We left thursday morning for a long drive

Bells of Lyon

Landscapes of the Alpes

to go, after a little rest to sleep, to our buddies of the Jame's Café in Toussieu near Lyon.

For 6 years, we have been playing in this small show room where the ambiance has allways been warm and friendly. Unfortunately, like many others, this temple of live music will close, stangled by administrative troubles, and the "nothing to care" of the politics.
Si it was a friendly but also nostalgic night. Thanks to Gonzague and all his staff who will allways keep a place in our heart.

But the show must go on, and saturday, after a short night, we were "on the road again" bound to St Maximin la Sainte Baume, in the Var, invited by the town.

A very fine place, a pretty little town of the south-east of France, and a very pleasant concert with a very big audience. Thanks to everyone.

Way back in Brittany on monday with a draw offered by a young fan. Copyright Mia Heurteaut 2008.

 

Very long week end for Mary and Jean-Luc ... Everything began friday 27 in Audierne (29) at the Hotel de la Plage, for a private concert ! Fine meal, but strange atmosphere in this restaurant very "vieille France" . Anyway, our hosts were very pleased, and we did too. Saturday, Mary-Lou (Mary, Jean-Luc and Stéphane) were playing in Ecommoy (Sarthe). A fine restaurant very friendly, "La Ferme d'Eugénie", offering very good food and great moments of music. The staff is wonderful (thanks to Arlette and Johny). Fine audience who likes to have fun and listen and appreciates music . And Sunday 29 in St Brieuc, Espace Commercial St Lambert. The "association des commercants" was putting on for the second year a country week end. A very good and generous idea for this association with a social and humanist feeling. We needed that to be on stage at 10 am as we were still in Le Mans at 2. A great pleasure for us anyway to meet again the organizers, the sympathetic characters of the area, and the dancers of the "Color Hats" club. We had very good memories of last year, and it was fun to see them. Everything ended, like in "Asterix", not by a fish battle, but by a good meal...

Thursday Mai 1st, Mary-Lou has been playing in Pensacola (Floride) for the public radio WUWF. You can listen to the show here :

(Mary-Lou on WUWF Part 1)

Trish Musgrove (Mississippi songwriter)
Tammerlin (Folk roots)
Mary-Lou (Americana with a french twist)

and

(Mary-Lou on WUWF Part 2)

Trish Musgrove (Mississippi songwriter)
Tammerlin (Folk roots)
Mary-Lou (Americana with a french twist)

Midnight.

Back to our friend's from a dream evening with the best musicians of the area (The Kruger Brothers, Wayne Henderson and many others ) at the Cook Shack in Union Grove.

We played some songs and full up our ears.

Some of the jammers were 9 and 11 years old.

 

Wonderful audience at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Wednesday evening for our 1st concert of this tour. One of the french teachers, Shira Schwam-Baird, a friend of our Tammerlin buddies had invited us, to play our songs and covers, mostly in french.

An audience made of students, teachers, and lovers of french, very attentive, perfect acoustic, warm welcome and very friendly and pleasant evening. lee and Arvid joined us at the end of the show to play "Suzanne", "J'ai mal aux pieds", and "Meet me in New orleans", one Lee's song of Tammerlin last cd.

Sorry, but it is very long to send pictures. That why there are only a few.

After the University, a lovely coffe house, here in Jacsonville, The European Street.

Then a long drive North up to Charleston (South Carolina) where we played at the "Unitarian Church" for an audience very carreful, and a little bit surprised to hear some famous songs with french words.

We slept in Charleston and early in the morning, we have been driving back to Jacksonville and Ormond Beach where we played at "The Bookstore", a wonderful place. Chuck, the boss tried Mary's washboard, he's such a kind guy.

Our version of Suzanne with Mary and Lee singing is great.

Tomorrow, monday, we are going to North Carolina and Tennessee for a few days of rest. Then we'll be back in Florida (Pensacola) the 1st of May for a radio and a TV show, before the Gamble Rogers Festival.

