Paris-Chicago: NO's Blog

Free Guitar Backing Tracks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:39:00 +0000

Hey fellow musicians/guitar players!

Very nice backing tracks site if you don't know it yet: guitarbackingtrack.com

The tracks are basically tunes with their guitars removed, and you can dowload as mp3!

Enjoy!

Best iPad and iPhone Apps and Devices for Guitar Players

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:52:00 +0000

After a lot of hesitation, and with the death of my old PC laptop recently, I did cross the iPad2 line to find... A whole new world of media! I know it souns "cliche" but this thing just delivers on its promise.

It is the ultimate 2011 tool for anything you like or want to do! Again nothing new but I never hear anybody say this about the iPad, so let me state it this way: the key strength and awesomeness is that iPad is for anyone and everyone. I can simply not go wrong but of the intrinsic customizable nature of this beast. It is what you make be, it does what you make it do, the sky really is the limit. Surfing the net, reading a book or pdf documents, watching videos, of course listening to music or the radio, reading or writing blogs, playing games, video chating....or ANYTHING you would need as you will surely find an app that does it.

On the subject of music, nice like below if you need examples, and also: the release of the Alesis IO Dock for iPad. Just found about it yesterday, and will probably be back to say more.

Best iPad and iPhone Apps and Devices for Guitar Players

Enjoy!

Olivier

Live at the Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 04:50:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I really had a great time at the Philadelphia's Magic Gardens yesterday. Part of their Music & Mosaics Concert Series, this special "a night in Paris" in honor of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts featured Dallas Vietty's Musette Project, The Philly Musette Project and... my Bluesy French-Pop!

Very nice night in Philly, we played outside while the attentive public was doing a sort of picnic on mosaic! Dallas Vietty openened and set the ambiance to a true "soiree parisienne". Dallas is a great accordion player. It is amazing how much you can tell that he has a true passion for his instrument. Again, one thing is to play, another thing is too play well, but it is definitely more when you see this kind of love.
With great guitar manouche lead Barry Wahrhaftig, rhythm guitar Joe Ellis and Jim Stager at the bass, they really lit up the gardens with their musette!

The Philly Musette Project - pianist/ accordionist Heath Allen and vocalist Phyllis Chapell - closed the evening with a beautiful tour of French classics from yesterday to today with songs from Edith Piaf, Pink Martini and our one and only First Lady Carla Bruni. They define their style as "elegance, charm and maximum joie d’vivre", and that is exactly what we saw heard, and felt yesterday.

In between, I played songs from "Paris-Chicago" and more. After some technical sound problems to begin with (always adds to the pressure!), I really started to get to know an incredibly open-minded public, who really wanted to listen to something different for them: songs they never heard before and that they also don't understand... it's always my challenge, but they made me feel good about it yesterday.

Check-out this souvenir, and I'll post more soon.

A bientot,

Olivier

Barry Eisler - Thriller Novelist, and so much more...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

To say that Barry is a novelist is true, but it is also an understatement: former-CIA (Directorate of Operations), attorney in an international law firm, in-house counsel at the Osaka headquarters of Matsushita Electric, spending his life between San Francisco and Tokyo, Barry is also an expert in Judo, a Jazz enthusiast, a single malt whiskey connoisseur, and an extremely pertinent and knowledgeable political analyst. What's not to like?

Politics and MySpace are actually how I discovered Barry. After I read 2-3 of his blogs on Myspace during the 2008 US presidential campaign, I kept thinking "wow, it's pertinent, balanced, and also so well written"! No surprise to then find out that he was a writter, and after a couple of comment exchanges I went on and subscribed to his Discussion Board a "fun forum with a lot of interesting people talking about writing, the Rain books, politics, single malt whisky, and anything else that strikes people's fancy" as he states himself. Another good place to go is his blog, The Heart of the Matter which is his "nonfiction venue for discussing what's going on in the world".

OK, now that I told you that Barry was not only a novelist, let me tell that he is also a novelist, and invite to discover his books.

About "Rain Fall" (first of a series of 6 starring the secret agent John Rain), as The London Time wrote "... an original, adrenalin-filled romp through an exotic cultural landscape with an engaging murderer as a guide...".

