On The Road



Website Sounds Rotterdam

Fataal liefdesverhaal van The Decemberists

In de categorie fatale liefdesverhalen een wonderlijk mooi popliedje, We Both Go Down Together van The Decemberists. Deze uitstekende Amerikaanse band rond de intellectuele zanger Colin Meloy staat bekend om het gebruik van "storytelling" in hun liedjes. We Both Go Down Together wordt gedragen door akoestische gitaren en violen en klinkt ronduit bombastisch. Het nummer is afkomstig van het album Picaresque uit 2005, duurt maar drie minuten en toch gebeurt er veel in dit korte, bizarre verhaal met een schitterende tekst:

Here on these cliffs of Dover
So high you can't see over
And while your head is spinning
Hold tight, it's just beginning

You come from parents wanton
A childhood rough and rotten
I come from wealth and beauty
Untouched by work or duty

And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together

I found you, a tattooed tramp
A dirty daugher from the labour cans
I laid you down on the grass of a clearing
You wept but your soul was willing

And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together

And my parents will never consent to this love
But I hold your hand

Meet me on my vast veranda
My sweet, untouched Miranda
And while the seagulls are crying
We fall but our souls are flying

And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, my love
And oh, my love, oh my love
And oh, my love, my love
We both go down together

Ja, je zal jezelf maar op deze wijze van de "cliffs of Dover" storten terwijl je ziel samen met de zeemeeuwen rond blijft vliegen. Een prachtige tekst voor een fatale liefde.

Meer over The Decemberists op hun MySpace pagina waar het nummer ook te beluisteren valt.

Helaas heb ik geen goede video van We Both Go Down Together kunnen vinden. Representatief voor The Decemberists qua muziek en sfeer is bijvoorbeeld wel de video van het nummer Los Angeles I'm Yours (2003):

Interview met Thomas Denver Jonsson

Eén van mijn favoriete Zweden in de rubriek "Zweedse Surprises" op Chenque Around The Globe is singer/songwriter Thomas Denver Jonsson. Toen ik recent over hem schreef viel mijn oog op zijn nieuwe plaat die op 10 maart uitkomt in de Benelux. De titel van zijn vijfde soloplaat The Lake Acts Like An Ocean klinkt poetisch maar ook onheilspellend. Een goede beschrijving van de muziek van deze sympathieke Zweed.

Voorafgaand aan de release van deze nieuwe plaat stelde ik Thomas enkele vragen over zijn album en zijn visie op het muzikale landschap waarbinnen hij opereert:

What is the main difference between your new album The Lake Acts Like An Ocean and your last album Barely Touching It?

I've tried to leave the classic alt.country a bit to do more indie-influenced folk music. In general, to do something more contemporary. Something a little bit narrower, but hopefully making me find my place in the scene better. I don't really plan how I will evolve, I just tend to get tired of what I do at the moment and then I aim for something slightly different. I usually like my newest material the best. I think that's a quite natural feeling.

The title of your new album sounds very poetic to me. Is there a specific message in it, like with the whole global warming thing or is there purely a romantic/poetic meaning?

My meaning with the title was not the global warning unfortunately. I wish it was, that would've been much better.

Which things inspire you to write new songs?

A lot of things really, but more often movies and novels than music. If I would mention a few musical heroes though I must say John Fahey, M. Ward, Fennesz and Keith Kennif.

Do you ever consider using different instruments to your sound like the banjo, mandolin or f.e. "world music" instruments like sitar, kora or duduk?

I was very amused to have my cousin playing the tuba on two songs on the new album. I like to add new sounds to the music and I like acoustic instruments. We'll see about that duduk!

I've already enjoyed the opening song of your new album, The Border, which can be downloaded as an mp3 on your MySpace-page. It sounds fantastic, what is it about?

