Le Baroc bar Paris | Brad Spurgeon's Blog

A Dualo Night at the Baroc Open Mic in Paris

April 22, 2015
bradspurgeon

Jules with his Dualo

PARIS – Arrived back in Paris on Monday night from Bahrain, totally wasted tired. But it just took one night’s sleep to lift myself out of my torpor and go on over to the Baroc open mic, to get right back into the groove. Groove would be a word that the night would reveal in a way I could never have imagined in advance.

There was this guy there who had this strange looking Star Trek-like luminous accordion-like device hanging off his chest, and I immediately queried him on what the hell it was!

“A dualo,” he said.

He then began to demonstrate. The dualo may look like a quaint accordion of the past – one of those quintessential French instruments that we define as being the backbone of so many songs by French singers, or even Belgian ones, like Jacques Brel – but it is capable of sounding like an orchestra. Or even, I was brought back in mind to the late sixties, early seventies, the days of Moog synthesizers and mellotrons and other keyed electric instruments.

The guy who held the thing is Jules Hotrique, a street-musician-cum-mathematician who is also the creator of the instrument, this dualo, and who is in the thick of developing this instrument of the future in dynamic with his engineers at his new French start-up.

So what is it really? Well, let’s say, a dual is 116 letup pads and captors that acts like a midi, keyboards, synthesizer, drum machine, with 8 hours of autonomy and the ability to be played through speakers, headphones, a computer, has looping sequencing and 116 editable instrument sounds that can be programmed, shared and even help you write music.

Welcome to the electronic-instrument musical world. And the device only cost €1000. That’s only a third of the price of my Gibson J-200, which is just a bit of wood and plastic and you have to play it all by yourself. Oh yes, you do have to do some learning for how to play the dualo; but you can get your first lessons by watching some of the videos I took last night….

And the open mic at the Baroc was not that bad either…

I’ve talked enough about the dualo, the videos do the best talking. The open mic itself was pretty good, and I got to play some songs, and I got to forget some chords on “Just Like a Woman,” which I play all the time, so it must have been the lack of sleep from recent days….!

Present also were many of the regular regulars, as well as one or two new faces and sounds I did not know, like a guy from Holland who did several pretty mean interpretations of well-known covers…. Again, check out the videos…!

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A Great Open Mic, a Crappy Open Mic

March 5, 2015
bradspurgeon

Orphee

PARIS – Oh the number of times I have written about the Baroc open mic on this blog goes beyond belief, really. It’s one of the longest lasting in Paris, and not at all one of the most hip, cool and young open mics. But sometimes it is. And always it is one to be counted on for passing an interesting evening, with kind MCing, and a certain moment of musical fun and diversity.

Yes, diversity is the keyword as always at the Baroc, with people ranging on Tuesday night from absolute beginners, a Hungarian passing through town, to Bernie the songwriter of a certain age, the sax player, and guess who? Vanina Michel, who specializes in putting the poetry of Jacques Prevert to music. She was one of the original cast of Hair in France way back a few decades ago, and on Tuesday she lulled us all into submission with a recitation of a text by Georges Moustaki, who died recently, and who she knew personally.

That was Tuesday. Wednesday? Last night? Let’s just say, “Let’s just forget about the Orphée open mic.” I’ve written about the Orphée open mic in Pigalle in years past. I think I’ve even said nice things about it. And clearly the Orphée is a venue that has more than just potential: Located across the street from the legendary Bus Palladium, in a ground floor apartment-like bar where you need to ring a buzzer to be let in, I’ve seen some nice and fun open mics there.

But last night was one of the worst experiences personally that I’ve ever had at an open mic anywhere in the world. I do not want to go into all the details about why I was so let down, but suffice it to say that everyone I spoke to last night as I enquired whether there would be an open mic responded to me in either the very much assured positive, or the “normally there is, but the MC is celebrating his birthday and we’re not sure,” to finally tracking down the MC of last night’s show, and hearing him tell me that it is NOT an open mic, but that he’ll make it an open mic.

Then as soon as he took to the mic he announced it was the beginning of the open mic night. I then approached again after several performers had taken to the mic, and I asked him if I could plug in the guitar and take to the mic. He again warded me off, saying, “Yes, sure, yes. But let me finish this set up, and then you can do something later on.” The set went on eternally from there, and eventually my young woman friend with whom I was attending the open mic decided she would ask if she could plug in the guitar and sing and play. The guy said “yes” immediately and she played two songs.