Rain Fall became a movie (featuring Gary Oldman), even though I have to admit that I did not enjoy it as much as I did the book...

Have fun discovering Barry's world!

Olivier

Barry's last and first books

Inside Job: a must see

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Everything we ALL need to understand about the financial crisis and the genesis of the new world we live in.
Because if we can be sure of something, it is that this crisis has set a new tone, a new deal, and maybe for the first time each and everyone of us can really understand what the old buzzword "globalization" really means: the financial world is like dominos.

Now, it is also true too that, as new powers are emerging, they will have the choice to stay somewhat on the fringes of this system. How will China manage their cash reserve and deal with their own internal problems (poverty level, air and water pollution, acess to healthcare to name a few)? Will Turkey become the new regional leader of the Middle-East, and turn its back on Europe?

These are just 2 topics that I'm interested in, but of course there is so much going on, and so much at stake that my head seem to implode each time I try to make sense of anything.

Inside Job is definitely a great way to start with the financial crisis, from its roots to its consequences.

Olivier

PS: available on DVD since March, 8th.

Project HOPE Assessing Medical Needs of Communities Devastated by Massive Earthquake in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Project HOPE, an international humanitarian aid and health education organization, is assessing the urgent need for medicines and supplies for thousands of people impacted by the earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunamis around the Pacific Rim.

DONATE NOW

International humanitarian aid group poised to mobilize medicines and supplies where they are needed most

Japan in the face of Crisis

Millwood, VA, March 11, 2011

Project HOPE also is in communication with PH-Japan, formerly Project HOPE Japan, to determine how both organizations can work together to provide humanitarian relief to families and individuals devastated by the disaster.

"Project HOPE is in the process of determining the medical needs of families and individuals in hard-hit communities in Japan, and across the Pacific including Asia and North and South America that may be struck by a tsunami,” said John P. Howe III, M.D., President and CEO of Project HOPE. "I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and destruction caused by this disaster. However, I am optimistic that HOPE, its partners and the American people will respond to make a difference in the lives of those affected by this tragedy."

If called upon, Project HOPE will draw on its decades of experience in disaster relief and humanitarian aid worldwide to address the needs of people affected by the crisis and assess long-term efforts to help the region recover from this deadly disaster.
At Project HOPE's Distribution Center in Winchester, Va., emergency kits are being assembled for distribution in Japan and other locations in preparation for the organization's humanitarian response.

New Project!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:22:00 +0000

Hi All!

I know it's been awhile, and I'm really sorry about that! I've been working behind the scene a little, giving some new directions to my music project.

In fact, I often say that one thing I love about music is the never-ending sequence of learning, writing/composing/arranging, recording, promoting and performing.

Now, I'm back into learning mode but most importantly, I have joined the Philly-area cover band Vinyl Sky for which I play guitar and sing backing vocals!

More to come soon as we are getting ready for our first gigs!

I'm still planning to work on a new release for 2012... and as always, I will keep you posted!

Cheers!

Olivier

Musikfest 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 14:54:00 +0000

Very nice Musikfest! I hope it will be the first gig of a series, if I push myself back out there... Some network in Paris, some in Chicago, now I have to do it again in the suburbs of Philly... why not?

New review of "Paris-Chicago"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:01:00 +0000

A first for me: in German!

No problem if you understand German, if not .... I'm trying to find someone who can help me translate. BTW, if you can help, please let me know!

You can find the article on the webzine wasser-prawda

Take care!

Olivier

Who likes Marketing?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:52:00 +0000

New integrated marketing campaign for U by Kotex: Break the Cycle. "The way the Kotex brand will be positioned in the future will be very different. We are changing our brand equity to stand for truth, transparency and progressive vagina care. "

I just saw an ad on TV, it doesn't seem to be available yet on the Internet..., but here is an extract of the script:
“I’m a believably attractive 18- to 24-year-old female. You can relate to me because I’m racially ambiguous. Market research shows that girls like you love girls like me....”.

This is brilliant. It looks like they are carefully executing their positioning, using all channels for the "truth and transparency" of their ads, mocking all the conventional attributes of tampons commercials, while raising awareness on "progressive vagina care" and playing with the rules of our time as a responsible stakeholder who invests in the community and provides health tips and services...

