Big Ben

Ben Nevis. Easter Monday 2009.

Finally...

So Easter was the time to go to the Ben Nevis because we just had to!

Let's go!

Half way (more or less)

And then we found the snow...

Beginning of April still a lot of snow up there, winter are not really cold in the Highlands but spring isn't warm enough...

Moment I realised it would be harder than I thought

You think it's over but as usual it's not. And it was really windy at the end.

Some people actually climb this way but you need tobe prepared.

Easy one mate!

That was the first walk of the year 2009, weather was nice. And it was good to go there as we always saw Ben from Glen Coe area before.

Talk to you later!!

Finley Quaye

Glasgow 12th of March 2009. King Tut's Wah Wah Hut.

Born in Edinburgh. Godson of Duke Ellington.

I saw him live at the Bataclan, in Paris, in 2001. It was the first time I went to Paris specially for a gig. I've done that more than one hundred times since then but anyway...

Hi first record, back in 1997, "Maverick a strike" is awesome, I'm a fan mostly because of this record. Pop and Reggae mixed together with Finley lyrics about love on mostly all tracks.


It was some time rock and soul too in Paris, he sang "Voodoo child" and "Its a Man's Man's Man's world", respectively from Jimi Hendrix and James Brown.


But it was more Reggae roots in Glasgow. Thanks a million to "PhotographybyElaine" who put two vids on Youtube:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xLEobWQotE&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC63I_5JLPk&feature=channel

And two video clips from his first record:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Ezz-q9Gsk&feature=PlayList&p=3864712E7C05B5FE&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=53

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8seN9XowpA&feature=PlayList&p=2A83F08A07679E21&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=27

They played a lot of new songs in Glasgow, there is probably a new record on his way.

And I think I will check in case he goes to Paris soon...

Bumcello

An interview from Fnac and youtube about their last record (available in very good quality).

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtGNrix4QZk&feature=related

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X85RVbHJMYs&feature=related

Sorry but you have to be able to understand a bit of French...

And a song, "Bakin' in the sun": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuJ5QEyor00

Goatfell

Arran. Spring 2007.

My first outdoor trip in Scotland. I asked my friend John from Largs if we could go somewhere on Arran and he said yes we can go and do a scottish walk.

Arran is the small island with hills we can see from Largs.

View of Arran from my previuos flat in Largs:

So we picked a Saturday to go. When I arrived in the morning, John told me: "We are going, don't worry, but I feel like shit, I have spent the night drinking until 6am" and it was actually 8am... "Ne bother, let's keep moving!"

I drive to Ardrossan, left the car there and then took the ferry. One hour later we were in Brodick bay.

And John's plan was to walk to the top of the highest hill on the island, meaning the Goatfell.

There is an easy way to go up but John wanted to make a roundabout to take it the hard way.

And it looks like this when you start and it's not the goatfell, it is the one near it:

A long way to go for those two...

When we arrive on the top of the hill from the picture above, we went a bit down.

For what John called the picture moment and finally up again to reach the summit.

And we went down towards Brodick. On the way back, I asked John: "How many miles we walked today ?", he looked at his map... "Something like 16 miles. That was a good walk!", "Yeah, let's go for a pint", "Aye"...

Sound from Bristol

Tricky. Glasgow, The Arches. 19th of February 2009.

Trip Hop, music from the 90s and from Bristol. Tricky was part of Massive Attack at their beginning. His real first name is Adrian, obviously a nice guy... He had a not easy childhood. His father left when he was born and his mother commited suicide when he was four. He named his first solo album after his mother "Maxinquaye" for Maxine Quaye. I listened a lot of trip hop at the beginning of the 90s, with Massive Attack and Portishead, the two icons from Bristol. I didn't really followed carefully Tricky's records but as he was coming to town, I was curious. It was really good. Songs often start slowly, then get louder or faster or both to finally explode with Tricky becoming a bit crazy sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RFOAEGm_Yw&feature=channel_page



He is definitely not anymore in the same wave than Massive Attack. I don't know if his music is quiet on records but live, it sounds more like the anger bursts out! At least it doesn't sound like another britpop band we can hear everywhere.




