Brad Spurgeon's Blog

A world of music, auto racing, travel, literature, chess, wining, dining and other crazy thoughts….

Weirdnesses – White French Guy Doing Japanese Rap – and Coolnesses at the Paris Monday Mics

August 9, 2011
bradspurgeon

It was a little world weary that I was last night as I returned to the open mics in Paris in the middle of the summer, not having played in an open mic since, could it be, more than a week, and Budapest? The trip to Brussels set that up, and a return to Paris on a quiet period for open mics. So I felt off center going to the Tennessee Bar and the Galway, my regular Monday haunts. But it was with a great sense of suprise and pleasantness that I entered the Tennessee Bar to find Jesse Kincaid on stage doing his number. Jesse, readers will remember, was in Paris a few weeks ago and delighted audiences with his compositions, and songs from the New Rising Sons. He had so much fun here, it seems, that he returned early from a stay elsewhere in Europe.

There were some unusual things happening on stage at the Tennessee, with the gold medal being taken by a French white guy dressed in conservative bureaucrat clothes and haircut, who brought his own canned music and did a few rap numbers. He had been there before, it seems, and it was with great acclaim that the audience requested he do his rap in Japanese. You can see just why when you look at the video. Didn’t catch his name. But if a video of him doing this – mine or someone else’s – does not go viral, I do not know what will!

I played four songs, starting out with four of my own songs, and making a mess of “Lara, Lara,” which I had not sung in a while and for which I suddenly forgot the chords. But I managed to get through it, and two others and then I decided to lift the joy level a little by doing “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right.” But I forgot the words on that one and then suddenly felt really foolish and pointless playing such a cliche Dylan song in an open mic, so I stopped in the middle of the song and left the stage – in good humor. It was, after all, an open mic. I try my hardest, give my all, but the open mic allows for caprices too.

The Galway was ticking along well as well, and I tried a few more songs I don’t usually do, like Marc Bolan’s “Catblack the Wizard’s Hat,” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” by Hank Williams. But then I felt the urge to do my usual “Borderline,” and it seems it went down the best. I also did “Only Our Rivers,” the Irish sort of protest song.

Jesse came along there too and regaled us with a fabulous rendition of Autumn Leaves on my guitar, which made me feel even more massively deficient – but it was great to hear how good my guitar can sound.

Sood and the North African Mafia

October 19, 2010
bradspurgeon

No time to go into any long-winded details – you’re spared – as I’m in preparation to fly to Seoul, South Korea, tonight for the next week, the F1 race and a musical evening or two (or preferably more).

To I just wanted to make note of last night in Paris, which actually fits a little into the above sentence, for last night I caught Sood on video doing a song on his own at the Tennessee bar. Sood is from…South Korea. He now lives in Paris. But he has a lot of energy on the guitar AND on the vocals. Check out the video.

I showed up at the Tennessee around 9:30, found it way too full and knew I’d never get on before midnight. So I left for the Galway and Stephen Prescott finished his set and put me up first! It was nice, although I was not very happy with my performance – except my last song when I finally said, “To hell with everyone, I’m singing this for me.” That was my song, “Let Me Know.”

I stayed for a few more performers’ sets and then I returned to the Tennessee. This time I was too late as it was almost midnight. So I ended up not getting to go up. But I did see Sood and then I saw what the MC James referred to as the North African Mafia, and they were good – especially as usual, Karim’s wicked guitar playing.

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