Weepers Circus
Encyclopedia
| Weepers Circus | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1988 |
| Genre | French rock French rock French rock is a form of rock music produced in France, primarily in the French language.In the 1970s, France saw the arrival of Alan Stivell's Breton folk-rock as well as a wave of progressive rock bands like Ange, Shylock, Magma, Eskaton, Atoll and Pulsar. French punk rock also appeared,... |
| members | |
| Alexandre George | vocals, guitar, accordion |
| Franck George | cello, acoustic bass guitar |
| Eric Kaija Guerrier | guitar |
| Denis Leonhardt | clarinet |
| Alexandre "Goulec" Bertrand | drums |
Weepers Circus is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
musical group founded in 1988 by Franck George and Eric Kaija Guerrier.
In October 1988 – in a secondary school in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
– Franck George and Eric K.Guerrier meet. So begins the musical adventure of the aforementioned Weepers Circus, "the circus of those who shed tears". They are quickly joined by Alexandre (Franck's brother) and Denis Leonhardt. All have an average age of 16.
From 1988 to 1995, high school and university life gradually draws in other musicians: some who stay and who still collaborate with them, while others take their own paths... There arises numerous small concerts in Strasbourg: museums, theatres, universities, churches, cafes, etc... In 1993 the Weepers Circus develop music for a documentary on the stained glass windows of St. Paul's church
St. Paul's Church (Strasbourg)
The Lutheran St. Paul's Church of Strasbourg is a major Gothic Revival architecture building and one of the landmarks of the city of Strasbourg, in Alsace, France....
in Strasbourg ; participate in conceptualizing titles for French TV (Arte
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
and France 3
France 3
France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
) ; compose the shows Requiem (1992) and Fables (1994). These works stand apart from a discography point of view, for the time being.
The years 1995 and 1996 see the publication of a debut single entitled Weepers Circus, composed of three original titles. Participation follows in two collective records of regional acts.
The Weepers Circus really take off in 1997 with a first album Le Fou et La Balance ("The Madman and the Scales"), followed by their first national tour, which consists mostly of playing in the markets of Brittany and Berrychons!
In 1998 the group publish a second single entitled Je suis noble ("I am noble"). In 1999 there appears a second album, L'Epouvantail ("The Scarecrow"), from which a second tour is organised, which is much more intensive in terms of the number of dates.
In 2000, the group is signed with Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
/Universal
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
and Universal Publishing. The result is a third album, L'Ombre et la Demoiselle ("The Shadow and the Young Lady"), in which there figures a duet with the group Bratsch
Bratsch
Bratsch is a village in the municipality of Gampel-Bratsch in the district of Leuk of the canton of Valais in Switzerland.Bratsch was an independent municipality until January 1, 2009, when it merged with Gampel to form Gampel-Bratsch.-History:...
. A third national tour is organised. At this point in time Caroline Loeb
Caroline Loeb
Caroline Loeb , is an actress, radio host, singer, director and French writer. She remains particularly known for her 1980s hit "C'est la ouate".-Filmography:...
, the delectable singer of C'est la Ouate (in English the title was And so what) – who put on the play Shirley
Shirley
Shirley may refer to:*Shirley , either a given name or a surname-Places:United Kingdom*Shirley, Derbyshire, England*Shirley, Southampton, a district of Southampton, England...
, the spectacles of Lio
Lio
Lio is a singer and actress who was a pop icon in France and Belgium during the 1980s.- Biography :...
or Victor Lazlo - takes a liking to them (which is reciprocated), and decides to occupy herself with the image of our Weepers, going so far as to even dress them in clothes by Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier , born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France) is a French haute couture fashion designer. Gaultier was the creative director of Hermès from 2003 to 2010. In the past, he has hosted the television series Eurotrash....
!
In 2001, the publication of their third album "The Circus of those who weep" bring the group to their first experience of shooting a video! Nicolas Bonnefous is the director. An almightily statuesque fellow ! The video is aired about forty times on M6
Métropole 6
M6, also known as Metropole television, is the most profitable private national French TV channel and the third most watched television network in the French-speaking world...
and MCM
MCM
-Science and technology:* Thousand circular mils or kcmil, the wire gauge is equivalent cross sectional area * Million cubic metre, the unit of volume...
(French TV) between February and May.
In February of the same year, the group is introduced to Richard Lornak, the brilliant and very friendly pianist of the radio program Le Fou du Roi on France Inter
France Inter
France Inter is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and intelligent spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, liberally punctuated with an eclectic mix of...