Yes, when I don't play music, I am a Marketeer in a much more regulated industry.... which makes me think sometimes that I should try something else: this is great Marketing!

U by Kotex* – Help change the way people think about periods and feminine care.

LOL

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:58:00 +0000

Have you heard of the new Apple Wheel Laptop?? Amazing new technology!

Let me know your thoughts!

Olivier

Cool Podcast introducing "Paris-Chicago"

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:36:00 +0000

Hi All,

Glenn the "G-Man", host of the "Sounds from the Yellow Room" found me on Jamendo some time ago, and just posted a new very nice PodCast introducing "Paris-Chicago".

Check it out, and more independant music by following Glenn on his Blog!

From "Sounds from the Yellow Room":

I am the G-Man, host of “Sounds From The Yellow Room”.

I use this site to play original music by the best independent artists from around the globe, showcasing some wonderful talent that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Using Pod Safe Material and Non Commercial Creative Commons Open-License Music, as well as our listener’s submissions, we can now bring the world closer together!!

This pod cast will consist of a little talk, a little music, artist information, and I hope a lot of fun!! So join in and open a dialog! I look forward to hearing from you.

Jazz ~ Blues ~ Funk ~ Soul ~ Rock ~ Pop

It’s great to listen to when paying your bills or checking your email, or when you just want to chill out with some new music. You never know who or what you will hear, so you need to stay tuned on a regular basis. Better yet, why not subscribe to the program!

Haiti - NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:31:00 +0000

No choice but to post wherever I can.

If you haven't done it yet, please donate, now. There is no reason to hesitate, even a little contributes to a lot.

A couple of suggestions to get you started: "Hope for Haiti Now" created by George Clooney, and Razoo excellent online donation website on which you can choose the organization that you want to help, knowing that a 100% of your donation will be credited to the non-profit, without processing fees.

Merci,

Olivier

Order "Paris-Chicago" on IndieRhythm (US only)!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:32:00 +0000

Hello!!

Just a quick reminder since, ironically, I have not really promoted that link: you can order the CD "Paris-Chicago" from the online music store IndieRhythm.com

Yes, I'm talking about the physical CD and not downloads!

I still have to work on orders outside of the US. What I have done so far is just to collect direct emails and use PayPal, so don't hesitate!

Thanks!

Olivier

Le lezard in the Top 20 World Music Finalists (12th Unisong Contest)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:39:00 +0000

After "Laissez-moi passer" selected among the Non-English TOP 20 FINALISTS of the 11th annual contest, "Le Lezard" made it in the World Music TOP 20 FINALISTS this year for the 12th Annual Unisong International Songwriting Contest!

You can find more on Unisong's website!

Olivier (NO)

Paris-Chicago reviewed on Wildy's World Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:27:00 +0000

Wildy wrote a very nice, interesting and constructive review of "Paris-Chicago" on his blog Wildy's World.

Follow the link, and don't hesitate to leave a comment! Also, take the opportunity to browse his incredibly rich Blog, on which you will surely find great artists!

Thanks!

Olivier (NO)

Sansamitiéville

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Second song from the new album : Sansamitiéville

No real « legend » behind this song. However, I guess you could see there a true will to bluesify my style. Everything started by messing around with the guitar intro, then by adding typical 7th chords positions to get to the final chord progression, including the variation under the lyrics « J’ai beaucoup trop de temps, pour rien faire »… Contrary to the majority of the other songs, Sansamitiéville was a little more thought of, at least from a harmonic standpoint. Read me well: it's no crazy Jazz tune, but simply a new songwriting process for me, to sit down and try different progressions, different chords positions, and actually work on it instead of "oh, here it comes! I'm singing a song let's find some chords". The melody followed in a pretty natural way, and the lyrics along with it. Talking of the lyrics, the focus was much more on the rhythm of the words rather than puns, humor ou any other type of author work. The story is simple, typical "I love you, you don't love me back"… typical Blues story.

On a final note, quick advice to my fellow songwriters: generally, I try to organize my time by focusing on different activities in different periods: from composing, to rehearsing and playing gigs, or more promotion, recording, and also education, it is impossible for me with a full-time job "on the side", to do it all together. Sansamitiéville taught me that working on my instrument, developing my personal chords dictionnary, new positions etc.… is an amazing source of inspiration, diversification in style, and should never be overlooked. It also is a great way not to have to force yourself, and create songs in pain: with new sounds in your ears, ideas show up fairly easily! Now with my "education periods" comes more composing too!

