September U.S dates
After a brief trip to New York this June, I'm very happy to announce we have a small handfull of gigs coming soon in the U.S.
We'll be playing at Crown Point on 9/19, the City Winery in New York on  9/22 and at the Hotel Cafe, LA on 9/23.
In between there'll be a couple of live radio sessions on 9/22 at 10am on WFUV http://www.wfuv.org/ and then at 2.30pm on WNYC for a program called 'soundcheck'. http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/2009/09/02
Over the last few years, I've played a bunch of shows in the U.S , mostly small club shows, outside of opening for Ben Harper  and it seems now that everywhere I go, I have my little  select band of fans/friends who dig the music and come along to the shows and that's what makes it all worthwhile to me..to know the music gets through to someone, somehow, somewhere.
So for those of you more familiar with Tearing Sky or even the songs from Leave no trace, this will be an opportunity to hear songs from the new album, Two grains of sand.
Look forward to seeing you there!
P

I recently had the fortune of seeing Leonard Cohen in concert. He was playing in the ancient Roman colosseum in Nimes an hour away from where I live. It's hard to think of anyone who has influenced me more than this man and his extraordinary legacy of songs. I was a little uncertain as to what to expect despite the 5 star reviews from around the world. Being so in love with his recorded work I had some trepidation that the live shows might be a disappointment.
But pretty much from the first moment the man skipped onto the stage, all fears evaporated away and as he played song after song, I realised I haven't been as captivated by a concert in years.
There was time to savour every word, every nuance of language from all the songs I knew so well, time to delve into the depths of this man's poetry and song. A time to feel his life's work in one concert.
I know of no other writer who has overwhelmed me with words in such a way and although I deal a poor hand compared to his great offering, I feel total affinity with the themes of his writing. He is a kind of guru for me, no doubt about it.

Driving back from the concert, I thought many thoughts about the nature of writing, why it is we write and what it is we write about and how we fashion words to visit and revisit the same ground all our lives. Despite the enormous complexity of his or any other great writer's work, I couldn't help thinking singers only ever write one song in their lives; we just write the same song differently each time around but some, definitely, do it better than others.
For me Leonard Cohen's one song covers pretty much all the bases: it's essentially a love song, how could it be anything else? But it's a love song caught between heaven and earth, between god and godlessness, faith and non belief, man and woman, passion and longing, ecstacy and loss and birth and death.
Who needs to write more than one song if the one song contains all of the above?
Each one of us carries their own song and  whether we write it down or not, it's unique to our experience and it's carved into our DNA. Our songs are on the end of the tip of each of our tongues. The greatness of this man's work is to know how to speak it.

Leonard Cohen practiced, and perhaps still does, the way of Zen Buddhism for many years in the hills of California. Zen is the religion that doesn't believe in god, making it my favourite too.
There's a Zen saying that says "Before Enlightenment chop wood carry water, after Enlightenment, chop wood carry water." It's a saying I've been practicing phyiscally these days, (see photos) if not always metaphorically, as I begin the preparations for Autumn and eventual Wintertime. Having only a wood fired stove to heat ourselves, I have the gargantuan task each year of chopping large logs for several days into smaller pieces that will fit and burn in our stove.
As I chopped log after log, my mind wandered to the rythmn of the axe and I realised, as I brought it down time and again to split the core of the log, that this mundane but necessary task is just like songwriting. So if chopping wood is like writing songs, that makes Leonard Cohen the lumberjack of songwriters!
We find a song, we build it and shape it. It's different each time in the detail but in the end and in essence, it's the same as the one we fashioned before, the same but different. We chop wood because that's what we have to do to stay warm and we write songs because that's what we have to do to live with and learn by and each year as the seasons come around we do the same tasks for the same reasons.

So nothing changes in the end, this is it friends!
There's only one song in each of us, and it sings a perfect 5th if you can hear it. 
We're all just chopping wood carrying water.
Thankyou Mr Cohen,
Sincerely P Faccini.

Some people have not been able to get hold of the lyrics for Two grains of sand when buying on itunes so for those that missed out here they are.

P

Two grains of sand

He was the rock of old carved and faced
Land of the cross drawn and traced
She of silk and lace soft as night
A crescent moon bathed in light

Who would dare tear them apart
Who would try to halve this heart

How can we stand to hold up a man
To choose in his hand between two grains of sand
How can we turn to violence and burn
Forget all we've learned to darkness return

It’s been told before i'll tell it again
How jealousy struck and hate did gain
To plunder once once and for all
This cherished pearl until sorrow falls

They stole in and crept like thieves
A murder buried under autumn leaves

How can we stand to hold up a man
To choose in his hand between two grains of sand
How can we turn to violence and burn
Forget all we've learned to darkness return

