Stephen Saxo | Brad Spurgeon's Blog

A Week of New (for me) Open Mics in Paris – Including a Visit to Serge Gainsbourg’s Old Joint

April 9, 2018
bradspurgeon

Gainsbourg’s Home Photo ©Brad Spurgeon

PARIS – One thing leads to another and somehow things don’t lead to as many things as before…ok, start again. I finally, over the last week, had time to attend a few open mics – and a musical evening – that I have wanted for a very, very long time to attend. And I was wonderfully surprised, enlightened and inspired by them all – basically!

The first was Stephen Saxo’s open mic at the Cross of St. George pub on rue St. Georges, not far from Pigalle, called Finely Tuned Sundays. It was the first time I had played with Stephen for a long time, the last time being at his open mic – now defunct – in St. Germain en Laye.

The story of this new one is kind of funny: I had noticed for a couple of months that there was an open mic on Sunday nights early, through dinner time, from about 6 pm to 9 pm, and it was not so far from chez moi. I kept on intending to go, but those hours never worked out for me. Then, one week all of a sudden, my friend Stephen the sax player, ie, Stephen Saxo, announced on Facebook that he was hosting this open mic at the Cross of St. George. He had not been the host when I discovered it, and it turns out, from what I understand, that it was not really very active. So Stephen took over and …boom!

Yes, it was a good evening, and in the end a nice time of the day to have an open mic, because you can play music early, then eat your dinner either at the pub or wherever else you might choose. Stephen accompanies those who like that, but otherwise, it’s a classic open mic, where you can go up and do your stuff. The pub had quite a large crowd, but most of them looked like regulars, for whom the music was not the main attraction, but something they appreciated nevertheless.

From the Cross of Saint Georges to the Cave Café and Sheldon Forrest

The following night, Monday, I was ready, willing and able to finally go to Sheldon Forrest’s lates open mic, at a pub nestled in not far from Montmartre, on the other side of the hill…. I have written about Sheldon’s various open mics and vocal jam sessions over the years, starting with where we met, at the now defunct Swan Bar in Montparnasse and most recently with his Ozmos Café open mic, also near Montparnasse.

But I had been itching to go to this Cave Café open mic and jam for a while, since I had the impression that it was a little different than the others where Sheldon officiates, playing his piano accompanying singers, often with a jazz or cabaret leaning. It turned out to be different, entirely different, except for Sheldon’s always genial hosting.

The Cave Café is a corner bar owned by an American who is so discreet you wouldn’t know he was anything but a local French bar owner. The open mic takes place in the cave of the café, as you might expect by the name of the joint. The cafe is a classic Paris vaulted cellar, and this one is complete with a bar and a nice little stage. The vibe is 100 percent open jam, music-loving, anything goes.

There’s a piano on the stage as well, but Sheldon only plays according to when it is appropriate. You can do solo guitar and vocals, or you can be joined by other musicians – I did both. I enjoyed being accompanied by a lead guitarist, Sheldon on piano, aand even an acoustic guitarist and harmonica player. The sound constantly being tweaked by the barman/soundman, using his iPad to control the sound.

It was a fabulous night, and I look forward to many more. The one thing that really stands out is that it’s a music-loving joint that attracts musicians of all kinds.

And finally a visit to the Carré open mic and Jam beneath the legendary Don Camillo and around the corner from Gainsbourg’s home

It has been many months also that I have been intending to attend the open mic and jam of Olivier Domengie, the Carré open mic and jam in the heart of the Latin Quarter. I know Olivier from his various other open mics and jams, notably the one that used to be at the Paradis bar near Barbès, the Nul Part Ailleurs bar near the Bastille, and the Carré jam that happened in the bar near St. Michel.

I was particularly curious to see what this Carré jam at the new location would be like, as it was so much in the classic art gallery, up market part of the neighborhood. And I wondered how it was possible to have his kind of anything-goes sort of jam in such an area. The first idea of how it might be came when I suddenly recognized the name of the street upon which part of the bar sits: Rue de Verneuil. I said to myself, “Wait, isn’t this the street where Serge Gainsbourg lived?!?!”