Danny Lopatka - inventive, creative, terrific young bassist!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Not even 21, but his sound surely doesn't tell! Jazz college student at UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago), Danny already experienced many different styles of music, from ska to blues, funk to rock... You can hear his chops on the album "Paris-Chicago" for which Danny played all the bass parts! Great to work with, he would come to the studio with a smile under his beard, and his famous "Man, I've got a lot of ideas for you!", and if you listen to the songs, you know he always had!

He plays and create within the Chicago Beat Ensemble, a group of young college musicians who are "taking a fresh look on an old art form" as they say themselves.

"Is it jazz? Is it rap? Or are they one in the same?" I can tell you that they offer a pretty nice answer to the question, and give it all to address the paradigm!

He is also the lead singer and bass player for a folk-rock/punk band Sunday for regret, a bunch of "Mad dogs" who just "want to rock with you"... check them out too! As they are heading back to studio, be prepared for some new material soon!

Now you know! When you're 20, you study music, create, experiment, master an instrument in many styles, sing, perform, have some recording experience... you're gathering all the ingredients for a successful recipe!

Talent, musicianship and kindness never hurt, and Danny doesn't lack any of them.

And by the way: thanks Danny!

Better than candidate Obama, President Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:18:00 +0000

It seems pretty clear to me that if someone can surpass candidate Obama's communication skills, it actually is President Obama. Tonight's speech was once again inspiring, uplifting, and yet down to earth.

I know you're going to read and hear a lot about this address, so I won't expand too much on it, but just wanted to highlight some of the things I found interesting, through some direct quotes.

First on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is now law, he described the promises of the plan and invited us to track them on a dedicated website Recovery.gov .

He followed by insisting again on his 3 next priorities for future economic growth: energy, health care and education:

Energy :
"I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders"
"I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America"
Health Care :
"a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every thirty seconds"
"let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year"
Education :
"the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow"
"dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country"
"if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education."

He went on, talking about his budget, the entitlement programs, the tax cut for 95% of Americans and the cost of war... "for seven years, we have been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price"

Good way to transition to fighing extremism, and the importance of upholding the values that American troops defend: "that is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay [...] and that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture".

Finally, two "living-examples" of greatness in tough times: Leonard Abess "the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him", and the young Ty'Sheoma Bethea, student in a school in South Carolina which seems to be in an hopeless bad shape. She wrote a letter to Congress, asking for help: "We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters."

Overall, as we all know, the task is enormous and President Obama ackowledged it many times before. Tonight, maybe more than lately, he chose to adopt a "action tone", determined, confident and optimistic, while still realistic.

He also made it clear that we will all have "to take responsibility for our future and for posterity"... and I think that this sense of responsibility is something that Americans really have as a common ground, and that we, at least in France, could learn a lot from.

I really hope I'm right...

Small town America ... deeper than you may think

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0000

We heard a lot of things about "Small-town America" during the presidential election. Some think that it is the "true America", other that it is a "stupid America". In my country, and somehow in other places of Europe too, some would say that "true America is stupid"... Of course, the last election proved a lot of detractors wrong. They simply don't know what they are talking about. Do all Americans make sense? Of course not, you just need to listen to some Republican activists at the GOP convention in Septembre, it is sometimes scary. But what country is only made of intelligent people? (and how do you qualify for "intelligent"... no I won't go there...).

Anyway, I really wanted to share with you this great video/reportage. It was made by a young Belgian video director, Jean-Baptiste Dumont, who participates to the Muvmedia project: a web-tv show/contest, which recounts the video adventures of 4 French-speaking Europeans in North America, and 4 French Canadians in Europe. If you want to know more about the project: http://2008.muvmedia.tv/pages/muvmedia/concept

The video shows the political views of small-town America inhabitants: surprising? expected? in any case, very interesting

Le vote des hommes du désert
by muvmedia

Olivier (NO)

News, Politics and Opinions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:29:00 +0000

I guess I can't resist anymore. Of course, the current global economy situation, Barack Obama's election, and many other current events are responsible for this: I need to speak/write about it.