Our new pics by Jocelyn Lecocq

From time to time, new pics have to be made... ! So, here's for you : some pics (by Mary), just as a memory of our setting up ! Soon the official pics, by Jocelyn Lecocq .

30 musicians have played with Mary and Jean-Luc in the Mary-Lou band since 1996.Some of them for many years on stage, some others just for one song on a record. Good memories anyway ...

Vincent Antier (harmonica - guitar) - tours 1999/2000
Vincent Blin (fiddle - mandolin) - tour 2000 - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)"
Mick Byrds (piano - melodica - background vocals) - tours 2005/2006 - CD "Americana Favorites", DVD "Mary-Lou en concert"
Philippe Champion (trompet) - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)"

Thierry Chevau (flute) - CD "Les Orages de Poussière"
Stéphane Dhondt (piano, melodica, background vocals) - tours since 2007
Ducky Jim (guitar, banjo, background vocals) - CD "Honky-Tonk Music" and "Les Orages de Poussière"

Claudine Gabriel Des Bordes (lead and background vocals) - CD "Honky-Tonk Music"

Rob (The Doc) Dokter (lead and background vocals, guitar) - tours in Holland and concerts in France - CD "Les Orages de Poussière"
Karl Gouriou (saxophone) - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)"

Christian Gueguen (tuba) - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)"




Thierry Guillo (accordion) - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)" Thomas Henning (trombone) - CD "Les Orages de Poussière"
Jean-Philippe Heurteaut (piano, melodica, background vovals) - CD "Honky-Tonk Music" "Histoires vraies (ou pas)" - "Les Orages de Poussière" - concerts and tours since 2007

Daniel Le Bellec (background vocals) - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)"



Alain Le Hénaff (drums) - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)"
Philippe Le Rouzic (saxophone) - CD "Les Orages de Poussière"


Thierry Lecocq (fiddle, mandolin) - CD "Honky Tonk Music", "MonPréféré" "Histoires vraies (ou pas)", and concerts

Jean-Pierre Mallet (banjo) - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)"

Thierry (TT) Mathé (bass, double bass, background vocals) - tours 2005/2006 - CD "Americana Favorites", DVD "Mary-Lou en concert"


Benoît Molina (trompet) - CD "Les Orages de Poussière"

Patrick Pernet (piano, organ, melodica, percussions, background vocals) - CD "Honky Tonk Music", "Histoires vraies (ou pas)", "Live Music", "Les Orages de Poussière" and tours from 2001 to 2003

Benoît Perset (drums, percussions, background vocals) - CD "Honky Tonk Music", "Histoires vraies (ou pas)", "Les Orages de Poussière" and different concerts


Panama Red (guitar, lead and background vocals) - tour 2007
Professeur Silverhand (piano, melodica, background vocals) - tours 2004/2005

François Spannenburg (harmonica) - CD "Honky-Tonk Music"

Hugues Stéphan (background vocals) - CD "Histoires vraies (ou pas)"

Pierre Tchechovitch (bass) - tour 2004

Jean-Philippe Thépault (bass, lead and background vocals) - cd "Honky Tonk Music", "Mon préféré", "Histoires vraies (ou pas)", "Live Music", "Les Orages de Poussière" and tours from 1997 to 2003
Eric Vinagre (fiddle) - 2001 winter tour

You will be able to get all the Mary-Lou songs lyrics just going on that link. It's free. Enjoy !

Saturday 1st of March was the 12th anniversary of the 1st concert of Mary-Lou. We played with the blues band Dizzy Town Blues in Pleyben (29) for the Night of the Music school. More than a hundred friendly people were there. Thanks to the staff who put on everything.
Musical meeting with this young band from Douarnenez. They have a very good blues brand new cd. The guitar player Brendan de Roeck will be the next guest of our Private Concert the 5th of April.

(More informations (in french, sorry !), on the blog Hoboes)