Later in the evening I not only had it confirmed by Olivier that it was the very same street, but also that 1) Gainsbourg’s home was just around the corner, and 2) Gainsbourg used to go sometimes to play and hang out at this bar! The bar is part of the Don Camille, which is upstairs, and its walls are plastered with the photos of famous popular musicians.

The jam is a classic Olivier jam, and I took the opportunity to play here with a drummer, sax player, bassist, and lead guitar. I had not brought my own guitar, but I got to use the nylon string semi-electric of Olivier – which dictated a little the songs I had to do (“Wicked Game,” “Mad World” and “Don’t Back Down”).

The feel of this bar, with its broken mirror walls, is really 1970s, 1980s, nightclub, but with the stage perched in the front window, and the comfortable chairs and couches, and the large number of musicians present, I cannot recommend it enough.

And then there is the need to do the little visit around the corner to the home of Gainsbourg, with its famous graffiti covered walls. I took a photo or five of that.

And it was all preceded by a visit to the suburban Captain Fox bar in Bois-Colombes

This whole week began, by the way, with a visit to the cultural pub of the Bois-Colombe suburb, where it turned out a pianist singer from my own suburb right next store was giving a concert in this small, convivial bar. Such cool places are rare in the suburbs, but the Captain Fox, as it is called, gets the recipe right! And this performer, as you can see from the video I have put up, is fabulous – anyone who can sing this Queen number as well as him is exceptional.

And that ends the roundup of my open mics and jams and spectator-hood evenings of the last week.

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A Mile-Long Post About My Week of Open Mics in Paris – But Some Real Discoveries!

March 14, 2016
bradspurgeon

Le Paradis

PARIS – I cannot believe that it has already been a week since I last posted about my escapades in open mics and jam sessions in Paris, and that I’ve done another pretty full slate of open mics in Paris again since that post! That was not the way this blog has gone for the now six years of its existence. I’m usually very timely in my writings about the open mics – a day or two maximum afterwards. But like I mentioned recently, I’m really hard at work, and very excited (that’s corporate-speak, but true!) about the progress of my open mic documentary, which, like my CD that I just got finished and made, will also be called, “Out of a Jam.” But now, on to a few notes about the last week….

Monday, I decided to return to some old territory I had not been to for a very long time: The Tennessee Bar has started its Monday open mic again. This, remember, was one of the best in Paris when it was run for well over half a decade by James Iansiti. After some kind of difference of opinion between James and the bar owners – if I have my facts straight – James left the open mic. And so began what would be eventually a descent into the dark ages, and the open mic fell so low that it stopped. Now there is a new MC, and it is trying to build its way back into its once glory days. There is no reason that it should not succeed, if the environment of the fabulous cellar room were the only thing that counted. Let’s wait and see! (Oh, it also continues on Thursday nights, by the way.)
First bit o jam at Paradis

I then headed over to the new open jam session on the Ile St. Louis, at the Chez Madame Louis bar. It turned out to be as lively and kicking hot as usual. I managed a couple of songs on stage with a bassist, drummer, lead player and me on my guitar. But what ended up being the highlight of the night for me was that on my way out of the joint, I found some people outside the front door to the bar, struck up conversations, and pretty soon one of the guys took out his guitar and started playing out there. In all, a couple of people ended up playing and singing. But in the end, the bar owner decided it was time to take pity on the neighbors, so the music had to stop. But it was a fun moment of the kind I love at open mics and jams – spontaneity.
Second bit o jam at Paradis

On Tuesday, I finally decided to see if I could show up on time for sign-up at the Café Oz open mic near Place Blanche. I ended up maybe 12 to 14 or so on the list! But it was just two songs each. Still, I calculated that would give me at least two hours before I got up. I then thought of going to the many other open mics along the line 2 of the metro on Tuesday nights, but ultimately I calculated that, Hey, I bet I could take the metro all the way across Paris down to the Bastille, and then walk over the open jam session at the Nul Bar Ailleurs and take part in that, and then return to the Café Oz and do my bit there.
Third at Zebre Rouge

