25 days -- that's how long it would take ...

... to listen to my 8,887 songs on iTunes. And only few of my CDs are in the collection! Oh well, retirement is only 25 years away... Wish me luck!

Fabchannel.com - How I so wish it were mine!

I was telling you a few months back about fabchannel.com. Well it's definitely worth regular visits. A lot of cool concerts were recently posted.

Check these out:

• Lily Allen (she's off-key most of the time, but what energy!)
  
• The Frames (they're depressing alright but cool!)
• The Pipettes (just pure fun! showgirls they are!)
• Thomas Dybdahl (how cool is he with his hat and his beer?)

And in December, they have two "treats" for me... Early Christmas presents!

• Sarah Bettens (3/12)
• The Nits (21/12)

Music Keeps Me Sane

Music for a good cause:
(OK I already used that gimmick but the cause is still worth it):
Casa Alianza CD #2 is out. Buy it and contribute to the fight for taking kids off the streets in Central America.

Check out the playlist here. 12 great Swiss artists have contributed to this edition including William White and Tiger the Lion.

Music for a good cause (bis repetita):
This time a little more selfish. Music for my mental sanity! I bought a great pile of CDs last time I went to town (always an event!). They now keep me awake when I put many long and late hours at the office. Some tracks tend to top the playlist for different reasons, here's a short list:

• "Scared" by Albert Hammond Jr
  This track is kind of soft for my tastes yet I keep playing it. Something to go with my mood these day! The album is pretty cool and melancholic. Trivia: Hammond is also one of the lead guitars of The Stokes.
  
  
• "The young idealist" and "How wrong can you be?"by Lloyd Cole
  Lloyd is back. How cool? His new album is 100% true to the best of his older stuff. Mellow, lyrical and sometimes quite funny, Listen to the lyrics of "The Young Idealist" and you'll see what I mean! Some of you might even be able to identify!
  
  
• "I don't feel like dancing" by Scissors Sisters
  That's just what I need around 21.00 when my energy is waning and my stomach cries for a bite to eat. This keeps me going a little longer.
  
  
• "Jupiter" by An Pierlé
  A gem in the middle of a wonderful album. Saw her in concert recently and I was taken immediately. Funnily I discovered her in 2004 via the Tanger-Glasgow on Couleur3. The only other girl listener who put together a programme had a song by Pierlé in it and that was the beginning of that!
  
  
• "The art of letting go" by Eskobar
  One of my favourite nordic bands. Smooth voice and catchy melodies with a twist of drama. This track is a perfect example of that.
  
  
• "Tricycle" by Psapp
  I love their stuff! And now I am almost desperate because they are becoming mainstream. Thanks to Grey's Anatomy!
  
  
• "Quiet town" by Josh Rouse
  If you ask anybody in Switzerland if they know Josh Rouse you'll get a big blank. Ask them if they can hum the song from the UBS ad and they'll do that without any problem. Well, they're humming Josh Rouse's "Winter in the Hampton" from his previous album. This track opens the new one called Subtitulo, a definite favourite in the recent months!
  

I really have to put together a few mores mixes, so you guys can discover in sound rather than words!

Until then ... "Stay out of trouble" as the Kings of Convenience would say!

Apple's Sense of Humour - Get a Mac

Was just sent this link (http://www.apple.com/getamac) to fantastic ads by Apple. It will get you laughing out loud, it might even make "some" consider finally going the Mac-way!

Watch this space for some more news!

Sausages for a good cause!

As some of you know, I am very fortunate to live in an amazing medieval village on the outskirts of Geneva called Hermance. August is a special time in my village as it traditionally hosts its famous "Jazz sur la Plage" evening. This year I was given the opportunity to get a little more involved as the association "Casa Alianza Switzerland" was holding a sausage stand there and needed volunteers.

Well you can imagine I could not resist the call of the grill! I came with my chef's apron, my chef's mitts and my BBQ tongs and was ready to roll! Six hours later, we had sold 800 (!!!) sausages and made a small profit for the association! Paul, Bouli and I at the grill; Maud, Eliane, Cate, Serge and Patrick at the counter, what a great team! Definitely worth the muscle ache in my hand, arm and shoulder and my sore feet!

I had already come in contact with Caza Alianza in the past via my former colleague Etienne who is a founding member of the Swiss antenna and who got me interested in their work to socially rehabilitate street children in Central America.

You can help just by buying their compilation CD (very cool Swiss bands), through donations or by becoming a member. You may also want to become a volunteer once in a while!

Here's more info in English:
http://www.casa-alianza.org/en/news.php