2008 programme of Patrimonio's guitar nights

Part one: Captain Mercier

“Huge, torrid, explosive. Words fail us …” wrote the Nouvel Observateur  - a prominent French newsmagazine. Indeed, the festive atmosphere that this group is capable of creating on stage is literally indescribable. Captain Mercier is a rhythm and blues outfit consisting of 10 of the some of the most talented musicians of their generation that write and sing in French. No other French group can claim to have so many musicians in its ranks that have either accompanied or composed for major international artists. When these 10 musicians get up there and under the lights so as to reinvent rhythm and blues through the lens of funk and general madness, you can either run for your life or join the melee. But fear not; as this infernal groove machine gets going and the brass section pummels your head with some nifty uppercuts you find yourself irresistibly drawn into the communicative humour and party energy of it all. With guys like these around, who needs Prozac?

On stage : Richard Arame (guitar), André Charlier (drums), Gilles Douieb (bass), Claude Egea (horn), Charly Mercier (voice), Jacques Mercier (voice), Damien Verherve (trombon), Gaël Cadoux (orgue Hammond), Stéphane Guillaume (saxophone), Lorenz Rainer (horn).

Official website

Part two: Popa Chubby

Urban blues was becoming rather monotonous and repetitive when up popped (or is it exploded?) Popa Chubby from Brooklyn who gave the whole thing a damn good shaking up. Warning: this blues is not for wimps; this is the hard stuff that respects no rules, or anything else for that matter. This blues gets straight to the point and no messing about. This is the blues of the 21st century; this is New York City Blues, `know what I’m talkin’ about? His Brooklyn Basement Blues album was a revelation; The Good the Bad and the Chubby was even more hard-hitting and largely inspired by the 9/11 attacks that were deeply felt by Chubby. With his latest album Deliveries After Dark, he’s back and he’s bad with 14 powerful tracks. The disc is Blues/Rock played with reckless abandon, no apologies, it’s visceral and heavy, and has a few surprises thrown in - such as the theme from "The Godfather" and the evocative "Woman In My Bed Dub," a reggae tune as thick with smoke as a Kingston club. In concert, there’s no pretention either; there’s no “I’m walking on ten minutes after my other musicians” business. He’s there right from the off and right until the bitter end. With Chubby, the evenings are always hot; real hot.

On stage : Popa Chubby (guitar, voice), A.G. Pappas (bass), Chris Reddan (drums).
Official website