Brad Spurgeon's Blog

I’ve used plays on words like that before about the open mic on Tuesday nights in Paris at the Ptit Bonheur la Chance bar, but frankly, it just keeps doing the same thing again and again: Bringing bonheur and luck. Last night there were a number of new and interesting musicians, and all sorts of interesting meetings with interesting people.

I arrived a little late, but still had a chance to get up to play two songs. Amongst the standout acts were Baptiste W. Hamon, formerly known as Texas in Paris, who continues to do amazing stuff with his new entity singing and writing in his native French language; and then the newcomer, Allonymous, from Chicago originally, but a longtime expat in France and the UK. He did this very cool sort of recitation/singing from texts he has written and committed to memory. He started as a painter, but has done lots of spoken word stuff, both in the U.S., U.K. and here.

After the open mic we all went up to the bar on the ground floor and had another fun jam session, sometimes with two corners with musicians playing almost at once. What more can I say about this place that I have not said already? Unfortunately, I don’t feel inspired to say much more – it was all such a great trip on its own that it leaves me without words. Check out the videos….

Oh, yes, and P.S., there was a fantastic meeting with a fellow journalist who happened to show up at the open mic and who is involved in writing a Formula One related article. She had no idea that I was covering that series in my day job, but learned it through someone else. So we chatted for a half hour or so all about Formula One in order to help her with her story. Amazing how our worlds can run in to each other….