Paris, France
Known for it's global fashion scene and world renowned cuisine, Paris is an incredible city. It is home to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Louvre, and Moulin Rouge, to name a few of it's most popular tourist destinations. Over all the city has a really cool vibe and a surprisingly good music scene.
I showed up in Paris to rent a car and visit a friend. I was only suppose to stay one night but the city changed my mind. After my first night of visiting Mike at a graduate party in the city, I ended up changing my plans to stay for a few days. This was a great idea.
The next morning I woke up to go busk in, Montmartre, the famous park in front of the Sacré Coeur. It was an awesome experience. The crowd that formed on the hills in the park was so supportive and entertained. They were singing along and dancing. At one point, an African gentleman ran up and asked if I could play some reggae music, so as I began to sing No Woman No Cry. He then got a big group of people to sing along and dance. It was one of most energetic performances I have had on this trip.
Later that night a received a message on my Facebook account from Marie Mittelberg-Kind. She asked if I would like to meet in the park and work on some music together the next day. She said she had been listening to me in the park and really enjoyed my music. She also told me she was a musician and after checking out her music on soundcloud, I knew we had to meet. (I would also suggest that if you are reading this you should check out her music!)
I find that when traveling and performing music random encounters can be some of your best connections. Everyone thinks that you need to be working hard on social media and constantly performing at large venues, but it is interesting that your best connections come from meeting in a park... Honestly, what better place than a park in France.
The next day, Marie and I met up and performed in the Montmartre again. Unfortunately, the music was short lived and we were shut down by the police. "C'est la vie" as the french would say. It was getting late anyway and Marie told me about an open mic near Norte Dame that I could check out.
Galway Pub is a quint little pub that attracts all kind of singers and songwriters on Monday evenings. It was hear that I was able to hear Tess, the Cabbage Sisters, Hanak, and Sood Ong perform. Tess was the host for the evening and she had so many great and captivating songs including Atlantic city by the Boss himself. The Cabbage Sisters were extremely unique with their covers of Wake Up by System of a Down and Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve. Up next was, Hanak who had such a knack for story telling. His haunting voice added a unique sound to his folky songs and the harmonic was the perfect accompaniment. Finally Sood performed, I have to say he has one of the best voices I have heard in a long time. I was blown away by his melodies and strong vocals. I can honestly say I have never heard someone sing Michael Jackson like Michael Jackson! All in all it was a great evening and I really enjoy the connections and friends that I made.
