“CABARET VOLTAIRE 2008”

WELCOME TO CABARET VOLTAIRE 2008!

Prepare to be happily surprised! French artist Marcel Duchamp once said: “I believe that the artist doesn’t know what he does. I attach even more importance to the spectator than to the artist.”  That idea was paramount to the enlightened Avant-Garde group of European artists known as the Dadaists. 92 years ago they opened a nightclub in Zurich, Switzerland, under the name Cabaret Voltaire. Named after one of the main protagonists of the French Revolution, Voltaire.  For the first time in the history of art, revolutionary live performances were happening on stage, in the form of spontaneous, multimedia and often improvised acts of spoken word, random noises, abstract theater, modern dance, painting, and collages.

Today, I am thrilled to re-inject this century-year old new blood in our event, announcing Bastille Day Los Angeles' theme of the year: Cabaret Voltaire 2008. Cabaret Voltaire 2008 will be a communion between the audience and the performers, one voice celebrating the revolutionary ideals of 1789: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. Overall, Bastille Day Los Angeles 2008 should be a stimulating, play full, and fun party! We all need it more than ever. Vive la Révolution!

Adele Jacques

BASTILLE DAY FESTIVAL 2008 PERFORMERS

PARIS LOVES L.A.
www.myspace.com/parislovesla

Scandal! Glamour! Sex! The French Pop Culture of 1960’s Paris swings back into life with Paris Loves L.A., Los Angeles’s sensational new revival of the songs of Serge Gainsbourg and Bridgette Bardot. Adele Jacques, French-born singer and actress, plays and sings Bardot with such skill and feminine guile, one finds oneself looking back over their shoulder during the performance, expecting to find Godard shooting in 16m. Together with the pianist, Russell Rinker, and a live, jazz-ensemble of L.A. ’s best session players, Paris Loves L.A. is a paroxysm of French Sexiness and Cocktail Cool. No cigarette required!

JESSICA FICHOT
www.jessicasongs.com

L.A.-based chanteuse, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist 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 and Latin American folk music, and into the wilderness of her imagination. With over 100 children's songs published in a dozen countries, Jessica also composes music for many children's educational programs.

FISHTANK ENSEMBLE
www.fishtankensemble.com

The Fishtank Ensemble offers a unique and truly worldly musical experience. From the smokey cafés of Bucharest to the Gypsy caravans of yesterday, this band evokes the spirit of a past age and the sounds of tomorrow.

KLAUS KNOMI
www.myspace.com/klausknomi

A modern homage to one of the most marginal musical genius, German countertenor Klaus Nomi . noted for remarkable vocal performances and an unusual, otherworldly, elfin stage persona. Nomi is remembered for bizarrely theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo which flaunted a receding hairline. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classic opera to covers of 1960s pop standards like Chubby Checker's "The Twist" and Lou Christie's "Lightnin' Strikes". Today, this L.A. based band, with multi-racial origins is recreating the magic of his performances.

GINGER DE PARIS
www.GingerdeParis.com

The professional world-class singer, creative writer, tap dancer who was awarded the most prestigious Lavoisier scholarship in France to study musical comedy. Ginger is presently working on her dreams to sing her own songs in her own cutting-edge musical, and become a pioneer in the field of Entertainment, Music and Arts. She is enthused to participate to the transformation of this planet and share her joy to the world.

BODY CITY
www.existentialmedia.org/bodycity

Bodycity is a Los Angeles based dance democracy. Our dances challenge the notion of choreography as a traditional vocabulary performed by specific dance "types”. We are dedicated to the site specific. In this collaboration we share the stage with Glasser.  Lately we've been trampolining in the desert, tromping in the marsh and putting our hands in pockets!

GLASSER
myspace.com/glasssser

Glasser is a band-like recording and performing act, born out of dreams.  Cameron Mesirow writes songs with large emphasis on abstract vocals, designed for multi-layered performance, which will incorporate as many different singers as she can find.

Kestrin Pantera
www.kestrin.com

An accomplished cellist and vocalist, Kestrin has worked with Beck, The Fray, Cary Brothers (of the Grammy Award winning "Garden State" soundtrack), Rob Dickinson (The Catherine Wheel), DJ Adam Freeland (UK), Twiggy (Nine Inch Nails) and Brandi Carlile, among others. She writes and records regularly with various up-and-coming international artists, and was recently was featured on the cover of the L.A. Times, en route to her first performance at Coachella, 2008.

KILLSONIC 
www.Killsonic.org

Killsonic is a musicians' collective operating in the greater Los Angeles area.
Our many affiliates come from a variety of musical and aesthetic backgrounds.
Our influences include but are not limited to: Free Jazz a la Ornette Coleman, and Sun Ra; 20th century modern art music by way of Gyorgy Ligeti, Edgard Varese and Luigi Nono; Modern African and Eastern European folk music a la Konono No1, Taraf de Haidouks, New Klezmer Trio, etc; and the DIY ethics and attitude of punk rock and its descendents.
Our performances range from and may include one, some, all, or none of the following: Solo/Duo/Quartet/Sextet, a Women's Choir, and a 20 to 50 piece Marching Band. We are also very fond of audience participation pieces, as we are fond of our audiences!

The Saloon Door Slammers
www.myspace.com/saloondoorslammers.

