Pheaturing Pascale Frossard

Hello, kids, welcome to the Phile, brought to you by...

Yes, as you all know by now, all through May on the Phile it's Star Wars Month. I’m a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan. Yeah, right. LOL. Before we get into the other Star Wars stuff, let's talk about what is going on in the real world.  Mitt Romney has jumped to a seven-point lead over President Obama in a national poll. I think Romney's starting to get cocky. Today he threatened to pin down Joe Biden and pull out all of his hair plugs.  President Obama was in Nevada this weekend. Finally some good news for the Secret Service... a place in America where prostitution is legal.  JPMorgan announced they lost $2 billion last quarter. That's 133 Obama-Clooney fundraisers. You know who the real J.P. Morgan is, right? He's Captain Morgan's drunk brother who's bad with money.  So, do you know anyone who is in college? The average college graduate now leaves school $27,000 in debt. But the good news is that now it means they are more than qualified to work as financial advisers at JPMorgan.  The New Jersey tanning mom now says she wants to pose nude for Playboy magazine. Well, Playboy says they're looking for women who are hot, not burnt orange.  The Octomom has finished her porn movie. The producers saved a lot of time on the credits because nobody wanted any.  NBC unveiled their new fall schedule. The biggest surprise? NBC is going to be back in the fall.  CBS announced they're canceling the show "CSI: Miami." I can't believe it. I called and said, "Are you kidding me? There's nothing more entertaining than watching bodies being dumped in the Everglades." Television is cruel. You know how the cast of "CSI: Miami" found out they were being canceled? They were doing an autopsy on a guy and they found the pink slip in his stomach.  Okay, and now for some Star Wars fun. In the last entry on Monday I showed you that Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan have been talking on Facebook. Well, it seems some Stormtroopers have also been talking on Facebook, and here's proof...

You know, I have been blamed for ripping off other people on the Phile. Letterman's top ten list, Oprah's book club, every talk show's monologue... but no one complained or said a word about George Lucas ripping off Dr. Seuss. If you don't know what I am talking about, check out the pages from a little known and rare book.

So, you know how much I love inspirational posters, right? Well, I found this Star Wars one I really love.

I know, I totally agree. Alright, well, we all know George Lucas has no problem putting the Star Wars brand on any object. So, all through May I am showing you real Star Wars products that are available and that you might not be aware of. If you like your coffee black and you like your force to be dark, what better way to blend the two than with this gourmet coffee blend that has been hand roasted by Stormtroopers? It's a perfect accompaniment to some droid Os.

And now from the home office on Coruscant, here is today's...

Top Ten Ways Lando Calrissian Could Die
10. Goes for a nice morning jog and forgets that he lives in a city in the clouds.
9. Sickle-cell disease.
8. Hunter mistakes his Afro for a mynock.
7. The Ugnaughts fiddle around with Lobot's "good/evil" switch.
6. Greatly offends Jabba with a "Yo' mama's so fat" joke.
5. Beaten to death by crazed Tommy Lee Jones fans for that stupid Harvey Dent portrayal.
4. Tells a crowd of Rebels that Alderaan had it coming to them.
3. Informs Nien Nunb that he should, "say it, don't spray it."
2. Does a gleeful victory dance as Han is put into the freezing chamber and falls in with him.
And the number one way Lando could die is...
1. When he's hanging over the Sarlacc pit and Han tells him, "I can see a lot better now," taunts him by saying, "Ha! Bet you couldn't hit me, blind man!"


And now all the way from the Outer Rim, the one and only intergalactic comedian, everybody's favorite...