Thanks! I don't really think that my own meaning with the songs are important for the one who listens. One thing though that I wanted to influence the songs on the album were those moments when your mind gets you such strong feelings that it almost makes you vertiginous. How that can fright you, calm you or make you feel more vivid.

You have your own record label, Going Places, which releases 7" on vinyl. What are your criteria for selecting an artist?

It's a very small project I co-run with my girlfriend. (www.goingplacesrecords.com - www.myspace.com/goingplaces7quot).
We released the first 7" in 2006, a split between the Swedish pop/folk/electronica-girl Bobby Baby and Daniel Smith, Washington state's best indie/folk-guy. We have plans to put out the next one this year. It's our way to support things we like, but also a way to try to catch future big artists when they still are small. Our criteria? We must both like it very much and find it OK to lose more of our money on it.

Sweden has a rock tradition (at least of here in The Netherlands, with The Hives, Mando Diao, Ceasar's Palace, Hellacopters), but not a lot of singer/songwriters are known. How do you see your future in Sweden, is there a lively musical scene for your kind of music?

Of course we have José Gonzalez, who is fantastic and huge. We have some strong underground artists - Bally, Björn Kleinhenz, Dear Euphoria (even if she would hate me for labelling her as a singer/songwriter) for an example - but the media here can be quite uninterested in our own artists. Which in way forced me to seek myself abroad for shows.

Will there then be another Thomas Denver Jonsson tour in the Benelux following your album? And if so, when?

Yes definitely. I'm currently in touch with a booker and I'd love to come back later this year for my fifth tour in your country.

Op de MySpace-pagina van Thomas Denver Jonsson kun je gratis twee mp3's downloaden van zijn nieuwe plaat en ook meerdere songs beluisteren in de speler.

Website GoingPlaces Records

Foto Thomas: Jerry Boman

13 Songs For Right Now: Philip Price op z'n best

Ooit heb ik met veel genoegen op de website CDBaby rondgestruind op zoek naar nieuwtjes. Deze cd-winkel voor artiesten zonder contract of internationale distributie is uiterst professioneel en herbergt zoals je mag verwachten ook vele artiesten die stomweg het geluk nog niet hebben gehad door te breken maar die het zeker verdienen een groter publiek te hebben.

"I don't want no more cold nickels"

Eén van mijn beste ontdekkingen op CDBaby is de Amerikaanse singer/songwriter Philip Price. Zijn cd 13 Songs For Right Now (2002) blijft al jaren strak overeind als een topfavoriet in mijn steeds meer uitdijende cd-collectie. De man met de innemende, warme stem schrijft werkelijk fenomenale popliedjes die ook nog eens ergens over gaan. Onderwerpen als schuldgevoel, wantrouwen, jaloezie en mislukte liefdes zijn aan Philip wel besteedt. "I don't want no more cold nickels and I don't want none of you good advice, or your green eyes full of flavor ice, looking through me, thought you knew me, I'm not blind, no, not tonight" zingt hij hartverscheurend over zijn oude liefde toe.
En deze romantische observant heeft ook een subtiel gevoel voor humor, zo blijkt uit de smeekbede Please Don't Change:

You've been thinking about
breast augmentation
You used to live by
the United Nations
You got a dark spot
On the side of your nose
Where do you keep
All those velvet clothes?

Mijn persoonlijke favorieten op het album zijn opener Found Weekend, Sort Of True en Cold Nickels. Stuk voor stuk liedjes die je bij de lurven vatten en niet meer loslaten. Genieten maar. Bestellen van de plaat kan nog steeds bij CDBaby, waar je ook alle liedjes in zijn geheel kunt beluisteren.

Overigens is Philip Price ook bandlid van een aantal interessante Amerikaanse East Coast-bands. De bekendste is misschien wel The Winterpills (waarvan ik de fraaie titelloze debuutplaat in huis heb), maar hij speelde ook in de bands The Maggies en Gay Potatoes.

MySpace Philip Price

MySpace Winterpills

Video A Benediction van The Winterpills