I first went to Paris in 2018 after I spent some time in Sedan, France making a documentary with Steve Burger. After production finished, I traveled by myself and spent three nights and days wandering around mesmerized. It was somewhat overwhelming and at the same time beckoning.
I knew I’d be back.
I flew back to Paris in April of 2022 to film my TV series Any Road. I was once again all by myself, but I was armed with a camera and some contacts. So, 8 weeks later, I had what I thought might be a series.
There were a few people who became friends, and many who I knew I wanted to work with sometime. Both musically and as film collaborators. One of those was Louis Gaston. A Paris native, he seemed far more American than me anyway. Funny as heck and thoughtful, Louis’ blues/americana style intrigued me and I thought we’d make a lovely mix of styles.
So jump to 2024 and I’ve already coaxed French Fries Records owner Nick Buxton to allow me to make a record with a variety of folks I met along the way. Louis and I got on a zoom and discussed musical ideas based on a partial lyrical idea I had (which was about him) called “How Many More Times Will I Leave You”. So we agreed on a musical format and I just had to figure out when I could be in Paris to figure it all out.
When we got together in Basement Studios, it just all came together. The lyrics I finalized on the plane (with lines Louis suggested too) flowed perfectly to the music he laid out. So we recorded the music, complete with help form our friend Troy Henriksen on drums. It was after the fact that everything changed.
Listening to playback a few days later, I knew the song needed something. It needed either a female singer or maybe a duet. Nick Buxton suggested Rosabel Lord… plus, she just happened to be in the studio that day working. I knew her, I loved her music already… and bingo, we figured out a duet.
But that changed the song radically into what it is today. The tempo came down and our original recording was stripped down. Nick had Anthony Serina add what drums we ended up with, which were cut after Cory Folz laid down an incredible bass line in my mixing room at my house. Hence the song is how you hear it today.
On a side note, I played a few sets live with Troy and Louis. It’s as damn near a perfect trio for so many songs that I do… xoxox, Brick
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