Thank you! Luke and Obi-Wan are in a Chinise restaurant and Luke's having trouble. Finally, Obi-Wan says, "Use the forks, Luke."  Suddenly in the middle of the fight, Darth Vader pulls Luke to him, and whispers "I know what you're getting for Christmas!" "Luke exclaims, "But how??!?" "It's true Luke, *breath* I know what you're getting for Christmas." Luke tries to ignore this, but tears himself free, screaming, "How could you know this?!" Vader replies, "I felt your presents."  Two Gamorrean guards are walking down a narrow, deserted canyon when suddenly a Krayt Dragon comes out and starts chasing them. One of the Gamorreans stops to put on his best running shoes. "Don't waste time," shouts the other one, "you can't outrun a Krayt Dragon with those!" "I don't have to outrun the Krayt Dragon," says the first one as he finishes lacing his shoes, "I just have to outrun you!" Thank you, don't eat the Bantha.

The 17th artist to be pheatured in the P.P.A.G. is Joey Spiotto, and this is one of his great pieces...

Joey will be a guest on the Phile in a few weeks.

Today's guest is a a French singer... I know, I know, I am English, what I am doing interviewing someone from France? Anyway, she's a singer whose latest album "Juste Jouer" and her previous album "Clique & Clac" are available on iTunes. Please welcome to the Phile... Pascale Frossard.

Me: Bonjour, Pascale, welcome to the Phile. How are you?

Pascale: Hello, Jason…. I’'m well. Thank you.

Me: I am English and you are French. I hope you still want to do this interview. What part of France are you from?

Pascale: Of course, I want to do this interview, with pleasure. I’'m living in the east of France and I’'m often in Paris too.

Me: Do you live there now? Ever been to America?

Pascale: Yes. Now I live in France.  No, I never been in America… I had a tour date in 2008 around Miami in Florida. But it was cancelled because I had a terrible crash car the 25th December 2007. The Christmas day.

Me: Well, I am sorry to hear that, Pascale. So, my last name is Peverett, which is French. I like your name, Pascale. Does it have a meaning?

Pascale: Pascale is a name of Latin origin and religious means "one who is born on Easter" or that relates to Easter.

Me: I downloaded your two albums you have up on iTunes, "Clique & Clac" and the latest "Juste Jouer". I noticed you sing in both French and English. What do you prefer?

Pascale: I don't prefer neither the first nor the second, I like both and I like to sing in French and in English too. It dépends the songs that I sing.… For example I sang in my first album "Clique & Clac" the incredible song "Georgia On My Mind", I loved to sing it in English and I have had many congratulations for my version by some great American musicians and American Jazz peoples too. It was fantastic for me and I never forget that…. Special thanks to Poppa E from Black Owl Music in Miami and Grange Lady Haig Rutan from NY, author of "Death of a Bebop Wife". In my second CD "Juste Jouer", I wanted to do a full CD in French with original music from me and lyrics that I wrote. In the same time I wanted to record it in English because I know that I have a good audience in the USA but I did’n't have time to do it…. I have adapted three English songs and rewrote all the lyrics in French…. It'’s "Inner City Blues", "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" and the wonderful Jazz standard "Angel Eyes".

Me: How would you compare both albums?

Pascale: My first album "Clique & Clac" have been to do for my public who followed me in concert…. It’'s why there are in this CD many cover songs in English as "Georgia On My Mind", "Walk On By", "Calling You", "Just a Gigolo", etc...… Some cover songs in French as "Mamy Blue", "For Me Formidable", etc, and two original songs from my composition with my French lyrics. It was recorded in a small record studio and it was only for my public inspired by the set list that I performed in live concert at this period in the years 2005 - 2006. My second album "Juste Jouer" was more a real CD with all my original compositions…. 12 titles mixing soul, jazz, funk with French lyrics that I wrote and in bonus there are a DVD with 10 Videoclips. This CD was recorded in a good recording studio (Downtown Studio in Strasbourg France). We recorded the rhythm section in live session in the studio and we added some guest in trumpet and a brass section for some titles. The takes were very good and we made the mix in another studio with a good sound engineer.


Me: What does "Juste Jouer" mean anyway?

Pascale: I wrote the lyrics from "Juste Jouer" in thinking to the game in the casinos. I often sang in the casinos and I was inspired by all the people who play in this place. And the music inspired by the New Orleans music is very good with my lyrics.… "Juste Jouer" is in English "Just Play". It’'s a words game who sounds as good with music that the game.