. The result: the Weepers Circus and Richard record together a cover of a song by Georges Brassens
Georges Brassens
Georges Brassens , 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981), was a French singer-songwriter and poet.Brassens was born in Sète, a town in southern France near Montpellier...
(unknown of at the time). They warmly welcomes him to join them on the stage of Café de la Dance (in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) for a memorable concert!
In March, the Weepers Circus welcome a new musician: Alexandre Bertrand
Alexandre Bertrand
Alexandre Louis Joseph Bertrand was a French archaeologist who was a native of Rennes. He was the son of physician Alexandre Jacques François Bertrand and elder brother to mathematician Joseph Louis François Bertrand .Bertrand studied at Ecole Normale Superieure de la rue d'Ulm, and after a...
(called "Goulec") on drums! United through friendship and music, the objective is to modify, renew and revamp their own compositions.
In May they meet Têtes Raides during the festival Paroles et Musiques of Saint-Etienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
. A duet (covering a song by Brassens) is presented to the audience.
In July, on a record which is a collection effort in hommage of George Brassens called Les Oiseaux de Passage, the Weepers Circus cover Quatre-vingt quize pour cent ("Ninety-five percent"). The song is arranged in collaboration with Joseph Racaille (who work with Alain Bashung
Alain Bashung
Alain Bashung was a French singer, songwriter and actor.- Youth :Alain Bashung was the son of a Breton factory worker and French Kabyle father, whom he never knew. His mother remarried, and at the age of one, Bashung was sent to Strasbourg to live with his new stepfather's parents...
, Thomas Fersen
Thomas Fersen
Thomas Fersen is a French singer-songwriter.During his childhood, he was part of a punk group before playing the piano in café-theatres...
, etc.).
The years 1997/2000 are thus a fabulous adventure. Around the records and the video, pretty ballads are born that the Weepers offer around the whole of France to an adorable audience, faithful and ever more numerous: an average of one hundred gigs per year since 1997. There are also many radio shows in which they participate (France Inter
France Inter
France Inter is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and intelligent spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, liberally punctuated with an eclectic mix of...
, FIP
FIP
FIP or fip is an abbreviation for:* Factory Instrumentation Protocol, an industrial Fieldbus protocol* Fair Information Practice, guidelines promulgated by the US Federal Trade Commission...
, France Info
France Info
France Info is a major French public news radio station, part of the Radio France group. The station is available across the country broadcasting world news 24 hours...
, France Culture
France Culture
France Culture is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. Its programming encompasses a wide variety of features on historical, philosophical, sociopolitical, and scientific themes , as well as literary readings, radio plays, and experimental productions...
, RTL
RTL (French radio)
In France, RTL is a popular nation-wide commercial radio network owned by the RTL Group.In 1931, Radio Luxembourg, the public radio network from Luxembourg, was privatised. Beginning in 1946, it could be heard easily in France. Until the 1980s, only the French public radio networks could transmit...
, Europe 1
Europe 1
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
, local radio stations etc.) as well as television shows (M6
Métropole 6
M6, also known as Metropole television, is the most profitable private national French TV channel and the third most watched television network in the French-speaking world...
, France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
, France 3
France 3
France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
national and regional, LCI
La Chaîne Info
La Chaîne Info, or LCI is a French cable news channel. The network provides 24-hour national and global news coverage.-History:LCI was created on June 24, 1994, by Christian Dutoit on behalf of the media group TF1....
, TV Breizh
TV Breizh
TV Breizh is a private French regional station for the Brittany region.-History:The channel was launched on September 1, 2000 by TF1 and Patrick Le Lay for the purposes of broadcasting regional programming and reruns of TF1 programmes.TV Breizh tried to obtain an analogue broadcast licence for its...
, cable TV, etc.)
In June 2002, the Weepers Circus make the acquaintance of the charming Olivia Ruiz
Olivia Ruiz
Olivia Blanc known as Olivia Ruiz is a female French pop singer of partial Spanish origin belonging to the nouvelle chanson genre.-Biography:...
'. The Lady contacts them and requests a song from them for her first solo album.
From September 2002 to February 2003, they record their fourth album Faites Entrer ("Make Enter"), for the most part in the magnificent alsatian chateau of Lichtenberg! Many are invited, in particular Serge Begout (Têtes Raides), on the trumpet, with whom the group live a real musical friendship. The sweet Olivia Ruiz is equally present on La Renarde ("The Vixen") and Je Vole ("I'm Flying"), as well as their great and dear friend Isabelle Lux who, for a third time, do them the honour to lend her voice on A poings fermés ("With closed Fists").