Too pure to shine in this world of sighs
Of butchers and crimes of laws and lies
But something of their love will remain
In the frozen drops of winter’s rain

They're above us there is no doubt
There is a light that won't go out

How can we stand to hold up a man
To choose in his hand between two grains of sand
How can we turn to violence and burn
Forget all we've learned to darkness return


Voice, guitars, harmonium, percussion, backing vocals: Piers Faccini
Cello: Vincent Segal
Double bass: Jules Bikoko
Drums: Jeff Boudereaux

The wind that blows

The wind that blows quiet knows
A song as soft as silence goes
Into each thread a secret said
The sun and moon on a wedding bed

A rope unbound a treasure found
A healing ground an island drowned
To be without and not belong
Between the right and the wrong

And I won't seek nor will I find
Today is here then gone behind

Tomorrow makes the past opaque
I’ve given all for true love's sake
The tolling chime the senseless mime
The whirling hand of the beat of time

And what of this for a traitor's kiss
And what of now for a beggar’s bliss
To fall away and leave the fray
To disappear and lose the way

And I won't seek nor will I find
Today is here then gone behind

The lost ones and the lonely
Are the ones that go before their time is done
And the broken and the helpless
Are the ones that leave but never ever come

I’m not ashamed to be unnamed
An unmarked box left unclaimed
To be without and not belong
Between the right and the wrong

And I won't seek nor will I find
Today is here then gone behind

Voice, guitars, backing vocals: Piers Faccini
Piano:Johan Daalgard
Bass, backing vocals: Jules Bikoko
Drums, tambourine: Jeff Boudereaux
Cello: Vincent Segal
Viola: Jean-Marc Apap
Violin: Herve Capelier
Backing vocals: Tommy Jordan

To see is to believe

You just wanted to be light
To cancel out the shade
And let the darkness pay
For the years you've been away
From him

But now do you see there are two sides
Two faces with two lives
Opposites that divide
You've spent so long denying
You

And now the lifetime that you've spent
Will not be returned to be lived over again

Now you're happy when you're sad
And angry when you're  glad
You're tearing up and crying
For the life that's busy dying
To be

But the knife can't cut the blade
Nor the sun shine on itself
It’s a gift you could receive
To see is to believe
To see is to believe

The lifetime that you've spent
Will not be returned to be lived over again

Now we all live for what we have left    
But you could be kind kind to yourself
Kind to yourself

The lifetime that you've spent will not be returned
To be lived over again and again

Further on further on mother
Furher on further down the line
Further on further on father
Further on further on time
Further on further on children
Further on further down the line
Further on further on mother
It’s further on further on time

Voice, guitar, organ, percussion, harmonica, backing vocals: Piers Faccini
Bass, backing vocals: Jules Bikoko
Drums: Jeff Boudereaux
Cello: Vincent Segal
Piano: Johan Daalgrad
Flute: Frederic Couderc
Your name no more

Your name no more

Your name is no name your name no more
Your name is no name your name no more
no mouth nor tongue has spoken nor sung
Your name is no name your name no more

This word is no word this word is law
This word is no word this word is law
No one man born has written or drawn
This word is no word this word is law

Your name is no name your name no more
Your name is no name your name no more
No mouth nor tongue has spoken nor sung
Your name is no name no more

Your claim is no claim your claim is war
Your claim is no claim your claim is war
Take up your arms raise the alarm
Your claim is no claim your claim is war

Blood will run and blood will flow
Suffering souls suffer no more
The coin will spin the face will turn
Suffering souls no more will burn
Begin again begin once more
Suffering souls will march to war
Hear the bombs hear the bullets fly
suffering souls take no more of your lies          

Your name no more your name no more
Your name no more your name no more
Your word no more your word no more
Your word no more your word no more

Voice, guitars, harmonium, frame drum, harmonica, backing vocals: Piers Faccini
Drums, shekere, congas, bata: Adam Topol
Bass: Jules Bikoko
Backing vocals: Tommy Jordan



Who loves the shade

Precious things soon get lost
Up on the tracks when two paths cross
The lover i had is with another today
Tomorrow came when she went away

She was a diamond in the vein
A crimson flower in the brain

I picked my rose for the thorns
And hearts get so easily torn
I picked my rose for the thorns
And lives get so easily torn

The years have come the years will go
And then with time the years will show
I was too young then i'm too old now
Oh what i'd give to have them back somehow

She was a diamond in the vein
A crimson flower in the brain

I picked my rose for the thorns
And lives get so easily torn
I picked my rose for the thorns
I know hearts get so easily torn

The poison hit me like a shot
I knew grace until it stopped
Roses bloom before they fade
Who loves the needle loves the shade

She was a diamond in the vein
A crimson flower in the brain

But i picked my rose for the thorns
And hearts get so easily torn
I picked my rose for the thorns
I know lives get so easily torn


