Promis

BOURBON WITH BRENDAN

OCTOBER'S FEATURE ARTIST:
PROMIS
Album: Promis

I recently purchased a new pair of sunglasses. Nice ones. Not the $2 crappy Venice Beach kind. These glasses have solid frames and polarized, color-enhancing lenses. Two bills worth of raw, sun-shading power. But as I started to wear them, I soon discovered that they did more than just protect me from the sun. They showed me unadulterated truth wherever I looked.

The first truth I noticed was while passing a newspaper stand. I took off my glasses to read the headline, "Iraq War Not Going as Well as Planned…" But when I put my sunglasses back on it read, "Clinton gets burned alive at the stake for a blowjob, while Bush has seen no repercussions for: deceptively leading us into Vietnam Part II, causing the needless deaths of almost 3000 Americans and uncounted multiple thousands of Iraqis, making the world an extremely more dangerous place to live in than when he began his personal crusade, turning back civil rights progress by multiple decades, and worst of all, being an absolute dick, consequently making all Americans look like absolute dicks for being represented by him in the international community."

Wow… these lenses were really amazing. While continuing to walk down the street I glanced up at a sexy jeans billboard. Without my glasses, the billboard appeared to be a simple photo of the backsides of five naked women of various hues. It read, "JJ's Jeans." I put my glasses on and saw the real caption, "Try not to crash while fantasizing about having sex with all these women at the same time. If you buy these jeans you will realize this fantasy. Now, every time you think about sex, we want you to feel the urge to buy our jeans. Buying JJ's Jeans means that you will have sex with five women of various hues. Don't forget to exchange insurance info with the guy you just rear-ended."

I keep walking and pass another newspaper stand. I read the title first with my glasses on, "Bush Descended from a Retarded Monkey." I lean closer and read the first paragraph, "'But aren't we all descended from monkeys?' a key GOP spokesperson pointedly asked top scientists. 'Yes,' top scientists replied, 'But George is only two generations from his monkey ancestor.'" I take off my sunglasses and read the real title, "Bush Confident GOP will not lose control over congress, despite what he calls 'all rational indication to the contrary'."



These sunglasses are starting to exhaust me. Although amazing what they do with color enhancement, they remind me everywhere I look that this country is run by idiots and assholes. If only there were some sign of hope, anywhere…

Then, like a message falling from the sky, I see it: a back alley piano bar with a black chalkboard menu that reads, "Music for the soul: from noon to… after noon." As I enter the piano bar, I take the glasses off, comforted by the soft red light, velour walls and black velvet curtains of the place. I take a seat at the bar and order a bourbon on the rocks. A gentle looking man in a worn black suit sits at a piano singing a song called "Burned By the Sun". The title resonates with me.

"What's this guy's name?" I ask the bartender, who looks like he too has seen too much truth in his life. He looks at the piano player, then says with a weighty emphasis, "Promis. His name is Promis." As the bartender goes back to washing martini glasses, I realize that I have not stumbled randomly into this bar. It exists right here and right now for the sole purpose of my salvation from the burden of my new sunglasses. "Promis," I say to myself. This man at the piano is clearly a symbol of hope sent to me by the same fates who chose me to wear the sunglasses of truth.



"How could it be that this source of light in my life could ever hurt me?
So I applied what I learned to the world that in my eyes would soon desert me.
And now friends say they find me aloof.
But if they want I have an excuse.
Back in my youth I was burned by the sun!"

I too have been burned by the sun… well, by sunglasses, anyway. The parallel was almost spooky. Sun, light, truth, sunglasses- clearly this had all happened for a reason. I had to find out more about this man, this Promis character. "Hey," I say to the bartender. "What's this guy's story?" He comes over to me. "He's originally from Chile," he says. "Claims to be influenced by Latin romanticism, Catholic mysticism, and American urban reality. He was seduced at a young age by the sound of Old World singers like Charles Aznavour." "Charles Aznavour…" I repeat in wonder. I love Charles Aznavour; a classic French crooner who starred in my favorite Truffaut film, "Shoot the Piano Player".

I ordered another bourbon and listened to his next song, "Delusions of Grandeur".