The album Faites Entrer is published the 22nd April 2003. The French tour of the group begins in October 2003.
In 2003 and 2004, on numerous occasions, Olivia Ruiz
Olivia Ruiz
Olivia Blanc known as Olivia Ruiz is a female French pop singer of partial Spanish origin belonging to the nouvelle chanson genre.-Biography:...
plays a lead role in the Weepers Circus and/or in duet (on stage and on France Inter
France Inter
France Inter is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a "generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and intelligent spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, liberally punctuated with an eclectic mix of...
). Olivia Ruiz' album J'aime pas l'amour ("I don't Like Love") is published the 7th September 2003: the Weepers Circus participate on the track, Petite Fable ("Small Fable").
In 2004, in Strasbourg, Serge Begout plays in duet with the Weepers Circus. Boris Plateau creates an animated video around the title Le bouffon et la controverse ("The buffon and the Controversies”) (an extract of the simple Je suis noble, published in 1998).
The same year, the production and transmission of a documentary – by Didier Varrod and Godwin Djadja – devoted to Olivia Ruiz
Olivia Ruiz
Olivia Blanc known as Olivia Ruiz is a female French pop singer of partial Spanish origin belonging to the nouvelle chanson genre.-Biography:...
: Star activiste ("Activist star"). The top prize of the Académie Charles Cros
L'Académie Charles Cros
The Académie Charles-Cros, is an organization in France that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry....
. The Weepers Circus make an appearance in this film. In 2004, publication of the album Terrain Vague ("Waste ground") by the Ogres de Barback: the Weepers Circus participate in the track 3-0 along with a good number of other guests.
In 2005, the recording and publishing of the 5th album of the Weepers Circus: La Monstrueuse Parade ("The Monstrous Parade"), in hommage of Freaks
Freaks
Freaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film about sideshow performers, directed and produced by Tod Browning and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"...
1932 by Tod Browning
Tod Browning
Tod Browning was an American motion picture actor, director and screenwriter.Browning's career spanned the silent and talkie eras...
. Olivia Ruiz
Olivia Ruiz
Olivia Blanc known as Olivia Ruiz is a female French pop singer of partial Spanish origin belonging to the nouvelle chanson genre.-Biography:...
is once again invited to play on the track Sans vous aimer ("Without loving you").
The sixth album, "Tout n'est plus si noir" is published in 2007. Several guest artists contribute to the recording, including Mathias Malzieu (leader of the French rock band Dionysos), Olivia Ruiz and Irene Jacob. Christian Houllé, who had already made such videos for the group's previous albums, joined the band in 2007.
After a lengthy tour in France and Europe, appeared in March 2009 the seventh album simply titled "Live", including a previously unreleased remix (with a video) titled "Tout le monde chante" (remixed by Les Gaillard, a collective of young arrangers of France, fans of rap and slam) and a cover of Led Zeppelin: Kashmir.
In 2009 still, the Weepers Circus participates in the new album by Caroline Loeb (while having completed the soundtrack opening of his show "Mistinguett, Madonna and Me"), as well as the fifth album of grind metal Inhumate. He also composes music for a play put on by La Compagnie Sémaphore (directed by Denis Woelffel) on a text by Philippe Dorin ("Dans ma maison de papier, j'ai des poèmes sur le feu").
The group released its eighth album in November 2009. Entitled "À la récré", it is a great format book-disk of songs for children (illustrated by Tomi Ungerer), comprising both classic children's song and original compositions. Many guests are part: Serge Bégout (guitarist of the French rock band Têtes Raides), Frédérique Bel, Agnès Bonfillon, Emma Daumas, Juliette, Didier Lockwood, Caroline Loeb, Christine Ott, Olivia Ruiz, Roger Siffer, etc.
At the same time on tour with "À la récré" (for the young people) and on tour "for all public" since December 2009, the group is currently writing a ninth album (studio) to be published in October 2011 and whose title is "N'importe où, hors du monde". The group will return once again in question by injecting electro-pop influences, a unique sound research and lush arrangements. In addition, the group is in preparation for participation in a new collective album of covers of songs by Georges Brassens, and a collective album of songs composed from poems by Matthias Vincenot.
Discography
- Weepers Circus (1995)
- Le Fou et la Balance (1997)
- Je suis noble (1998)
- L'Epouvantail (1999)
- L'Ombre et la Demoiselle (2000)
- Faites entrer (2003)
- La Monstrueuse parade (2005)
- Tout n'est plus si noir... (2007)
- En concert (2009)
- À la récré (2009)