As it indicates in the title, I got to host my first singer songwriter night last night in Nyc and what a thrill it was! Since songwriters are my favorite people in the world, it is truly an honor to facilitate and help run a soirée full of them and their music.

The night was June 25th, 2017, and it was a hot summer night in NYC. A bit too dramatic perhaps. 🙂 Nonetheless, it was a beautiful Sunday evening in NYC, and the summer air and oncoming sunset lighting set the scene for a beautiful beginning to our event.

As it sometimes goes, upon arrival, there were many technical difficulties, sound issues, faulty guitar cables, and we were running a tad bit late. Despite the small hiccups we were facing, I was thoroughly impressed by how everyone worked together, and kept smiles and patience on their faces as we all worked on our common goal of getting this wonderful event started. At last, we were ready to go, the sound was on point, and we got the cue to begin.

The evening consisted of three sets of music, all the three sets run in a singer-songwriter round, Nashville style. The sweet haunting sounds of French singer-songwriter, mixed with Jeff Jacobs great vocal and guitar skills, and St. Eloise’s powerful eclectic piano driven tunes made for a very unique pool of sound.

It never ceases to amaze me the different type of music that can come out from different people from the same instrument. The different styles, genres, lyrics, chord progressions, melody styles, etc. Different songwriter’s bring their different experiences, musical influences, and creativity and it is truly fascinating. Using a different instrument as well, such as piano can make a songwriter’s songs go to a completely unfamiliar and exciting place. Just to show you how eclectic and varying a songwriter can be, I present to you last night’s singer-songwriters:

Last night’s line up included some wonderfully unique and talented singer-songwriters:

Victoire Oberkampf, St. Eloise (Christina Berg), and Jeff Jacobs:

St. Eloise. 

“This is St. Eloise…Elegant, Sultry, Evocative, Spunky. As lead vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter, St. Eloise finds her groove mainly within a unique mix of pop and jazz, a sound she is becoming known for.

Based out of New York City, St. Eloise has been steadily gaining recognition as a popular entertainer. A classically trained pianist, she incorporates elements of latin and soul into her songs, with a touch of electronic energy. Her liveliness and authenticity on stage draws the crowd into a memorable experience.

Artists that St. Eloise has been compared to are Diana Krall, Sara Bareilles, and Ingrid Michaelson, among others. She has released a self-titled EP, a 9 song album titled “Showdown”, and continues to write new material for what she expects will be the cohesive sound she has been searching for.

St. Eloise is the new artist to watch – expect big things from this very talented and matchless artiste!”

For more on St. Eloise, check out her website http://www.steloise.com, or find her under St. Eloise on all social media sites.

Jeff Jacobs. 

“Son of an opera singer and a poet, you might say Jeff Jacobs was bred for songwriting. Jeff has been winning over audiences since the release of his debut EP, “Enjoy The View” in 2010, of which several songs were featured on MTV’s “Teen Mom 2.” Jeff’s EP was selected one of AOLMusic.com’s featured albums of the week, and was among a dozen albums streamed worldwide alongside names such as R.E.M, Tony Lucca, and Hanz Zimmer.

Jeff frequently plays solo, or with his band “Jeff Jacobs n’ Friends” at venues throughout NYC, performing his catalogue of original songs, plus 1,000+ covers at such venues as The Bitter End and Rockwood Music Hall. He volunteers with Musicians On Call, providing music for hospital patients at their bedside. He has also done modeling shoots for Samson.

Throughout his career, Jeff’s music has touched many hearts. Through his successes, Jeff continues to be humbled by the amazing talent and warmth of the NYC music community. He currently resides in New York City, where he makes a living writing, performing and recording music.”

For more info on Jeff Jacobs, be sure to view his website at http://www.jeffjacobs.com and connect with him on social media!

Victoire Oberkampf.

“Dans les bios d’artistes, on lit le souvent : «Elle savait chanter avant même de savoir parler..» Dans mon cas, c’est pas vrai. Petite, je préférais plutôt faire des blagues.

Mais en grandissant, l’envie m’est venue.

Peut-être à cause de toutes les chansons qu’on m’a mis dans les oreilles. Un père Pasteur fan des Rolling Stones et Jacques Brel et une maman accro à Françoise Hardy, Barbara et Georges Moustaki. Et puis mes grandes soeurs aussi, qui revisaient leur bac avec Jean-Jacques Goldman ou Téléphone à fond dans leur chambre.

Mais j’ai vite voulu m’affirmer. À 10 ans, j’ai poncé la cassette de Manau, à 14 ans les albums d’Eminem, avec posters en prime. Mais c’est à mes 17 ans, à l’écoute de Welcome to The Cruel World, le 1e album de Ben Harper, que quelque chose à vraiment changé en moi. C’est là que j’ai senti cette boule au fond de mon ventre, cette boule si lourde, et rebondissante à la fois. Cette envie irrépressible de lâcher toutes mes émotions, grâce à ma voix.

Alors j’ai commencé par des reprises, Ben Harper (du coup), Damien Rice, Tom McRae, Camille.. jusqu’à ce que la boule devienne trop grosse pour que chante celle des autres. Il m’a fallu écrire mes propres textes, raconter mes propres histoires. Puis pour les partager, j’ai commencé à aller à des Open-mics à Paris. Celui du (feu) Petit Bonheur la Chance, dans le 5e arrondissement de Paris, est devenu mon QG, j’y allais toutes les semaines. J’ai enfin pu laisser ma boule rebondir lors de ces scènes, les gens m’ont accueilli et soutenu, j’ai compris que ma musique pouvait aussi toucher d’autres personnes.

J’ai aussi eu la chance, pendant 2 ans, de devenir la chanteuse d’un groupe de 12 musiciens de talent, Elessar. Des cuivres, des violons, des guitares, une batterie.. J’ai dû apprendre à donner de la voix, et construire aussi avec les autres.

Et puis enfin, cette année, l’envie de tracer mon propre chemin, mon départ à Lisbonne, la musique dans les bars, dans la rue, et ce premier EP. Il me fallait un site internet pour rassembler tout ça, y donner une autre dimension, un peu comme un carnet de voyage. Mes études d’Histoire et de Journalisme, m’ont aussi donné le gout de l’écriture, et je compte bien vous raconter un peu plus en détail ce qu’il m’arrive dans la vie de tous les jours, mes rencontres et mes choix.”

Hope that you all enjoyed reading about these songwriters and please look forward to more post on who else but more songwriters! Enjoy your day everyone. Thanks for reading. xoxo