Dom Juan

The first EP by the band aLamanon combines lyric-driven French « chanson » with folk music, a hint of blues and a touch of funk. It is also the result of several encounters which took place over spring 2009. While he was playing on the Estacade market in Grenoble, Alamanon caught drummer Emmanuel Fitte’s eye. Then, around a bonfire along the chemin de la Bastille in Grenoble, he met Vincent Coulom (a sound technician) and his flatmates, who invited him to their barbeque. Then, around another bonfire, this time in the Vercors region, he met instrumentalists Pierre Blanco Garcia (accordion) and Gabriel Monnier (brass), and they became friends over the summer. Alamanon and Pierre would from then on play together quite regularly, and work on the practical and technical aspects of the EP.

Two months later, Alamanon asked for his band to be given the opportunity to play the finale of the monthly open stage organized by association l’Engage in l’Ampérage club. Micellinium was invited to play the bass, but he eventually played as a second guitarist, making way for Géraldine Jacquier, who offered to play the upright bass on stage that night. Mathieu, one of Vincent’s flatmates, took a photograph of this 6-musician gig, capturing this extraordinary occasion for aLamanon. The following week, all of the above-mentioned musicians worked in Vincent’s home studio and recorded the tracks « Cette nuit », « Dom Juan », « Tondeur d’œuf », « Mouchette » and « Mon pote le chêne ».

The following year, the songs « Vincennes » and « Jeudi », which were already featured on the unreleased album « Enfants de la lune », were recorded by Yvon Donzel and Martin Haman at the Vénissieux Maison des jeunes et de la culture [MJC – Local youth club] during the album’s showcase. The newly-formed trio, which included bassist Florian Pigache and original drummer Damien Laurent, completed the EP and clinched it with a blues song, « Ton ticket frère ! ».
The songs:
« Cette nuit » is about a young man who thanks a stewardess on the quai de la Fosse in Nantes, and when she asks « what for ? », he replies « because you’re pretty ».
« Dom Juan » - eternal and, above all, irresistible. This song was chosen by the association dynamusic to be featured on the compilation Cuvée grenobloise 2011.
« Tondeur d’œuf » depicts any miser who spends his time trying to scrounge what is beyond scrounging, and features a beautiful performance by Gabriel Monnier (brass).
« Mouchette » refers to the title of a novel by Bernanos, and offers a quirky take on difficult mornings.
« Mon pote le chêne » is a pretty song following in the footsteps of the great Georges Brassens.

« Vincennes » was in Villeneuve and Villeneuve was in Vincennes, in the formerly glorious urban projects of the 80s, where minorities tend to be forgotten now.

« Jeudi » features Dom Juan again.

« Ton ticket frère » is a blues song, because not everybody can afford to use premium Swiss chocolate in their « green chaud » cocktail.