I was actually really kind of proud of myself when it turned out that I COULD do that. In fact, I was quite simply happy as anything because I thoroughly enjoyed my moment at the mic in the Nul Bar Ailleurs jam. It’s called, “Jam around the table,” because it has that kind of feel to it, and there are tables around it…. But it is very intimate, and extremely well organized. My only criticism would be that in between the main bits where you get to the mic, the jamming of the rapping and reggae kind can go on a long, long time, as it did Tuesday – but that’s only a criticism because I was so excited to get behind the mic again myself!
Second at Zebre Rouge

In the end, I figured I better get off to Oz again…. And I did, and I played, and I had time for a beer before, and after. So it was the perfect night!
First at Zebre Rouge

Thursday, it was back to the Zebre Rouge open mic and another fabulous time in the cellar of this bar. In fact, I had to go and pick up my entirely re-fretted Seagull S6 in Pigalle before the Guitar Garage closed, so I was very early for the open mic. But I decided that I would try out the food at the Zebre Rouge, and man did I have a great African meal! And I managed to find a table in the back of the room very secluded, where there were about four or five places in the wall where I could charge my telephone and plug in my computer. So I spent an hour sitting there, drinking my dinner wine, eating, AND editing my documentary film. Can things get any better than this?
Third at Nul bar ailleurs

Evidently, they can! For on Saturday night, I finally had the time and inclination to go and check out the jam at the bar called, Le Paradis, which is near the Barbès métro. I had seen this one for months, since there is little else on a Saturday night in Paris. And because it is usually run by the same guy who runs the Nul Bar Ailleurs jam. So I went to le Paradis, and found myself in Paradis! The bar is just the right size for a jam, i.e., small, with a back room where you can go to breathe, nevertheless. But best of all, the bar manager lets the music go on until nearly 2 AM or so, and it is loud, and it is drums, it is saxophones, it is guitars, basses and keyboards and vocals.
Second at Nul Bar Ailleurs

But it IS a jam, and the audience is so big and crowded around the “stage” area that you are best off playing crowd pleasers of one kind or another and having the audience sing along. To my total surprise, I also met Stephen Saxo there, and so we managed to jam together. There is no doubt for me whatsoever that I will be returning to this fabulous jam, which I finally got to. In addition to everything else, I arrived and found the mic ready for me the instant I arrived, and in ripping off my coat, buying a beer and taking out my guitar in about one movement, I did not see it but I had dropped my expensive new cell phone on the floor by the bar. An hour later – after they had announced the discovery of the phone, and I had not heard them – they still had the phone behind the bar and when I was running around in a panic thinking I’d lost it, that it was stolen, there it was being kept in a safe place for me.
First at Nul Bar Ailleurs

“We’re serious in this establishment,” the manager said. I agreed, and thanked him profusely.
First at Café Oz

I will definitely be back to the Paradis – it’s a paradise (for jammers, anyway).
More jam at Madame Louis

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Jamming outside Madame Louis

First at Tennessee

Bit o jam at Madame Louis

Three Open Mics and Two Jams (one non-existent) in Paris

March 6, 2016
bradspurgeon

O’Sullivans

PARIS – Days are slipping by so fast as I move into overdrive on the editing of my open mic film. That has not prevented me from attending four open mics and one jam session this week over a three-day period. But it did prevent me from writing about it on the blog…. If excuses are allowed. But the open mics allowed for plenty of discoveries, and fun moments, and some videos to show that….

On Tuesday, it was the Féline open mic time again. I played a three-song set, and left in the middle of the open mic like an ungrateful guy who doesn’t like to listen to other musicians or socialize. But that was not the case: I had simply said that I would attend Rim Amine’s gig at the Petite Mercerie, about a seven minute walk away on Oberkampf. I did that partly – and mainly – to listen to Rim, who I had discovered the week before at the Zebre Rouge. But I also went for what had been announced as a jam session afterwards.
A bit of Melodie’s own song

Since there was no jam – I think they started the gig late – I decided to head on and take my chances at the Café Oz, metro Blanche, thinking I’d be too late to get to play. But no, when I arrived, I found that most of the musicians and spectators who had been there earlier on had now left, and there was room for me to play – so I did. I actually enjoyed singing to the small remaining crowd, since it allowed me to do some quieter, less “crowd pleaser” stuff. (I finished with “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go.”)
a final one at Murphy’s