This is also a part of me, and I think it's fair to share it with you. I don't incorporate politcs, or social issues in my songs, which of course does not mean that I don't care.

Why doing it in this blog? Because I have been participating already for quite a while in several news websites, digg etc..., and I' m enjoying it! Because I can make it mine, and choose to talk about the things I care most about, focus on France and the US, on my experience as a French citizen living in Chicago. And because You can directly bring me your views on this blog, and I love to learn.

Should I do it in a seperate Blog? I actually don't know... you tell me!

So, welcome to this new Blog category "News, Politics and Opinions", looking forward to talking to you as usual!

Olivier (NO)

Laissez-moi passer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:15:00 +0000

First song of the album : Laissez-moi passer

This is, in a way, a symbol, for me. I consider Laissez-moi passer to be the first real song I’ve written, in 1994.

Freshman in college, I was coming from several rock cover bands, I had recently become singer and guitarist of these bands, and had many melodies in my head. Laissez-moi passer came during a Physics exam, to which I saw no answer but a blank page… Suddenly, I pulled myself together, took my draft page, and…: “Survive these difficult moments, in front of a blank page, an empty head, asking yourself at times where you are…”. - The melody was flowing at the same time as the lyrics. I looked up from my sheet of paper, as if I had to breath before diving in again: “Look around myself to see lowered heads, frowning eyebrows and anxious eyes. Let oneself be ruled by a science, inexact ” - I had a good feeling, and suddenly less regrets. Finally: “But I don’t want to be stubborn any longer, just to dream. To go up on the stage and there, give everything. But..just let me in”

At that point, I gathered my stuff, I went back to my small “maids’ quarters” room in rue Cherche Midi, leapt on my guitar and finished the song. The bluesy intro was written a little later, and it’s mainly the bass and drums funky rhythmic which predominates while composing. The solo is much more recent, re-thought during the recording session this past summer.

This song has always been my "pitch card" to introduce my style, which I call “Bluesy French-Pop”. I was, of course, thrilled that it was chosen by the Unisong jury, last year, in the Top 20 of its “non-English” category.

I do hope that this new version will appear more mature, accomplished, and professional!

But as usual, YOU are the judges !

Olivier (NO)

Paris-Chicago gets some Web-Air...!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:52:00 +0000

"Paris-Chicago" is now featured on Midnight Special Blues Radio's playlist, broadcasting worldwide from Live365.com! Click to listen to the radio!

To learn more on Midnight Special Blues Radio, go to their website !

Olivier (NO)

Paris-Chicago now ready!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Here we go!!! "Paris-Chicago" is recorded, mixed, and mastered ! After 7 months of studio sessions (I have to say that I would only go once a month at the beginning) and a lot of pulling my hair… I have to stop in order to move forward ! You will find the songs on WebsiteNO, on MySpace and little by little, you will also find them for download on many platforms.

On BlogNO, this post is a starter for a new category « Album Paris-Chicago ». This category will go over each of the album's songs, background info, lyrics, source of inspiration… and will answer your questions and comments.

Now, it is up to you ! Participate to BlogNO, pass on to your friends, send links, post on MySpace, Facebook… because without your help, I won't go very far!

Don't worry, my ambitions are rather reasonable : "far" means being able to record another album thanks to this one's success, and get better with your feedback!

Merci!

Olivier (NO)

Paris-Chicago almost ready!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Hi everybody!

Yesterday, Sep 27th, we recorded the last notes of the new album "Paris-Chicago"!!!

As we did spend a lot of time on the tracking, and also started some mixing a couple of weeks ago, 80% of the album is actually mixed as I write.

We'll finish it up next week, and proceed to the mastering.

I expect a digital release sometime in the week of October 6th! CDs manufacturing will come a little bit later, as the cover is not ready yet.

But, the bottom line is that you'll soon be able to listen to the songs on WebsiteNO, BlogNO, MySpace and Facebook. It'll be available for sale right away on SNOCAP/MySpace, and over time on iTunes, Amazonmp3, Napster, Rhapsody and many others!

Stay tuned, it's coming!

Olivier