By Tom Dellinger //
Caravan Palace with Rosin Coven //
The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco
April 12th, 2014 //
One of the more enjoyable aspects of living in or near major U.S. cities is that we often have the opportunity to see touring musicians from all over the world. And the latest example was this past Saturday as one of Paris’ finest acts made a stop at The Regency Ballroom.
Currently touring the states, Caravan Palace arrived here following the first of two appearances at Coachella this month and will continue with more dates on the West Coast.
Playing to an enthusiastic sold-out house, the French outfit lit up the room with a non-stop bombardment of its unique take on an older genre: gypsy jazz/swing. While instantly recognizable as the venerable genre made popular in the 30’s by the likes of Django Reinhardt and his musical partner Stéphane Grappelli, the group has brought it up to speed in the new century. The blending of multiple genres is nothing new and has been done with varying degrees of success over the years, but Caravan Palace have hit on something more potent than most endeavors of this sort.
Dubbing this genre “electro swing,” the instrumentation remains close to the traditional: guitar, violin, clarinet, bass and keyboards. Nevertheless, they also employ the heavy use of synthesizers, beats and electronic drums, all of which are used to incorporate elements of electronica and hip-hop. All the players, along with their instruments, were using some sort of computer/machine.
What is particularly striking about this is how well the marriage works. In Caravan Palace’s hands, it is overwhelmingly infectious and fun. They had the crowd pumped — from beginning to end, the fans were in it 100%. In speaking with some during the evening, it became evident they do have a fan base in the Bay Area and many, like myself, knew right away after seeing some of their live performances on YouTube that this was going to be a great performance. In spite of difficulties with the audio mix she was receiving, vocalist Colotis Zoé still delivered an engaging performance as the fans showered her and the band with appreciation. In the end, it was a love fest that resulted in two encores.
Opening the show was SF=based theatrical music ensemble Rosin Coven, who describe themselves as “the world’s premiere pagan lounge ensemble” and are often associated with the dark cabaret genre. They were a nice fit for the evening, offering up their unique look and repertoire before the main event.