Voice, guitar: Piers Faccini
Fiddle: Ian Mcamy
Cello: Claire Menguy

 

A home away from home

She's a dreamer she's a universe inside
She's a sleeper down on the ocean ride
She's a breaker a million miles behind
On the next boat she'll make it there in time
All she wants is a home away from home

He's a maker a mountain when he treads
He's a claimer for the new dawn ahead
He's a finder at the last port of call
On the first ship before the anchor falls
All he wants is a home away from home

They're old now but they still remember when
They knew how they'd lose out in the end
They're takers every woman every man
On the last liner to sail or be damned
All they want is a home away from home

How they wander how they roam
All aboard hurry home
All they want is a home away from home

Voice, guitars, kora, percussion: Piers Faccini
Cello: Vincent Segal
Bass: Jules Bikoko
Drums: Maxime Zampieri
Quatro: Nibs van der Spuy
Backing vocals: Bhusi Mhlongo, Thuli Mkhize, Phillip Zigode





A storm is going to come

Black crows circling up above crying out do you hear that sound
I never thought it would come to this paradise razed to the ground
Sometimes i don't sleep at night i hear the wind in the moaning trees
I wonder how my child will fare with wars and bombs and thieves
The thunder has begun

Some are blind but choose to see lies into the truth they weave
Some put their trust in faith some say I don’t believe
But each man unto himself is an island in a raging sea
With a boat to anchor or sail of the two which will it be 
The thunder has begun

A storm is going to come

Who's the one out watching you who says your rights are wrong     
When the preacher and the judge are lying a change is coming it wont be long
We may have burnt a bridge too far we may have run ourselves too fast
When you look into the mirror friend what is that you want to ask
The thunder has begun

Dear father when you left me here you lay your head in eternal sleep
You taught me only love remains and love is all we have to keep
Black crows circling up above crying out do you hear that sound
I never thought it would come to this paradise razed to the ground
The thunder has begun

A storm is going to come find a haven find a shelter
A storm is going to come find a port find a harbour
A storm is going to come find a friend find a lover
A storm is going to come find a sister find a brother

Voice, guitars, harmonica, backing vocals: Piers Faccini
Bass, backing vocals: Jules Bikoko
Drums: Jeff Boudereaux
Organ, piano: Johan Daalgard
Trombone: Julien Chirol
Flute, clarinette, saxaphone: Frederic Couderc
Backing vocals: Tommy Jordan

 

Time of nought

Oh ma it’s only this
Oh ma it’s only this

When you long for the ground
The dust will whisper and say
When you long for the ground
The dust will take you away

Oh ma it’s only that     
Oh ma it’s only that

When you rise to the dawn
The dawn follows the day
When you rise to the dawn
The dawn will bear you away

Heal the wound of mercy
With the blade of love
Draw the cup of blood
With a sword above

Love love love love

When you long for the ground
The dust will whisper and say
When you long for the ground
The dust will take you away

Heal the wound of mercy
With the blade of love
Draw the cup of blood
With a sword above

Love love love love

Voice, guitar, tampura: Piers Faccini
Double bass: Sarah Murcia


Save a place for me

When something’s gone it’s gone for good
But now that you've gone I wish that you would
Have turned around and left another time
Instead of leaving town with so much on your mind

Oh the riches of the world won't bring you back
Nor a yearning as deep as any sea
And all the books upon this earth can't tell me where you've gone
Wherever you are won't you save a place for me
Wherever you are save a place for me

I waited at the door for you to knock
Minutes then hours passed up on the clock
Did I fall asleep and dream that you phoned
Saying don't worry love I'll be coming home

Oh the riches of the world won't bring you back
Nor a yearning as deep as any sea
And all the books upon this earth can't tell me where you've gone
But wherever you are won't you save a place for me
Wherever you are save a place for me

I see you in the blue of the summer sky
In visions of the rain and in the moon up on high
I feel your hand in every living space
And everywhere I look I always find your trace

Oh the riches of the world won't bring you back
Nor a yearning as deep as any sea
And all the books upon this earth can't tell me where you've gone
But wherever you are won't you save a place for me
Wherever you are save a place for me

Voice, guitars, harmonica, backing vocals: Piers Faccini
Bass: Jules Bikoko
Drums: Jeff Boudereaux
Trombone: Julien Chirol
Flutes: Frederic Couderc



The dust in our eyes

We take the rough the rough with the smooth
Until the hammer comes down on the groove
We take the thread we tread on the weave
But when the play runs over we leave

So many changes but just one theme
A kaleidoscope for every scene

It’s just the dust we get in our eyes
It’s just the dust we get in our eyes
Oh the dust we get in our eyes

We call the six spot out on the die
Chasing rainbows out on the fly
And at the crossroads we can choose
Heads we win or tails we lose