Me: When you write, what language do you write in?

Pascale: I write in French but I like to write in English too.

Me: How long have you been performing, Pascale?

Pascale: I began to sing on stage as lead vocal in 2000. I have many tour dates since 2004 until 2008. After I took time to record my CD and to do shootings for my videoclips, at the same time I had some gigs. Now I would like to find gigs to promote my CD's.

Me: You were once a chorister, is that right? What exactly is a chorister?

Pascale: I was chorister during some years because in the beginning of my career. I wrote lyrics for others and I liked to be chorister but one day I decided to write for me and to sing as lead vocal. Chorister is the work of backing vocals, it’'s very interesting but it’s also a style of voice. My voice is more adapted for the lead vocal. I have true low frequencies and also very high. I'm classified as soprano. Often people said from my voice that she’'s deep, husky, stellar and bluesy, with a sensual touch.

Me: When you were growing up in France, what music did you listen to?

Pascale: When I was growing up, I listened some artists as Earth Wind and Fire, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Claude Nougaro, Mike Brant and I liked all the musical comédies from Broadway and the music from the American and Italian black and white movies.…

Me: You kinda remind me of a cooler Celine Dion. Are you a fan of hers? You are cooler, she would never agree to be on the Phile.

Pascale: I don’t know if I remind you Celine, but it'’s the first time that someone told me this : ) I’'m not fan of her but I respect her as singer, of course in this style of voice I prefer Barbara Streisand. I like many singers as Patti Austin, Ella Fitzgerald, Patricia Barber, Laura Fygi, Natalie Dessay, Eliane Elias, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Jon Hendricks...

Me: What about rock? Ever heard of Foghat?

Pascale: No, I don’t know Foghat…. I don'’t listen many rock music. I listen soul, blues, jazz, funk, latin and classical music. It'’s already much… as rock music I like Van Halen, Yes, Queen, Led Zeppelin and of course some artists between rock and soul as Tina Turner or Joe Cocker.

Me: Are you working on anything new? You must be I am guessing.

Pascale: Yes, I work for two or three CD's. I write lyrics everyday to get the songs for 2 new CD's with original compositions. The music is already done and I must finish to write because we must begin to record a part of these songs in June 2012. It’'s a long work. I work also jazz music because I want to record a next CD which will be jazz and blues. It'’s my personal projects, I have other projects with some great artists that I met in 2010 I have a CD project with Chris Birkett who worked with Sinead O'Connor, Tony Visconti who produced David Bowie.... With Chris we must release an album in 2012. I have a project with Jean Claude Bertrand, I was invited to his opening of his Painting Expo, It was great. Jean Claude makes jazz and voice painting. Our project is to create and find tour dates to do a show together: jazzpainting.com. I have a project with Jean Alain Roussel who worked with Sting, Joe Cocker, Bob Marley and many others…. Jean Alain is a great arranger and producer too: jeanroussel.org.


Me: Pascale, thanks so much for being on the Phile. Go ahead and plug your websites. And why do you have like a half dozen Myspace pages and Facebook pages?

Pascale: Thank you to you, it was very interesting to answer to your questions. I have several Myspace because I could not put all my matériel on one Myspace. It’'s not a website. Myspace is only a blog.

Me: Hmmmm... never thought of that. Thanks again, Pascale, continued success and you are welcomed back anytime you want. Au revoir.

Pascale: Thank you so much I appreciate very much. Hugs and kisses to all.

Oh, boy. Sometimes with interviews you just hit gold. What a very interesting interview. Can you count how many times she said jazz? LOL. Anyway, I would love to have her back on the Phile again. Thanks to Pascale. The Phile will be back on Saturday this week as Sunday I will be at Star Wars Weekends which starts this Friday at Disney's Hollywood Studios. On Saturday the guest will be Alumni David Melbye from Heavy Water Experiments. Then on Monday it's singer Darius Lux and a week from today it's Andy Richards from the band Uniform Motion. Spread the word not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. May the phorce be with you.