We're going back in time with our April Monthly Concert, FREE for PFS Members, featuring Jessica Fichot, with Rare Spirits!
Saturday 4/16/16, doors at 7pm, Ruba Club. Free for members, $10 for non-members
Los Angeles-based chanteuse/songwriter Jessica Fichot is a lot like her hometown of Paris: French at heart, but with a soul that's truly international. Drawing from her multi-ethnic French / Chinese / American upbringing, her music fuses styles and languages, taking the listener on a twisting journey out of the French chanson tradition, into the lands of gypsy jazz, Chinese 1940's swing, international folk, and into the wilderness of her imagination. She has performed packed venues in France, China, Spain, Mexico, Canada and across the U.S - backed by her fiery band (clarinet/sax, upright bass, drums and guitar), and armed with her accordion, toy piano and multilingual vocals.
Jessica embraces her international influences and independently releases her critically acclaimed 2007 debut album, Le Chemin, garnering the stamp of approval from tastemakers such as LA Weekly, San Francisco Chronicle, and KCRW – and licensing a few songs in major movies and TV shows on the way. She also gets a chance to tour the world – traveling regularly throughout the U.S, and even to Mexico, China and Europe - performing on vocals, accordion and toy piano and accompanied by a fiery band of clarinet, double bass and guitar.
Fichot takes her time to architect the proper follow-up to her debut when she enters the studio to record her second album "Le Secret", this time looking to harness an acoustic sound with a hint of modern production. Sonically pristine, yet undeniably natural, "Le Secret" vibrantly comes to life – an international meeting point for French chanson, folk, gypsy jazz and world music. Lilting harmonies sung in French, Chinese, and Spanish cascade alongside accordion, clarinet, toy piano, strings and a variety of exotic instruments and organic percussion.
In her new EP "Dear Shanghai", Fichot departs from her trademark French chanson style and takes the listener to 1940s Shanghai, with a work entirely sung in Mandarin Chinese and celebrating her mother’s hometown. The multicultural musician covers jazzy numbers, exotic rumbas, a couple of original songs, as well as a pop classic from Hong Kong - bringing a fresh, modern take on musical gems spotlighting the golden era of the city.
Fichot seamlessly shifts between languages and styles artfully, crafting an intriguing journey that beckons listeners to come back.
Rare Spirits serve up high-proof Roots music with verve, humor and aplomb. Sweet harmonies, rollicking rhythms and an electrifying stage presence combine to sing songs of drinking, cheating, lying, stealing, shucking, jiving, killing, dying...and the occasional haunting. The band features Molly Hebert-Wilson on upright bass, Rhubarb Bush on banjo, guitar and clarinet, Noam Berg on mandolin and guitar, and Alex Bell on drums and percussion, each bringing their own special ingredient to the cocktail. They perform original songs, old time with a twist, and a special set that tells the history of Prohibition through song and story, from the Whiskey Rebellion all the way up to repeal in '33. Pour yourself a double shot, and come see where booze, blues, old time, and rock n’ roll meet on the other side! Rare Spirits were noted standouts at NERFA 2015!
Saturday 4/16/16, doors at 7pm
Ruba Club
Free for members, $10 for non-members