"The world opens up and proceeds to take us in
And all that we're told to survive is just to win
So in this state who can say for sure
If we're misguided by delusions of gr - Pulse Radio

Product Description
Promis' sepia-tinged debut album mixes the stories and melodies of old French and European cabaret, with the urban realities of life in Los Angeles in the early 21st century, with modern electronic production, and the end result is an eclectic, almost mini-opera of tales of lost dreams, unfulfilled expecations and relationships gone astray. In the end, however, the music winds up being hopeful, humane and honest. As one of the songs says, in the end, everything bad just "winds up a song."

- Amazon.com

The spirit of Jacques Brel is all over this first album from Chilean-born Jose Promis. Brel was a Belgian singer/songwriter whose ability to tread the line between the theatrical and the tragedies of life made him a firm favourite with the likes of Scott Walker and Marc Almond. Promis is the latest to be inspired by him and although his songs edge towards the high camp, his music is usually dignified enough not to scare away casual listeners. The likes of 'Nostalgia' and 'Barfly' sound haunting on the surface but arrive laced with a knowing wit. It has to be said that some of the material is too similar-sounding but Promis plays on this idea to throw up a few surprises; switching from the vaudeville to the night club on the danceable 'It's A Fire' whilst 'Leave It At That' is a delightful piano ballad that suggests a really serious artist at his peak. Further highlights include the breathless emotional rush of 'When Lovers Get Bored' and the echo-laden 'Wind Up A Song'. Promis is probably the kind of performer that has to been seen live to be fully appreciated but - judging from this effort - his recorded output isn't too shabby either.

Track Listing
01 Burned By The Sun
02 Under The Stars
03 Barfly
04 Delusions Of Grandeur
05 It's A Fire!
* Leave It At That
07 When Lovers Get Bored
08 Could This Be Our Time?
09 The Street
10 These Words With You
11 If I Should Ever Forget
12 Nostalgia
13 Wind Up A Song
14 Rust

* = Standout Track


Weblink:
http://www.zebox.com/jpromis
http://www.myspace.com/promis

Also Recommended:
Walker, Scott - Scott 3
- Leonard's Lair

It's time to feel the melancholia in your body with singer/songwriter Jose Promis' debut album.Mostly his music influenced by Jacques Brel,Rufus Wainwright and Leonard Cohen.

Album opening "Burned by the sun" and the following songs "Under the Stars","Barfly" are three drunken piano oriented melodies."Delusions of Grandeur" is a stylish accordion weighted nostalgic melody.Thus far, it's a musical banquet for people in love with nostalgia. Sorrowful side of album never dissapears. It's possible to hear the same melancholy in electronic songs (It's a Fire, Rust).The Essence of Promis appears in songs like "When Lovers Get Bored","The Street","Wind Up a Song".

'I should have been more discreet, But I couldn't help my heart beat, The promise in your smile was too sweet.' Lyrics from "The street".

"When Lovers Get Bored" keeps giddy vocals, slow killer melodies. Altough there are spotty vocals in songs "Could This Be Our Time?", "It's a fire", Bbarfly" but combination vocals with effective pianos are plainly worth to listen. The best vocal performance you hear near to go (Wind Up a Song)! This song brings the whole talent of songwriter Jose Promis, including the best lyrics and flying pianos. "Rust" is a good-chosen closing song, it's walking around with its electronic beats. This debut seems it's tired of being punished by pain of love. Mostly it's placed in the middle of love stories.
MM picks:When Lovers Get Bored,Wind Up a Song



- Modern Music

Jose Promis au Music-Hall Paris
Le Music Hall Paris, Paris


Fiche événementDates & Tarifs

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Un artiste chilien americain en exclusivite au music hall paris.
jose promis est un artiste qui nous vient tout droit de los angeles. de parents chiliens , ce natif d arizona est un unique explorateur musical . il aime a faire voyager son public dans les spheres de la musique. auteur-compositeur-interprete a succes, sa renommee a fait le tour de la californie ou sa comedie musicale the black cat ete recompensee par deux awards musicaux. sa rencontre avec le tenor yves baron s est faite a los angeles au printemps 2006. yves baron a confie a malik, artiste soul revele par la nouvelle star 2005, de programmer jose au music-hall paris. cette association artistique est des plus folles et des plus reussies. c est un veritable concert franco-americain qui s installe au music hall paris, avec une portee internationale sans precedent. venez assister a cet evenement de la sene parisienne et soutenir jose promis, un artiste dont le nom est deja riche de symboles, n est ce pas ?







- Billet Reduc