So after her second song, I went up and grabbed the guitar and the guy came up, and I said, “I’d like to sing a song if I can.” “Well, yes, but the boss wants ambiance here, there’s lots of people and we really need ambiance.” So it was that I realized why he had been pushing me off throughout the night, and preventing me from getting to the mic: Most of the singers had been young women, and most of the songs had been recent, well known pop songs that he felt gave ambiance to the massive crowd that was looking for a specific kind of ambiance.

It was the first time in my worldwide open mic adventures that I felt very clearly that because I was a lot older than the average age of 23 of the clients of the open mic, that I was being prejudiced against for my age! Just for the way I look! Hmm, some old fogey, must be boring!

So I said, “Yeah, sure, you want ambiance? Ambiance? Ok. Ambiance. I’ll give you ambiance.”

So I played “What’s Up!” by the 4-Non Blondes, and I created a little bit of ambiance. People sang along, as usual. I’ve seen much hotter crowds for that song when I do it, but the Orphée crowd is very, very specific in the context of the Orphée, and it is far from an “open” open mic as it stands at the moment – or as it was last night, in any case. Oh, the owner passed by as we were leaving and gave the thumbs-up on the ambiance we created briefly, so apparently an open mic MC cannot tell everything from appearances….

There were lots of good singers, and it was certainly an open mic of “ambiance,” but the open, free and true spirit of what makes the best open mics was clearly not there at the Orphée last night.

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Paris on Monday and Tuesday, at the Open Mics

January 8, 2015
bradspurgeon

Charlie Hebdo

PARIS – Woke up yesterday with the horrendous news that the entire world is trying to absorb: How three deranged idiots could go and kill 12 people at a newspaper because they don’t like the newspaper’s art. Five public figures, five brilliant, fun and life-affirming artists among the dead at the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly, as well as a couple of policemen who were clearly not as well-armed as the deranged guys. So it was that I did not much feel like writing my insignificant blog yesterday of my insignificant visits to open mics on Monday and Tuesday in this same city of Paris.

But since life does go on, I am going to put up my usual collection of videos and a few words about the evenings: Monday was the Galaway and the Coolin, like the previous week. Oh, wait, I also dropped into the Tennessee Bar open mic, which was long one of the best in Paris. I have no idea what has happened to it at the moment, but it seems to be floating in a netherworld of insignificance as no one seems to be running it, but the stage seems to be occupied by musicians as they feel fit to take to it.

I was so depressed by the lack of atmosphere that I immediately moved on to the Galway and had a nice dose of what I expect from this mainstay of Paris, which never ceases to try to improve and expand the open mic show. Catch the TV screen to the left of the performers showing performers at the open mic in the past throughout the evening. Neat idea. And now there are calling cards that seem to offer happy hour drink rates or something like that – I’ll have to confirm what the meaning of that is during another visit!

The Coolin was cool again, and yet it was so low on musicians on Monday night after New Years that I still managed to get a couple of songs behind the mic despite arriving around 11:30 p.m. Although I’ve had some of my best moments in the raging madness of the Coolin when it is full of people and I can belt out a crowd-pleaser, some of my warmest moments are like those of Monday, when there are few people, and you can sing quiet songs to a quiet crowd. And on Monday, there was the pleasure of discovering the interesting Melanie Horsnell, an Australian singer songwriter of international stature.

Tuesday was off to the Baroc again, and there I found a slightly more quiet night than usual as well. But it was fun. We couldn’t know that it was the calm before the storm.

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Another Baroc Night, Followed by Several More Adventures in Paris

November 15, 2014
bradspurgeon

Le Baroc open mic

PARIS – This has been a weird week: I arrived back very early on Tuesday morning from a two-day trip back from Sao Paulo via New York’s JFK airport, meaning an entire day spent in JFK, and two night flights in total to get back home. To say nothing of the number of time zones. And so I then arrived in paris early on Tuesday morning, and as I walked back to the apartment from the Port Royal RER station, I passed through a street market on the 11th November public holiday, and as they set up the market, several of the food hawkers said hello to me with bright, fresh morning smiles. Could this really be Paris? The place I was told decades ago that I would love for its city, but hate the people?

So anyway, I would end up sleeping off jet-lag that very same morning, then going to the Baroc open mic on the Tuesday night. It already seemed like a different culture, a different world, a different Paris, but the Baroc is also a fabulously atypical Paris. Or rather, it is perhaps one of the most quintessential Paris experiences in a bar that has kept its authenticity, and that loves music. The open mic, as usual, had a wide cross-section of fun and interesting acts, and the sound and MCing was done in the usual friendly manner by Réjean, the Frenchman with a more Quebec-sounding name than French French.