Thursday I decided to go all the way out to St. Germain des Près and the O’Sullivan’s Pub where I wrote about the great open mic a couple of weeks ago. This time, it was not an open mic, but a gig – there is an open mic every second week, and a gig followed by a jam in the other week – but I went because I knew that it was guaranteed a fun night, and there would be the jam afterwards. And this time, there WAS the jam, and I played for maybe 30 minutes or more. Played with other musicians, too, and it was fabulous – thanks to the great organization of the pub and Stephen Saxo….
another at Murphy’s

From there, Friday, it was the monthly open mic at Murphy’s in Paris, behind the Opera. Again, I was so certain the atmosphere would be convivial and friendly and that there would be lots of interesting people, that I had no difficulty choosing this open mic over other possibilities. And I was not let down. Plus, I got to meet a new Canadian friend (visiting Paris) and her daughter, who played int the open mic.
band at La Feline open mic

All in all, a worthwhile time at the open mics in Paris – although I’m not sure it makes for great reading…. So there’s always the videos to fall back on!

Rim at the Petite Mercerie

trio at Murphy’s

band at O’Sullivan’s in St. Germain en Laye

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duet at Murphy’s

another at the feline

second at the Café Oz

The Incredible Not-Jam of Mammalia, in Paris, and Leaving Your Comfort Zone

March 1, 2016
bradspurgeon

Mammalia

PARIS – Push yourself, push yourself, push yourself. Get outside your comfort zone. Take a risk. Those are the thoughts that come back to me once again after my open mic experiences last night. Those are themes of this blog since it started – themes of my life. But last night, the proof came to me again. I was trying to decide if I should go out to my regular open mics in the Bastille area again, near dinner time, but I also wanted to stay home and keep working on my film and other projects. Then suddenly, a flash on Facebook pops up and I see my friend Stephen “Cat” Saxo is going to some kind of open mic jam – “not jam.” It’s a once-a-month event, and it takes place in a very cool bar called the Café de la Presse, and it calls itself Mammalia. So I went.

I went partly because it was in the Bastille area, so if I didn’t like it, I could do the Rue de Lappe open mics as a backup. So I arrive on the Boulevard de la Bastille quite early, and find the bar, and I speak to the organizer. (I also meet Stephen Saxo and another musician friend.) I learn that they liked to call it “not a jam” because although it’s a kind of free-for-all onstage, the idea behind it is to just get up there – drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, whatever – with people you do or don’t know, and to start off on some kind of theme and just go at it and see where it leads, maybe even create a new song.
Been a long time at Mammalia

Well, as much as I loved the concept, and as much as I loved what I saw of the people, and as much as I thought the neat little stage and sound system, all under spotlights, looked stupendous, I’m not so comfortable making stuff up in public onstage! The Café de la Presse was the kind of place I could hang out all night, I thought, though, as it was wide open dance floor and spectator area in front of the stage, a mezzanine, a front terrace and other areas – a swing set – and so the place seemed to have ALL the ingredients for a great night.
Saxo and lady at Mammalia

But I generally like to play songs, not jam stuff. It’s just my predilection. I love playing with other musicians, but songs I know, not just repetitions of chords for 25 minutes non-stop, as some jams go. Well, I watched a bit of the beginning, got Stephen and some other musicians on video, then decided to go to the Rue de Lappe to play my stuff.
Beatin em at Mammalia

Before I left, though, I also met with a musician I have written about on this blog many times a few years ago – Yann Destal – and I told him about my reservations, and he said it really depended on who was on stage, what the situation was like, etc., but that doing songs from beginning to end was also done at this place…. Despite the “not a jam” name.
Heartbreak at Mammalia

Still, I felt worried, inferior, not likely to be comfortable. Comfort zone in some other place. Not here. So I returned to my usual Monday haunt of the Rue de Lappe and found the Some Girls open mic in full swing. It was great. I even got to…jam, or rather, play with other musicians, i.e., the host on lead guitar and another guy on sax, while I played my guitar and sang. But the whole time I was doing it, I kept on seeing the visions of the stage of Mammalia in my head and said, “Brad, get out of your comfort zone. You can probably, maybe do something there. And the ambiance is super cool, and it happens only once per month. Go for it!!!”
More jamming at Mammalia

