IT'S BAAAACK : La Fleche d'Or to reopen on 23 November. Hooray!

In the interest of full disclosure, I only went to la Flèche d'Or once to see Pony Pony Run Run before they were big enough to fill up une salle like La Cigale, but I didn't even stay for their set because my right ear was freaking out and I didn't know what wrong with it back then. (Which, ya' know, now I'm okay.)

And then I got news sometime back in May that it was shutting down due to "noise complaints." I thought it was gone for good (although this site posits that it was merely closed for soundproofing work) and was incredibly upset as I'd intended to spend every night I possibly could seeing shows there. La Flèche wasn't perfect - for starters, the drinks were terribly overpriced, but I suppose that was to make up for the fact that there was always 100% free entry. Plus they brought together obscure, up-and-coming, and fading bands from France, Belgium, the UK, the US, and more together for shows pretty much every night. I didn't go very often (if at all), but I did find some really great artists (like the aforementioned PPRR and Georgie James, for example) through their line-up.

Well, according to A Nous Paris, la Flèche is set to reopen on the 23rd, having been taken over by Alias and Asterios productions :







I'm not so keen on this whole "plus de sobriété" thing, but I guess if you're reopening a rock club that's been shut down for noise, it's necessary. The other big change : entry is now payante instead of free, which is a bummer. But 8 euros for a show is pretty reasonable and you get a drink along with that, so I guess it works out. Will that prevent me from going as often as I would have were it free? Yes. Do I still intend on making trips out there? Sure. Besides, Alias Productions sponsors a whole bunch of artists that I like, so I'm sure there will be shows I'll want to see.

Evan Dando from the Lemonheads is heading opening night, along with Chris Brokaw, Anoraak, and The Two. For the rest of the upcoming line up, go here.

In The Studio : The Go Find

If you do not know about The Go Find, fronted/founded by Dieter Sermeus, it is my fault because I have neglected to write about them for a rather long time. I am sorry. But! They're in the studio, making their third record.

So we are recordig the new album.
So we are nervous.
We think it’s going to be reaaaaaaaaally good.
Sometimes we think we better stop the music all together and start a real life?
But most of the time we think we are making the best go find record ever and are very happy with it.
I hope...

d

Pfft, who needs a "real" life anyway? Please keep making music.

Here's a video of them at la Flèche d'Or back in October 2007, taken by Grandcrew (troll their archives for more gorgeous live videos):

For the Europeans, you lucky ducks.

The Atlantic Ocean is presenting itself as a problem yet again.

See, around this time last year, I was being sad and whiney* and sending out emo MySpace bulletins because I was in Paris and totally not enjoying myself and was actually pretty miserable because I wanted to be home and the boy I liked was in another country and that band that I really like opened for that other band that I really like AGAIN** and then there was some pretty cool stuff that went down in the Valley, but that wasn't 'til May, but you get the gist of it. I wasn't happy and I wanted out.

Now that I'm back home in the States, I really want to be back in Paris. As much as last year was a complete and utter mess, I'd like to be back. Part of this is because I'm stuck at home in Jersey, and while I do go into the city quite often, it's not quite the same experience. I'm bored with the 'burbs. Basically. Abuse of alliteration.

The other part is because all the fucking cool stuff is going on in Europe! First off, those damn Brits are getting Nightmare of You back for three dates in December.



Yes, I like NOY. No, I can't listen to half of their songs because they make me cry. (Compulsively! Compulsively, I may add.) But really, NYC is their hometown, do you think they could at least step up and do a few shows there first?

(Okay, they did. In October. I was IN THE HOSPITAL. Not my fault. Also, yes, this is sort of old news for those of us who have had NOY in their top 8 for...a while. Shush.)


Right around the same time in Paris, however, is It's Festival is going down at the Fleche d'Or, and my French darlings Stuck In The Sound are headlining this year.



That means three days of the Toy Boys playing and DJing at la Fleche. Mofos never played at la Fleche when I was in Paris.

If you're going to be ANYWHERE near Paris during those three dates, GO. TO. THESE. SHOWS. Do I need to remind y'all of what a good time was had at their show at La Maroquinerie? Also, La Fleche is tinier than La Maroq, AND it's free.


Vous me faites mal, tous, vous savez ca?



*It's nice to see that my location has not impeded my ability to be whiney.
**All right, I made it ONE WHOLE POST without mentioning OK Go. I suck. I'm sorry.

Bishop Allen heads to Paris; Katy is sad.

Bishop Allen is playing the Fleche d'Or on 26 and 27 November, opening for for John Vanderslice.

Hrmph. I would love to see them play at the Fleche d'Or.

It's funny, because all last year, I would look longingly at the concerts going on in Northampton, Boston, and New York and whine about not being able to attend; now I do the same with the concerts going on in Paris.

In any case, here are some free mp3s straight from Bishop Allen themselves.

Bishop Allen - Click Click Click Click
Bishop Allen - Rain
Bishop Allen - Things Are What You Make of Them
Bishop Allen - Calendar
Bishop Allen - The Bullet & Big D