There were some familiar faces, but some new ones too. In any case, I need not go into detail, since you can just look at the videos…. Just needless to say, it felt like home after the two weeks away in Sao Paulo and Austin Texas….

On Wednesday night, it was off to the Swan Bar’s vocal jam of Wednesday night. And there, I found no familiar faces except that of the bar owner, the barwoman, and Sheldon Forrest, the pianist, MC, who has presented the vocal jam for several years now, as this has become one of the mainstays of the Paris scene, especially for those who like jazz – although Sheldon (who plays piano for the singers who need a musician) points out each time that all forms of music are welcome. My only problem with the Swan Bar is that it’s stiff prices won’t attract the majority of poor musicians, as there is even a cover charge for those wishing to play.

Thursday night it was off to a new open mic at the Bombardier pub at 2 place du Panthéon. But when I arrived I saw that this open mic – that night, at least – was one where the massively full student pub had a crowd more interested in talking than in listening to the music. So because I was planning to attend with several friends, some of whom had not heard my music before, it was not the right place to go. We ended up going not far away, to the Café Universel on the rue St. Jacques to hear the Liv Monaghan Duo, and a recitation of poetry – or verse – by Lisa Marie Jarlborn, whom readers of this blog will remember the rather provocative videos of from four years ago at the Ptit Bonheur la Chance.

Friday night, MORE open mics and concerts followed, but I’m going to give that more space tomorrow, with videos.

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A Classic Time at the Baroc Open Mic

October 26, 2014
bradspurgeon

Le Baroc open mic

PARIS – The Baroc open mic, one of the mainstays of the Paris open mic scene, has felt all to often in recent months as if it has fallen a little by the wayside. This is in no small way due to the success of the newer, hip, cool and laid-back open mic of the Café Oz in Pigalle. But on Tuesday, I was tempted back to the Baroc – because I’ll never stop going to it – and found myself enjoying one of the best open mics of recent memory.

It was like the best of times at the Baroc. Was this due to the Café Oz owners preferring its soccer crowd and closing the open mic last Tuesday in favor of a match? I mean, did the Baroc attract thereby all of the old crowd back again, away from the Café Oz? No, it did not seem that way at all. I saw two maximum musicians who might otherwise have gone to the Café Oz. It was just all about the Baroc doing its thing the way only it does it….

It has been so many days since I took part in the open mic, and I’ve had so many other pressing things to do that I was unable to write about it immediately, and it has been far too long I’ve delayed. So rather than spew on in undigested prose and fading memories of details, I’m just going to put up the videos, and let them do the talking….

By the way, the whole thing ended up in a fabulous acoustic jam, once again showing the spirit of the best open mics….

A Second Open Mic at the Baroc, in Paris – Just as Cool as the Other One

June 17, 2014
bradspurgeon

Le Baroc open mic

PARIS – I have written frequently about the open mic at the Baroc bar in Belleville in Paris, and how neat and unexpected and unpredictable it may be. Well, last night, interestingly, suddenly, there was another open mic at the Baroc, not the Tuesday night open mic, but a Sunday night open mic. And it was just as cool, interesting and warm and laid back as the one on Tuesday, despite being run by someone else….

It may or may not continue, it may or may not have been a one-off. But what the evening proved to me was what I always thought: That a big part of the success of an open mic lies not ONLY in the person who is MCing it, but in the location and layout of the bar, and also very importantly, in the perception of the open mic by the manager/owner of the bar.

Clearly, the Baroc has all the necessary ingredients. Sunday’s open mic was run by a French musician who calls himself She/Me and I have written about him before on this blog, as I have attended open mics for five or six years in which he has appeared as a musician. I was delighted to see him open the stage at the Baroc for a new open mic, and I hope it returns – it seemed not to be decided yet….

A great, wonderful alternative to the Pop’In, in any case….

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An Unusual Act and Aother Fun Time at the Baroc Open Mic in Paris

February 26, 2014
bradspurgeon

Le Baroc open mic

PARIS – Another night at the often wild and wacky Baroc bar in the Belleville part of Paris, that’s today’s theme. Although never abandoning this open mic location, I had in the last couple of years taken a little break from it as a regular hangout. But I’ve been going regularly lately, and not regretting much – except maybe that there could be a few more musicians. But not too many more, please!