So I immediately returned to Mammalia, asked if I could go up, and soon after arrival, I got on the stage, found myself doing three cover songs I do a lot – Mad World, Wicked Game and You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere – along with fabulous musicians, a guy on bass, Yann on keyboards and another on drums. And a huge crowd of people in front of the stage giving me someone to cry my heart out to!
More oldies at Mammalia

It was a wicked game all right, in the good sense! I had the time of my life, and will definitely return to this exceptional “not jam,” and perhaps I will even learn something, and figure out a way to do the not-jam thing, and not just songs…. Above all, I realize once again that it happened because I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and the reward was high.
Old rockin stuff at Mammalia

The concept of Mammalia, the whole thing is really, very cool. Definitely, I highly recommend Mammalia to spectators or musicians.
Second at Mammalia

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performer at Some Girls open mic

8 Bars, 2 Days, One Week Later in Paris – One Closure, One Opener

January 25, 2016
bradspurgeon

O’Sullivans

PARIS – If it were not for the fact that a few things dictate that I keep a record of my Sunday and Tuesday last week, I would let it slide. I was so busy in the intervening time with having received my CD, “Out of a Jam,” that I led the blog slide and did not write about those two nights. But both the fact of the CD, and the fact of taking part in one new open mic on the Tuesday, and then discovering that I had also taken part in the last open mic of one particular venue on the Sunday, mean I gotta write a little about it.

I have to just at least acknowledge those two nights, 8 bars, and the end of the O’Sullivan’s Rebel Bar on Sunday night last week. This was a fairly cool open mic run by Etienne Belin, the host of the absolutely phenomenally cool Coolin’ bar open mic that closed down a while back after the bar was bought up by a big conglomerate. The Rebel open mic was a great place to go on Sunday night’s in Paris, but unfortunately it did not consistently reach the highs of the Coolin, and Etienne has said he has many other projects he needs to focus on – like a CD – so that’s the end of that.
Duet at the Green Linnet

It was fabulous night, that last one – which we did not know was the last – and followed on the 4-bar crawl I was doing: I started out at the lnce-monthly Green Linnet bar open mic right near the Coolin’, where it was calmer than the previous month, but still fun – with Stephen Saxo and Andy Bone’s warm MCing – and then I wandered off for a look at the Ondulatoire Mechanique’s big birthday party for a friend. That was also to feature a new band by some friends, but alas, I was too late for the show, and arrived just as they were packing up.
Duet at the Galway

After the Rebel Bar, I then moved on with some friends to the Galway, where there was a duet playing most of the night. Some nice talk, a Kilkenny, and it was back to home for a day of recuperation.
French trio at the Rebel Bar

The CD arrived on Tuesday, and I HAD to get out to the bars again and start handing out some copies. (More on this blog soon about the CD!!!) I started by checking out the Zebre Rouge open mic, which had turned into a real jam session, and because I needed to do several bars, I opted not to stay. I handed out a few CDs at the Zebre Rouge, then went over to finally try out the nearby Féline bar open mic, which has been running for two or three months now.
Her hopes and expectations at the Green Linnet

This could be one of the best open mics in Paris if it gets the crowds it merits – although with so many other open mics on Tuesday nights in Paris, it is not sure that will happen. The stage is absolutely fabulous, and the management loves music. In fact, the management created this fabulous little stage – complete with a kind of proscenium arch style, spotlights and half decent sound system – because he wants more music, clearly.
Jules at the Rebel Bar

I handed out some CDs there and played a long set of maybe five or six songs. Then I went on to the Pigalle Country Club bar’s open mic, not far from the place Pigalle (!!). That is the place where the photo that adorns the cover and back of my CD was taken. So I had to go there and leave a few copies. It was a very lively night, and I was offered the mic, but I wanted to get going to my final destination, the Café Oz bar open mic next to the place Blanche.
Young one at the Green Linnet

I was too late to make the list, but the Oz was buzzing with musicians and music as usual. Some great acts, and a nice environment, and the usual great presentation of the evening by Brislee Adams….
In their heads at the Pigalle Country Club

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First at the Feline Bar open mic