And time to write about some others...




Portishead. Edinburgh, Corn Exchange. 12th of April 2008.


One of the most awaited comeback ever for me. Their last gig in France was in Saint Malo, for "La Route du Rock" festival in August 1998. I was tempted to go at that time. I didn't and had regrets until last year.

I love their first record Dummy. I got it on Vinyl... and I have always been shocked by Beth's voice. I saw her for a solo tour in 2003 at Artrock, it was really good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtl2CbgWWJI&feature=related

Rumour was rolling for years that Beth, Geoff and Adrian (this one uses a screwdriver as a bow on his guitar sometimes...) were planning to come back together, that they started playing and recording but the D day finally arrives. The UK tour was before "Third" was released, so it was a bit strange to hear the new songs live. Somehow I listened to their records a few times before getting into it, so straight away at a gig, it was a weird feeling. But the show was great, setlist was a good mix of old songs and new ones.

Great version of "Wandering star": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgIerp2h2Hg

One from "Third", "We carry on": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS5Vr1vGXNU&feature=related

So in the end, it was worth to spend the weekend in Edinburgh, no doubt about that. I hope we won't wait ten years again before a new record and other gigs...

By the way, I hugged Beth at the end of the gig...

John Lurie

Feeling like I need to write something about this American guy. Musician, actor, painter.

He plays the saxophone. He did something like 20 records, most of them with his bands, The Lounge Lizards, a jazz, sometimes funky band during the 80s and 90s.But he is also able to create a fictionnal character, Marvin Pontiac and did a record under his name called "The Legendary Marvin Pontiac". With fake advertisement, like:

"Marvin would kick your ass for nothing. A true genius, Marvin was a pure original." - Iggy Pop. Marvin Pontiac is supposed to come from Africa, have a trouble past and died tragically...

The Lounge Lizards live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iCcdn44pEU&feature=related

or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqbwraLF7p4&feature=PlayList&p=3EEC35CA65346034&playnext=1&index=45

John Lurie has been in several movies too. Some small acts with directors like David Lynch, Wim Wenders or in "Smoke" an adaptation of a Paul Auster novel. He played main characters for one of my favorite director, Jim Jarmusch. "Stranger than paradise" and "Down by law" for those he actually did the music too. He did a TV serie too, "Fishing with John". John doesn't really knows how to fish, he is not an expert, so he goes with some friends and they talk. But his friends are Jim Jarmusch again, Dennis Hopper and Tom Waits...

Samples of "Down by law": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5u3XHADmk8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxLCbcex_gA&feature=related

"Fishing with John": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T07AKFyeTdQ&feature=related

Since a few years ago, John Lurie is sick. Lyme disease. He has focused on painting since then.

I have not seen much of his paintings but it looks quite singular...

A few aticles aout him: http://www.johnlurieart.com/art/press/john_lurie_press.pdf

Hope you like what he does!

Outer Hebrides (Part 4)

September 2008. Uist, Benbecula & Beneray.

From Barra, plan was to reach Lochmaddy, on North Uist, by the end of the week to catch the Ferry.

I left Castlebay to go to the north of Barra and took the ferry to South Uist.

Approaching Uist

And I headed to Howmore to sleep in a hostel, in the middle of nowhere...

Then I walked around. Found the "Lady of the Isles"

A little house too...

The hills of Uist

And I ended up watching the sunset on the beach.

Beau gosse sur la plage...

The day after I took a bus towards Berneray, a small island between North Uist and Harris, linked to Uist by a causeay.

To sleep there...

With this beach just behind

The hills over there, that's actually Harris.

Then I walked around the island, 3 or 4 hours are enough to make the whole tour.

There is a stunning beach with white sand.

I went back to Lochmaddy, Nort Uist.

I have made a trip to Oronsay bay.

Believe me or not, I had a signal with my phone on this beach.

My shoes still remember this...

But everything has an end. I had to go back to Skye first.

And after that, a 7 hour journey bus trip to Glasgow.