Countless ways to make one dream
Galaxies in every scene

It’s just the dust we get in our eyes
The dust we get in our eyes
Oh the dust we get in our eyes

The carnival the ace of spades
The laughing jack and the joker too
The veiled fortune teller tells it true
The pentangle the bird that flew
St Catherine’s wheel and the chosen few
The mirrored backdrop that reflects for you

Endless turns or so it seems              
A rollercoaster with every scene

It’s just the dust we get in our eyes
Just the dust we get in our eyes
It’s just the dust we get in our eyes

From the stars breaking in the skies

Voice, guitar, harmonica, backing vocals: Piers Faccini
Voice: Francesca Beard
Double bass: Jules Bikoko
Piano: Johan Daalgard


Strangers

Sunset shimmers behind the distant plains
Ink drops bursting into a fiery stain
For one instant suspended against the blue
Until the curtain fell and the day was through   
I heard a muffled scream come from a broken shack
Then an engine start but I didn't turn back
One man's poison can take another man's ground
But sooner or later we all go down
   
Love has brought us love will take us
Whether the cards are for us or stacked against us
Crooked time will weave its spell
And wave you on before you’ll say farewell
When one soul steps on another man's road
That soul's burden became another man's load
Remorse comes after the deed is done
But in the end we all just have to run
   
We're all strangers upon this land
Covering up the trouble we’ve found
We're all strangers upon this land
Reaching up til we all come down

We're all that sunset flowing red
We're all that blood that blow to the head
Whose footsteps lie there in the clay
Who pulled the trigger and got away
One man's love can be another man's hate
But when the coin is flipped it never comes too late
Lives are lost and decisions made
But in the end all of our debts get paid

Someone somewhere is wounded does anyone care at all?
Someone somewhere needs you to help them up when they fall

We're all strangers upon this land
Covering up the trouble we’ve found
We're all strangers upon this land
Reaching up til we all come down

Someone somewhere lights a candle flame
For those that left that never came
Others sleep easy til the dawn
Somewhere up there another day is born

Voice, guitars, harmonium, backing vocals: Piers Faccini
Bass, backing vocals: Jules Bikoko
Drums, tambourine: Jeff Boudereaux
Organ: Johan Daalgard
Backing vocals: Tommy Jordan


My burden is light

I've been taken i’ve been enslaved
I've been captured i've been saved
Been out wandering traveling lost
My hands are shackled my heart is crossed

Sacred wine straight from the grape
A prisoner in love can never escape
My task is done my burden is light
The dawn will come for the end of the night

Joy joy
I'm out of luck
Joy joy
I give up

Together we'll wake up together we'll sleep
We've tied the knot this bond we'll keep
Turn the lock from the outside in
This wheel of fate can roll and spin

Captive soldier betrayed by love
Sees no bars he sees the stars above
A link and a tie and a lover's embrace
A paradise made touched by grace
 
Joy joy
I'm out of luck
Joy joy
I give up

Voice, guitar, harmonium: Piers Faccini

24-27th May - Paris, La Maroquinerie

We had four nights in a row in one of my favourite clubs in Paris, La Maroquinerie. It's the venue of choice for a lot of bands that come through Paris. They need to work on their air con in there but somehow the cramped stifling conditions add to the vibe. I love playing up close to the people, watching their expressions as I sing.

Having said that watching people while playing can be a dangerous business for your concentration, as much as I can be inspired by someone singing along, eyes closed in rapture, the flip side is someone picking their nose or yawning.

Audiences are like animals, they start as single entities and end up as multi celled flaying limbed organisms. One night they behave one way, the next night another.

One night they're a camel, another a sloth, one night they're a fleet footed mare another night a baying hound.

On these 4 nights, the bestiary was well covered.

 

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I have a pair of red vans that I sometimes wear, for a couple of nights I wore them, one guy came up to me after the show to say how much he loved the music but he also expressed a profound and unsettling level of hate for my shoes. Strange that he could like the songs and not the shoes..I mean surely the songs and the shoes are one. You can't like one without the other.

If I think of artists that I like, I'm sure I'd like their shoes.

I bet P.J Harvey has a great array of shoes, Bonnie prince Billy too, I was playing with Andrew Bird the other day and he had cool shoes, compatible with his music.

I'm not sure I can say the same for artists I have less fondness for, taking an easy target out of the hat, James Blunt is bound to wear dodgy shoes.

I propose that on the back of our albums we could have a snap of our favourite footwear so that way the discerning punter could truly know whether the songs were for him or not.

Here's an example of a potential conversation in a record shop (if you can find one still in business)

"hey have you seen this record? I heard this guy is really good!"

"yeah, but did you see his shoes"

Enough said..

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P

 

photos by Ann Cantat Corsini www.anncantatcorsini.com