Duet at the Café Oz

Duet at the Feline

Another from duet at the Pigalle Country Club

The Green Mic – That Will Drive other Open Mics Green With Envy

December 23, 2015
bradspurgeon

The Green Mic

PARIS – Sunday night was a coin toss with a loaded coin on whether I should go to the new Green Mic at the Green Linnet Irish pub near Chatelet, or if I should attend the Rebel Bar open mic in Chatelet. I had been waiting for a month to be able to attend the Green Mic. And as it turned out, early attendance and a hungry stomach meant I went, played, popped out for a meal and then realized that the Rebel Bar was only five minute’s walk away, in the direction of the restaurants. So I attended that one too, played five or six songs, then returned to give a full and proper look at the Green Mic. Good thing I did!

In fact, it was a lively open mic all evening, from it’s early start at 8 PM to its early finish at 11:30 PM, and the MCing was part of the great feel and spirit. That was done by Stephen Saxo, the sax player (in case you didn’t catch on), and Andy Bone, the … guitar player. The two kept hard at work all evening making sure that performers were happy, and if they needed backing up with sax or guitar, they were there for that too.
Left-handed mojo on right-handed guitar at Green Mic open mic in Paris

The end of the evening the place turned into a giant jam session – or should I say, as my keyboard did, “ham session”? Because there was a lot of fun and hamming it up. In fact, it became incredibly loud, raucous and crazy. And I noticed that during this liveliness the owner manager of the bar was busy looking at his cash register without noticing the mayhem around him on a Sunday night going on for midnight. That, to me, was one of the clearest reasons why this was a successful open mic, and should continue to be so. With great MCs, a manager who is resistant to noise for the neighbors, and a location that rivals any – I mean the actual snug bar with the pool table in the back, and warm “living room”-like feel with bookshelves, etc., and the bar right in front of the stage…. well, the Green Linnet is a winner for the Green Mic.
Nul Bar Ailleurs Jam in Paris

The only drawback at the moment is the open mic is just once per month for the moment!
Etienne opens Rebel Bar open mic in Paris

The Rebel Bar will have the other three Sundays cornered. And so it should. It’s been going for a year now, and Etienne continues his MCing job as he did at the hugely popular Coolin Bar (closed down), and the bar is amazing.
Blonde Amy at Green Mic

Since I delayed doing this post for such a long time – two days – I actually had a chance to drop in to the open mic of the Nul Bar Ailleurs, near Bastille, last night. It was the first time I’d stopped into this one, and unfortunately, I was a little late, and had not yet eaten my dinner. So I did not take part, but I did take a look, and this place and set up is very cool: A cave cellar full of musicians and spectators, and wave by wave people take part in the open mic. I’ll get back to this one for sure, but had a hunger on last night that could not be denied. Will soon be adding this to my list of Paris open mics….
Yet another final jam at Green Mic

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Yuke Duet at Green mic

Duet at Green Mic

Doin’ it at Green Mic

Murray Bob at Green Mic in Paris

Moments of Musical Peace in Midst of Whatever in Paris

April 27, 2015
bradspurgeon

Oasis 244

PARIS – Maybe I should call this a gibberish post. The fact is, since returning from my last two-week trip to China and Bahrain I have been spending my vacation in Paris doing catch-up work to do with the office, family life and other things uninteresting to this blog. Still, I did managed to find an island of peace at John Redford and Stephen Saxo’s musical night at the Oasis 244, which is their weekly, Friday night gig where they kind of open the stage to musician friends and others who happen to drop by, if they feel like it.

The Oasis was its usual oasis of peace in not exactly one of the best neighborhoods of Paris, near the Stalingrad and Jaures metro stations. A truly laid-back evening, and unfortunately with all I have been doing, I didn’t have the time to charge my Zoom Q3 recording device’s batteries. So I got only limited video footage of a fun night.

And then a nice laid-back concert at the Connetable

From there, I got another nice interlude from the work at a show put on by a couple of friends, Nick Buxton and his wife Stephanie LB, both of whom have their own soft-touch acoustic-vocal thing going at the Connetable, a neat venue in the Marais with a bar and restaurant on the ground and first floors, and a cave music room underground, in a classic vaulted ceiling room of Paris.

