Country music is now a very popular genre in France. Year after year, the enthusiasm takes deeper root, including among the youth. In our region, the relentless efforts of the Association for the Promotion of Country Music in the PACA region (APCM PACA) and its president Gérard Vanderborck are to be credited for the rapid progress of this enthusiasm, which resists being merely a passing trend. Country music has found its audience, but its diversity makes it capable of appealing to a very broad audience, who are drawn to the festive aspect it embodies. One of the essential factors in this development is the French Riviera Country Music Festival. This year, for its eighth edition, it will be held on Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd, and Sunday 23rd July 2006 at Parc des Canebiers Sud in Cagnes-sur-Mer (06800).
Gérard Vanderborck, the President and organizer of the festival, describes the festival in the following way: “From the start, we have done everything to make our festival one of synergy between country music and dance. Country music and its indispensable complement, country dance, have become exponentially growing phenomena that no one can ignore.”
Similar to the Jazz Festivals of Nice and Juan-les-Pins, and many other musical events, the French Riviera needed its own country festival! The Cagnes-sur-Mer festival harmoniously combines the discovery of the many facets and richness of country music, showcasing both new French and international talents, while also promoting emerging talents from the PACA region.
This year the program will revolve around strong themes:
Friday, July 21st, an evening devoted to the discovery of Texan Country Music with two groups:
– The Spikebones who will have the honor of opening the festival with a musical style that can be described as traditional Western Swing (straight from the lineage of Bob Wills and Milton Brown, meaning a clever mix of swing, country, and jazz)
– Texas Renegade in a resolutely more honky-tonk Texan style
This form of Texan country-jazz, which was popular for animating dances for oil workers and cowboys, marks the end of the great economic depression in the USA, up to the birth of rock’n’roll. The musical genre of western-swing has produced the most brilliant soloists of the 1930s and 1940s, and Charlie Parker himself has acknowledged being impressed by the quality of musicians like Bob Wills.
Saturday, July 22nd, an evening dedicated to both New Country, Country Blues, and rock & roll/rockabilly:
– Liviana Jones: a country singer from Belgium. Some already predict she will be one of the future divas of country music. Not to be missed.
– Doug Adkins: this artist was nominated in 2005 for the CMA Global Artist of the year. This award recognizes the country artist from CMA (Country Music Association of America) who has performed the best outside the United States. His repertoire combines a clever mix of Honky Tonk and Two-Step along with wonderful ballads.
– Rudy Chalard & his motel men: Rudy’s repertoire includes Country, Rockabilly, Rock ‘n Roll, Blues, Bluegrass, and even Cajun and Tex-Mex music, always with a personal touch. His music conveys the richness of his travels, based on the roots of popular American music. From New Orleans (Louisiana) to Austin (Texas), from the Caribbean to Paris, through encounters, on stage, or in recording studios, Rudy has gained solid musical maturity.
Sunday, July 23rd, will begin with a church service tinted with Gospel songs at the site of Canebiers South while at the same time a motorcycle parade will take place in the town. The afternoon will be dedicated to country dance with demonstrations and animations from dance clubs of the PACA region. The day will end with two concerts:
– Highway, from New Country, to Blues, to Rock’n Roll, to Cajun, to cowboy ballads, they allow Line Dancers to express themselves unrestrained and others to dream of the Middle-West for a few hours.
– Big Rock from the Marseille region, will be accompanied by 7 renowned musicians from the Paris region, including Jean-Yves Lozach (musician of Eddy Mitchell) on the “pedal steel” and Danny Vriet on the “fiddle.”
Country dance workshops are organized on Friday and Saturday afternoons at the Espace Centre hall. These workshops will be led by teachers from the FFCLD (Francophone Federation of Country and Line Dance).
The organizers have also innovated in terms of pricing. Indeed, on the one hand, prices have not increased compared to last year. On the other hand, a group rate is introduced (for 10 tickets purchased, one ticket offered). Finally, for all residents of Cagnes-sur-Mer, one ticket bought, one ticket offered.
Information, reservations: Tourist Office of Cagnes-sur-Mer, 04 93 20 61 64
FNAC – Carrefour – France Tickets, 0 892 68 3622 – www.fnac.com
Ticketnet Network – Virgin Megastore – Auchan – Galfa Voyages (Cap 3000): 08 92 69 70 73
Internet reservations: www.frenchrivierafestival.com