Because at the moment, it is really possible to show up at a human hour – say 8:30-9:00 PM – and find a spot on the list to play. The interesting thing about this open mic, as I’ve said in the recent past, is the vast, broad cross-section of bar habitués. You are as likely to find some hip young band or musician as the local barflies who look like they just made it back from skidrow….

And those ones are, as any bar musician knows, amongst the most enthusiastic audience members. There is often a festive spirit at the Baroc, with dancing patrons in front of the stage area during more lively moments of the open mic.

Last night had a few of the regular performers of recent times, but also an unusual duet of two young women who specialized in playing an old man’s blues – can’t remember the bluesman in question – with one woman singing and the other plucking her cello, since neither appeared able to play guitar – I assume!

Rockin’ at the Baroc all Over Again

January 29, 2014
bradspurgeon

PARIS – Arriving at the Baroc last night for the open mic, I thought it was dead. I’ve written several times on this open mic, and in the past, I said you never know what you’ll find. Knowing THAT, I stayed and just pretended the place was full. Good thing I did. It may have been half empty when I arrived, but suddenly the place filled up, and it was another great and fun open mic at a mainstay music joint in Paris.

The Baroc has so firmly established itself as an open mic over I don’t know how many years – I’ve been going for just over five years – that there are always musicians and spectators will show up. And it usually ends up breaking out into a warm and fun jam session at the end….

I was particularly pleased to play my song “Memories,” which I have not done for a while, with a harmonica player and a lead guitar player, and Réjean on the drum thingy to accompany me.

In any case, Le Baroc is anything but Baroque…go there!

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The Baroc Alternative

January 16, 2014
bradspurgeon

Le Baroc open mic

PARIS – I wrote last week about the new open mic off the beaten path at the Blues Bar – which will undertake its second edition tonight – but there has long been another open mic in an area far from the Latin Quarter and not particularly in the thick of live music bar action. But this open mic is definitely a mainstay in the Paris scene, and a place at which attendees should never make a quick judgment.

I’m talking, of course, about the Baroc open mic near the Belleville and Colonel Fabien metro stations. This open mic can vary a lot more in attendance and musical styles to that of the regular places I write about in the Latin Quarter. It can range on through to every different style of music and every different style of barfly audience member, from the most celebrated to the least celebrated!

Tuesday night’s edition was a great one, with musicians varying from a kind of classical/flamenco-like guitarist, to Margot and her pop songs – she of the Highlander and Coolin and other Latin Quarter bars – to a man named Bernie with an illustrious songwriting career. I played, another interesting French folk singer sang, Raphaëlle sang, a kind of reggae-like musician played and sang…. it was different from beginning to end.

You just never know what you will find at the Baroc – except for the warm and fair MCing job done by Réjean Mourlevat, who will also occasionally join you on stage to bang out some rhythms on his portable drum machine thing, or join you on the piano – and there seems always to be a harmonica player somewhere in the wings. (I was delighted to have him play along with a couple of my songs, including the song I wrote when I was 16 or 17 about not being much in the mood, and of which I put up a video of here….)

Whatever you may find, you will almost always be certain to find a real French open mic with real French people – and a complete, open-armed welcome to the foreigners as well….

Another Great Night at Le Baroc Open Mic in Paris

December 5, 2013
bradspurgeon

PARIS – Again for a change, I decided to head off to the Baroc open mic in Paris last night instead of a couple of other places where I maybe have spent more time in the past, but where I can be more sure of finding the same kind of evening all the time. At Le Baroc, I never know what I’ll find!

But last night it was a very cool, if low-key open mic at this mainstay of the Paris open mic scene. Le Baroc has held an open mic for years, but changed from organizer to organizer. For the last few years it has been organized by the genial Réjean Mourlevat, a nice, low-key musician who joins in on the piano or drum machine from time do time during the evening, and always makes sure musicians feel comfortable behind the mic.

The Baroc is a bar with an interesting character, with carpets hanging from the ceiling over the stage, the big mirror behind the stage, and a side room where you can sit and chat a little while still seeing the stage. It has a real 1980s feel to it.

The musicians vary from week to week, and last night the accent was definitely on French musicians singing in French – which is really refreshing for an otherwise pretty anglo kind of scene at many of the other Paris open mics.

It is also a place that emphasizes a real open stage, and if you’re into it, expect to be joined by other musicians while you play. Last night my last two songs I had a guitarist or two and a guy who played keyboards, and it was lots of fun. Especially on my Year of the Cat, which I had a friend film for me….

Well worth the detour out of the Latin Quarter and up to Belleville….

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