I’m writing this thing so quickly that my syntax is taking a walk. But I desperately wanted to get a few words and videos in here before it got too late to do so. Nick Buxton, by the way, is the owner of the famous Basement studios in Paris, and when he and Stephanie are not playing the kind of touching and sensitive acoustic music they did at the Connetable, they are rocking hard and strong in their various rock combos.

Anyway, that’s about all I can get in here before I’m off to my next bit of work for the office, family and whatever! Back soon, hoping to do a ton of open mics in the coming week….

Pizza Box Drum Jam at the Oasis – a Little Borderline

March 7, 2015
bradspurgeon

Oasis 244

PARIS – It was nearly midnight at the Oasis 244 in Paris again last night when I arrived, so much too late to profit by a full night of listening to John Redford and Stephen Saxo playing their stuff for the customers at this very cool and laid back little bar near the Stalingrad metro. It was too late to have much of any kind of amplification, so vocals and certain guitar bits suffered. But I sure did not suffer while listening to and playing with several old and new acquaintances.

Especially meeting up and hearing Wayne Standley playing again. I wrote about Wayne extensively during the Ptit Bonheur la Chance and Tireuse days. But since that venue has ceased to run its open mic, I’ve not seen Wayne playing anywhere. Wayne is a longtime American expat in Paris who has played music all his life here, but maintained a bona fide American country and rock sound. So true and real. And last night Andy Bone joined him on lead guitar and it sounded like we were in the middle of the American midwest somewhere….

Then I got to go up behind the mic – that did not work – and sing a few songs. And when it was time to do my song Borderline, David Hummel leapt into action and provided a fabulous jamming rendition as he took to one of his favorite instruments: A cardboard pizza box that had contained last night’s dinner. David used that for percussion, using his drum brushes to batter the box in the rhythms of Borderline. A fabulous little jam that left me feeling great about the 20 minutes I spent on the wonderful little warm stage of the Oasis 244. Andy Bone filmed it, so catch the video – be aware the mic barely worked, thanks to complaining neighbors.

The pizza box, it turns out, is a fabulous percussion instrument in acoustic jam sessions in bars where you can’t make much noise!

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Saxi-versary at the Little Balcony in Paris

February 24, 2015
bradspurgeon

Le Petit Balcon (Paris)

PARIS – I’ve written one or two times about this young, new music bar in Paris called Le Petit Balcon. But being invited back to celebrate the birthday of Stephen Saxo – an American expat sax player in Paris – gave me the chance to see just how much this little joint has grown in such a short time.

From two fairly quiet musical nights a couple of months ago or so, this place has turned into a really big bopping concert and hang-out venue bar. Located off the beaten track in a part of Menilmontant not usually visited by wandering pedestrians, the reason this place is becoming such a success is clearly because the owners are music lovers, and musicians.

I felt that particular vibe even the first times I visited this place. But a few days ago, at Stephen’s birthday, when after the evening’s concert the cellar room was opened up to Stephen and his musical – and other – friends, I could see that the place was more than just buzzing.

It was full of musicians, audience, diners, drinkers, and other kinds of people, and the general feeling was of complete festival activity and music. Music. Music. Stephen turned his birthday party into something of an open mic, and I managed to play several songs, both with my acoustic and a few other musicians – including Stephen – and with Andy Bone’s electric, his Epiphone, while he played my acoustic.

An amazing night, but I did not manage to get more than two or three videos.

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A Brief Stop-In at the Oasis

February 14, 2015
bradspurgeon

Oasis 244

PARIS – I guess and oasis is really a drinking spot where you’re meant to stop for a brief moment on a long walk through the desert. That’s how I could describe my visit last night at the Oasis 244 in Paris, where I had such a great Friday night last week at the weekly gig of John Redford, Stephen Saxo and friends.

I arrived very late last night, so did not get to hear that much of the music, not get to see that much of the vibe. But from all I could see and hear, it seemed like it was as great as usual. And I got to play twice – once solo and with cajon, and another time with an electric guitar accompaniment – even at that relatively late arrival hour. So the brief visit was all I could hope for at the Oasis 244. Only one short video to show for it, though:

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