Marseille Oct 2009

Wow!!
Small is Beautiful, Lieux Publics, Marseille
I’ve just returned from a La Banda Europa gig in Marseill and it was the best ever!!

This event saw la banda taking over the centre of Marseille, performing in small groups on trains and in the station (Gare St Charles) then forming up into a procession out into the open air in order to perform en mass under the stars on a specially built stage in the heart of the city! It was great to see everybody again. This was the kind of life afirming gig that makes ypou glad to be alive!
We were awarded a standing ovation by the 3000 strong audience, members of which were crying and laughing at the same time…..what a night we had!!!!

this was the timetable
Spectacle à Marseille l Marseille finale
Samedi 10 l 20.30 l Gare Saint-Charles
et à partir de 22h, invitation à la danse sur des airs joués
par les musiciens de La Banda Europa

Saturday 10 l 8.30pm l Marseille Saint-Charles train station
And after 10 o’clock, come and join us for a dance under the stars!

Prélude depuis Aubagne l In the train from Aubagne
Dans le train pour Marseille de 20h08 (arrivée 20h25)
In the 8.08pm Marseille train (arriving in Marseille 8.25pm)

Prélude depuis Martigues l In the train from Martigues
Dans le train pour Marseille de 19h35 (arrivée 20h22)
In the 7.35pm Marseille train (arriving in Marseille 8.22pm)

The social status of the artists in France

In France the artists and the technicians of show without a fixed employer can receive a supplementary indemnification besides their wage, for the days of the month in the course of which they did not work, and it during 243 days. To be able to benefit from this allocation poured by organism in load of unemployment, they have to prove that during a period of ten months, they worked at the very least 507 hours, that is every hour of repetition, recording or show must correspond to a wage and impressing social security contributions.

The main advantage of this social status is that he allows the artists to dedicate himself to their profession and to be available without having to look for an extra payment.

On the other hand, the artists have no material security beyond 9 months, therefore their financial standing is very fragile if they cross a too long period without having official job.

Nowadays French social policy is influenced by Anglo-Saxon liberalism, and therefore one always takes a new look at this social status of the artists and the technicians of show with as objective to abolish it and to transform artist’s job into liberal occupation.

Patrice Villaumé

expect to hear from these new authors on this page.

I just arrived in Edinburgh from Inverness, last night with my car on the back of a recovery vehicle in the pissing rain. I was was immediately cheered up to find that we have had 42 views of the blog on our first day online!

I’m delighted to tell you that one or two members of the band  want to contribute to this blog. So far you can expect to hear from Pascal lefuevre (France), Dick Lee (Scotland), Paco Blasco (Spain), Rory Campbell (Scotland) and Eric Rydvall(Sweden), Anne-Lise Foy (France). People will write in  their own languages as well as English.

I know that other band members will also want to contribute. Expect to see regional European recipes and wine recommendations as well as music talk.

We do have other pages around the web including a facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6754935725 and a myspace page at www.myspace.com/labandaeuropa  If you fancy linking up with these pages please do. There are lots of photos to see and music to hear.

 

Slainte! Jim Sutherland