Just myself, and sometimes guest singers for shows, as well as my mandolin player, drummer, stand-up bass player, and ocassional burlesque dancers, guitaritsts and accordionists.
Influences
Charles Aznavour, David Bowie, Jacques Brel, Marlene Deitrich, Serge Gainsbourg, Ennio Morriconne, Abdel Halim Hafez, Tchaikovsky, Nina Simone, Dusty Springfield, Scott Walker, Natacha Atlas, George Dalaras, Tom Waits, Kurt Weill, Pedro Almodovar, Simply Red, Dalida, Joe Dassin, Marianne Faithfull, Harry Belafante, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Amalia Rodrigues, ABBA, Eurythmics, Khaled, Yves Montand, Billy Idol, Michel Sardou, Amr Diab, Moby, Rufus Wainwright, Johnny Cash, Seal, Sinead O'Connor, Marilyn Manson, Faith Evans, Edith Piaf, Robert Plant, Dead Or Alive, Madonna, Bonnie Tyler, Claude Nougaro, Georgio Moroder, Claude Francois, U2, Rachid Taha, Leonard Cohen, Eros Ramazzotti, Sly & The Family Stone, Paolo Conte, Phyllis Hyman, Sufjan Stevens, Diana Ross, Yianni Poloupolous, R. Kelly, Pet Shop Boys, Camilo Sesto, Cesaria Evora, Donna Summer, Googoosh, Mark Lanegan, Caetano Veloso, Jobim, Sade, Cole Porter, Alexander Vertinsky, Burt Bacharach, Chico Buarque, Amy Winehouse, Maria Bethania, Don McLean, Frank Sinatra, Morrissey, Richard Swift, Fiona Apple, Enrico Macias
Sounds Like
Jacques Brel, Rufus Wainwright, Leonard Cohen, Charles Aznavour, Jobim, Kurt Weill, Pet Shop Boys
World pop music influenced by French, Greek, Latin, American, Russian, Klezmer, Singer/songwriter, Arabic, Persian, Cabaret, Catholicism, music for the 21st century.
Old world European cabaret meets new world meets pop, dance and electronica
Amazon.com's editorial review of my album: 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."
This Chilean-born songwriter who divides his time between Europe and Los Angeles began playing in Los Angeles' cabaret and burlesque scene of the early 00s, in places such as the Hotel Café, the Gardenia, Vitello’s, the Vermont, Bordello, Tangier, M Bar and the legendary and now-defunct Bricktop’s, as well as in a variety of restaurants and shows. In Fall 2005 his songs (including "The Street") were featured in the musical "Night Of The Black Cat," a take-off on French cabaret, and in early 2006 he self-released his first album "Promis," which drew heavily from that style of music. Also in 2006 he played his first show in Paris, recorded a song ("For Respect") for a French record label compilation and was an entertainer for the "Ghetto Gourmet" underground restaurants.
In May 2007 he released his second album "Promis 2" which drew heavily from different styles of international music. He also sang on a Beijing Chinese New Year television show, played L.A.'s annual Fete de la Musique and his song "Drinking Alone" made it onto XM Radio. In October 2007 his song "With Some Of Us Blessed" was featured on the benefit album "A Drop Of Rain: Songs Of Strength And Hope For Darfur.”
In 2008 his song "It's A Fire!" from his first album was featured in the independent art-house film "Marta's Sex Tape." More varied performances began to pop up, from playing 1930s styled sets for the Hollywood Women's Club to more theatrical shows for the Antebellum S&M Art Gallery in Hollywood.
In 2008 he released his third album Promis III, co-produced by British-born Ian Matthews, which blends his songs with Ian's electronic and dance production. He took off to Paris for the summer as that is where he has found his largest fan base, and embarked on a summer tour throughout France, Belgium and Greece, playing small cabarets throughout the continent.
He rang in the New Year for 2009 in Fairmont, Minnesota, doing his career's first New Year's Eve show. In January 2009 he released his fourth album "Life Is Grand!" produced and co-written by Turkish-born Ayhan Sahin. In March 2009 he was featured in the musical "Cabaret Mediterranea and Drag Arabia," staged at Highways Performance Center in Santa Monica, CA and featuring his songs "My Benefactor," "One Kind Word" and "Home."
His biggest success came in Spring 2009 when he headlined the Festival de Printemps (Spring Festival) in Valence, France, and later, in May, played the very famous Paris concert venue Cafe de la Danse, opening for his friend Syrano, and exposing his music to the biggest audience he has thus far had. Plans are set for a European album release for late 2009 and a full tour to follow!
His music is influenced by the international singers that existed and thrived until about the late 1970s…when singers and songwriters could sing songs that sounded vaguely French, Greek, Arabic, Gypsy, Latin…and be able to move from genre to genre, and style to style, while still retaining a sense of who they were.
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FRENCH BIO
Qui est PROMIS?
C'est PAOLO CONTE qui rencontre LEONARD COHEN !!!
Un artiste complet, chilien émigré à LA. PROMIS joue dans tous les grands cabarets de Los Angeles.
En 2005 sa chanson "THE STREET" fait partie de la Comédie Musicale "NIGHT OF THE BLACK CAT".
2006 PROMIS sort son 1er album. Il joue pour la première fois à Paris avec des adaptations Françaises, puis enregistre "FOR RESPECT" pour une compilation française. PROMIS 2 voit le jour en 2007, qui pour moi est la quintescence de la musique Baroque. C'est un album riche de rêves, de mélodies, d'orchestrations inimaginables. Cette même année, PROMIS fait des télés à Los Angeles puis son titre "DRINKING ALONE" entre en radio. Un nouveau titre sera publié pour une cause humanitaire "SONGS FOR DARFOUR" dans une compile. 2008 "IT'S A FIRE" est la BO du film indé "MARTA'S SEX TAPE".
PROMIS continue à faire ses shows dans les théâtres et galeries d'arts. L'album PROMIS 3 électro arrivez juillet 2008.
TEASER FOR MY FOURTH ALBUM "LIFE IS GRAND !" FEATURING THE SONG "I PROMISE"
LIVE at the Other Side singing "Those Were The Days"
LIVE at the Other Side singing "Ghost Riders In The Sky"
LIVE at the Other Side singing Jacques Brel's "Amsterdam"
LIVE at the Gardenia singing "Memories & Souvenirs"
LIVE at the Other Side singing "Burned By The Sun"
LIVE at the Other Side singing "Nostalgia"
Here's a quote I saw today that made me think about the priorities in life;
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends, and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered...You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."~Brian Dyson
I hope that you have been able to keep things balanced, I am trying harder to! ROCK ON! Karen :)
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