Combining old-timey tradition with modern bad-ass rock, The Saloon Door Slammers were born as the house band for the infamous "Edis Woh's Paperdoll Sideshow", the burlesque extravaganza that took downtown Las Vegas by storm at The Celebrity Nightclub in the spring of 2006. 
 
With wildly inventive cover of everything from Nina Simone to System of a Down, this band of misfits create an explosive live show guaranteed to blow your mind.  Past collaborations include performances with clown legends Loly and Stick, Babes In Sin Burlesque Las Vegas, and the internationally-known burlesque aerialist troupe Oracle. The band were headliners for The Las Vegas Marathon, The Las Vegas Underground Film Festival, The Miss Exotic World Competition, First Friday Las Vegas, and the national Modern Drunkard Magazine Convention (including a duo performance with counter-culture cowboy-rock heroes The Supersuckers!)  And piano-playing frontman Rocky La Roy has played here in LA at The Derby, Tangier, and Bordello.

The Saloon Door Slammers are thrilled to make their Los Angeles debut here at The Bastille Day celebration.

FROM LEAF TO FEATHER
www.myspace.com/fromleaftofeather

From Leaf to Feather is Albert Santiago (bass), Ramiro Saucedo (drums), Steven Gonzalez (electric piano & electronics) and Melessa J. Bratten (vocals). Together they form a cohesive blend of independent ethereal pop. Through their music From Leaf to Feather illuminates a heightened reality of cinematic expression of love and loss that emphasizes on the relation between dissonance and melody. Originally created by Steven and Albert, From Leaf to Feather has recently encompassed two additional members, Ramiro Saucedo and Melessa J. Bratten, and together the music, tones and voice morph into a seamless sound that serenades  the listener.

Dan Goldman
www.dwgoldman.net

Dan lives and works in Los Angeles, and has been exhibiting his paintings in many galleries and art shows throughout the City. He recently did a solo show called  “expect/except/accept/expect” at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles.

“I paint because I have to--it’s how I make sense of my life,” he says.  “My work spans an array of styles and media - from abstract expressionism to graff and installations to collage and assemblage to performance - and is heavily influenced by the interplay between subject matter and materials, and between idea and execution.  Very often I feel like a medium will choose me, or like a particular subject will choose its own medium.  Sometimes my ideas come fully formed, sometimes not, and successful work, to me, is when I am able to both take and relinquish control when needed.  Making the work, to me, truly is a conversation.”

Amy O'Neill
www.myspace.com/amyoamyoamy

Amy O'Neill is an actress, clown, and performance artist specializing in physical comedy and circus arts. Based in Hollywood, CA, Amy performs locally and internationally in theaters, galas, corporate events and nightclubs.  She creates and develops original shows as well as realizing others’ visions.  She has performed recently at the Emirates Palace in Dubai, The Magic Castle in Hollywood, and the Orange Center For Visionary Arts in Houston, Texas. Amy has also worked extensively as a film and television actress (comedic and dramatic) and she has a passion for improvisation.

AARON BEAUMONT
www.myspace.com/aaronbeaumont

Aaron's first full-length album, "Nothing's Forever, Not Even Goodbye," is slated for release in Fall 2008 on the Paris-based label, Milan Records. A synthesis of early 20th century piano-roll influences and melodic lines reminiscent of the Beatles, along with nods to Tom Waits and Elliott Smith, this superb 10-track project represents a lush, piano-centered aesthetic that is at once daring and refreshing. Of equal importance, this recent Chicago transplant has a French surname and can now count to "100" en Francais.

BASTILLE DAY 2008 DJs: C-TOWN - VALIDA – JEAN-CHRISTOHE

DJ CTOWN
www.djctown.com

A favorite among the Los Angeles and New York celeb set, DJ C-TOWN has shared the decks with DJs & producers Justice, Chromeo, A-TRAK,  DJ AM, Junior Sanchez, Kid Millionaire (Steve Aoki), Junior Senior, Spankrock, Van She, New Young Pony Club Alden Tyrell, Dexter, Alexander Robotnick,  Andy Rouke (the Smiths), Uffie & Feadz, Simian Mobile Disco, Peaches, Jimmy Temberello (Postal Service), and Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk) . He has opened for acts like Wycleff Jean, Wolfmother, She Wants Revenge, Juliette & the Licks, Pop Levi from Ladytron, Ima Robot, and Moving Units. C-TOWN continuously DJs Hollywood clubs CineSpace, Tokio, Privilege, Vanguard, The Echo, The Argyle Hotel, The Standard Hotels, Henry Fonda Theatre, and many others.

VALIDA
www.valida.com

Commanding Thursday nights at the Rooftop Bar at the trendy Standard Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles where she spins it all – from hip-hop to electro and a whole lof of stuff in-between, Fresh Face Valida “not only has the skillz to pay the bills, but the looks to back it up.” (Jointz mag.) In June 2005, LA.com has named her one of the “Hottest Nightlife Personalities” in Los Angeles.

DJ Jean-Christohe
www.myspace.com/chamboredon

Jean-Christohe, born and raised in Versailles, is the head of the US branch of Milan Records, a French indie label that has been operating for thirty years. He has shared his free time between spinning downtempo, midtempo, and world music, at trendy Los Angeles spots such as the Bar Marmont, The Standard Downtown, Les Deux Cafes, Cafe Des Artistes, Moonshadows, MOCA, Patina, etc, and filming music videos and live concerts.

BASTILLE DAY 2008 SCHEDULE