A song about the beautiful methadone clinics of south Indiana. Live at the Comet Tavern, Seattle WA, from the concert film, Seattle Hates French Letters.
Footage shot and edited by Rod Tipton.
French Letters Storm the Beach at Alki!
This Friday night at Alki Tavern (West Seattle), French Letters are proud to share the stage with Sir Coyler & His Asthmatic Band and Estrus Records’ own, The DT’s. This will be our last chance to play out with Sir Coyler’s drummer, a good friend and amazing musician, George St. John, before he departs for Texas.
I’ll tell you what… There are a whole lot of exponentials in this lifetime, my dears, but one thing you can be certain of this Friday: There will be rock, there will be roll, there will be poetry, and there will be plunder. Enough to tear your face asunder!
Saturday, May 5th at the 2 Bit Saloon
Saturday night at the 2 Bit in Ballard, French Letters debut “I Don’t Want to Make Love” & the ultimate ode to junky table dancers of central Kentucky, “Cheapside”. There will be Pentacostal breakdowns and dueling guitar solos. There will be rock and redemption. “Wallflower Among Women” will make an appearance and I heard tell that “Cassandra Can’t Leave” might be there, as well. It’s our first show after a long winter and you damned well know you’ve missed watching us sweat…
Cinco De Mayo Pinche Perritos!
Debuts & Acoustic 3/25
French Letters have been hard at work on a new batch of songs and the idea of not playing out again until May was worrisome at best. When the owner of The Hideout asked us to do a performance there for his new Sunday night showcase, we decided we could probably put some thing together… And that is exactly what we did. We have a very special evening planned, an acoustic evening with a mix of old songs, new anthems, and even some poetry. It should be enough to tide you over until we can perform as a whole unit again later this spring.We’re bringing along some special guests:Will Van Spronsen, of Super8
James Kelly Pitts,
and French Letters’ own Minister of Media, Rod Tipton
The Hideout is 21+ & one of the coolest bars in town. There is no cover and since it will be an “intimate” event, we are expecting a capacity crowd. Show is Sunday, March 25th, starts at 9. Come early and bring friends. Map
“In Tongues” – SW Reverb Review
Spoken-Poetry and Jazz Infused Rock? That Sounds French.
French Letters is no different than any other spoken-word, hip-hop, jazz infused, avante-guard rock five-piece … they’re all over the place. In a good way, that is. In Tongues destroys any and every genre barrier a record store owner could possibly throw at it, and the result is a 10-song franken-album of emotional-meets-snarky poetry and a big band.
The CD flows staggered and unexpected, which is a fun aural treat. “When it Mattered” starts it off with spoken poetry over a steady, thumping bass. It’s short, yet punchy, with enough attitude to radiate through every track. Then, as if the bass never dies out, “West Ashley Crosstown” begins with upstroke, jazz guitar and soft drum rolls.
“Fried Chicken” stands out as the true ace, combining all the aspects of In Tongues into one, miniature opus. Spoken poetry builds into aggressive, almost punkish rock that’s alive and exciting.
While it’s not likely to jump to the top of any charts, French Letters have crafted a truly unique album that’s musically and emotionally impressive. Plus, it’s poetry. That has to count for something.
- JOE WILLIAMS, Seattle Weekly
Seattle Hates French Letters
From the concert film, Seattle Hates French Letters: “Los Alamos”
Our lead guitarist does a hell of a solo at 3:35!
Footage shot & edited by Rod Tipton.
“In Tongues” Reviewed
Our first official review of “In Tongues”. Thanks to Robert Morrow at Ringingtrue.net for writing about us.
Music Review: “In Tongues” by French Letters
I first saw French Letters playing on the bill with Sad Face in some West Seattle bar several months ago. I knew then I liked them but damned if I could explain why. This was in part because their music doesn’t fit in the modern classify-the-shit-out-of-everything mentality. I tried to describe them to others but fell short. Poetic Lounge Band? An odd combination of Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery and Bob Crewe? The sound of a drunken, smoky bar filled with wanderers, misfits and the usual horny bastards?
I gave up and decided I just liked them because they made me feel good. I really wanted them to make a record so I could get more out of the words than the stray lines you can pick up in a bar where everyone’s angling for a pick up.
Voila, it’s here. In Tongues has hit the streets. I ordered the CD through Bandcamp (http://frenchletters.bandcamp.com/album/in-tongues) and received the limited edition chapbook, which is essential to appreciating the French Letters experience of poetry and music.
The short review is this: In Tongues is an exceptionally compelling record from beginning to end, one that would definitely make my Top 10 List for 2011 if I had one.
And damn, they still make me feel good.
