Category: Culture

Noise Day. The indestructible Jain has shaken the gardens of Palud

She gave everything for her last concert in France. The French artist had the festival-goers sit, jump and sing, chaining his acid pop-electro tracks. The public is conquered.

She arrived alone on the big stage of the Festival of Noise. But the French singer knows how to occupy the space. Dressed in her usual blue jumpsuit, Jain stamps, runs and leaps, bringing the festival-goers into her folly.

“I want to see everyone jumper! “ Repeated the artist, tireless. The public moves and she asks for more. Everyone sits and hands in the air, she proposes to dance like a zombie and launches a competition of “ola”. Jain has fun, in communion with his audience.

His titles, all too rhythmic, are linked: Souldier , Oh Man , Alright , or the mythical Come , on the guitar, on which she does not forget to extend the microphone to some festival-goers well placed (or not) in the first ranks . The singer announces, she wants to turn the gardens into a “giant nightclub. “

After an hour and a quarter of show, she concludes on Makeba , with emotion. After four years of touring, this is the last concert of the electro-pop artist in France, who will continue performances in Japan.

She thanks “the best of the public” , completely under her spell.

“It’s a discovery and we are amazed by all its energy! “ Wonder Nicole and Laurent.

“I had already seen it in concert and today it was even better! She’s sending ! “ Exclaims Patricia. She especially appreciated the exchange with the festival-goers. “We get caught up in the game.”

Jain? It was simply Jain-ial.

Source: Noise Day. The indestructible Jain has shaken the gardens of Palud

Interview with Lionel Limiñana with translation

M. Pas de Merde

Monsieur Pas De Merde’s biggest regret after his three week vacation in France was narrowly missing a live performance by my favorite French rock band – The Limiñanas (they played a short drive outside Paris on same day I was flying out of CDG.)
The Limiñanas have been together for nearly 10 years and at now the top of their game. Here’s a great interview with the band’s co-founder Lionel Limiñana. Some will appreciate the English translation. Keep listening after the interview, as the stream has some awesome music tracks that follow.
Rock on, mes amis!

Calanques the Stunning Fjords of Provence

The Fjords of Provence

Just east of Marseille lays the charming coastal town of Cassis, nestled at the bottom of steep, vineyard-covered hills that come almost to the sea. It’s so adorably cute that you might think you are walking into a postcard. There’s nothing better than a stroll through town followed by a bowl of fish soup or some moules-frites at one of the many restaurants that line the docks.

The setting of Cassis is dramatic. Besides those vineyards, Cap Canaille—the highest cliff in France—towers over the town on its east side. And to the west are the beautiful and rugged calanques, the so-called mini fjords of France [ . . . ]

Continue at PERFECTLY PROVENCE: Calanques the Stunning Fjords of Provence

Moriarty “Jimmy”

Jimmy won’t you please come home?
Where the grass is green and the buffaloes roam
Come see Jimmy your uncle Jim
Your auntie Jimmie and your cousin Jim
Come home Jimmy because you need a bath
And your grandpa Jimmy is still gone daft
Now there’s buffalo Jim and buffalo Jim
And Jim buffalo now didn’t you know
Jim Jim Jimmy its your last cigarette
But there’s buffalo piss and it’s all kind of wet
Jambo Jimmy you’d better hold your nose All roads lead to roam with the buffaloes
And the Buffaloes used to say
be proud of your name
The Buffaloes used to say
be what you are
The Buffaloes used to say
roam where you roam
The Buffaloes used to say
do what you do
Well you’ve gotta have a wash but you can’t clean your name
You’re now called Jimmy you’ll be Jimmy just the same
The keys are in a bag in a chest by the door
One of Jimmy’s friends has taken the floor
Jimmy won’t you please come home
Where the grass is green and the buffaloes roam
Dear old Jimmy you’ve forgotten you’re young
But you can’t ignore the buffalo song
And the Buffaloes used to say
be proud of your name
The Buffaloes used to say
be what you are
The Buffaloes used to say
roam where you roam
The Buffaloes used to say
do what you do
If you remember you’re unknown Buffaloland will be your home

Monsieur
Pas de Merde

I was introduced to Rosemary Standley’s music a few years back in her collaboration with Brazilian cellist Dom La Nena “Birds On a Wire” – a fine tribute to Leonard Cohen. I loved Standley’s voice, which reminded me a bit of the plainly beautiful vocals of the late Kate McGarrigle (listen to “Talk to Me of Mendocino”).
Crazy, that I somehow had bypassed Standley’s work as lead singer for the Paris-based band Moriarty, which is now my favorite. I say “crazy,” since I listen to French music and Americana music all the goddamn time – often switching from a Francis Cabrel CD to a Lucinda Williams.

Now, I’m catching up as quickly as possible to the band, which is now over 20 years old. YouTube and Spotify Moriarty binges have been a daily exercise. The band’s Live double album Echoes From the Borderline shows the band at the top of their game. Recorded in 2017 (Moriarty regards it as their 10th anniversary album) there’s 24 songs recorded all about the globe – and they are all fucking fantastic.

I have to see this band live – perhaps in Paris or New York? Hell, I’ll even take Fall River!

Paris eyes vegetation to beat the urban heat

Paris authorities have been implementing a strategy to use increased vegetation to beat the urban heat effect caused by overcrowding and land surfaces covered by asphalt.

With the mercury soaring to 42 degrees Celsius, Paris authorities are turning to trees for a cool-off solution.

“Trees have this great characteristic of being evapo-transpirators: they absorb water from the soil through their roots, transmit it through their trunks, branches and leaves, where it escapes through pores. When it escapes, the water cools the ambient air,” explains Olivier Papin, an environmental engineer.

With his infrared camera, Papin measures the differences in temperature in direct sunlight, and under the shade of the surrounding trees.His aim is to map the capital’s hottest points.

“You see, the bitumen road in the sunlight rises up to 50 degrees Celsius. But when in the shade, it cools down to 35,” he explains.

The lack of vegetation, coupled with land surfaces covered with construction material such as bitumen and asphalt, results in a phenomenon known as the urban heat island, which makes cities hotter than neighbouring rural areas.

“The fact that underneath [the roads], you have dense concrete only make things worse. It acts like a giant heat reservoir, and when night falls, all the heat that has built up [during the day] is released in the atmosphere,” explained Julien Bigorgne, an engineer at APUR (Atelier Parisien d’Urbanisme).

Engineers recommend the streets’ coating be replaced by cobblestones, porous concrete or stabilised soil, a mix of sand and gravel, mostly used in parks.

Watch the video at FRANCE24: Paris eyes vegetation to beat the urban heat