And you said French 101 was worthless

Kevin Bronson remains on vacation. Please do not believe the rumors. Neither he nor Paul is dead. You can never trust what you hear when you listen to Beatles records backwards. Jeff Weiss is your guest blogger. You can trust him. Probably.

I'm willing to bet that Clermont Ferrand, lead singer and founder of Brooklyn-based French 60s Pop outfit Les Sans Culottes, is pretty thankful that he paid attention during French 101, while the rest of his peers at the Rhode Island School of Design tried to shake off their box wine hangovers. 

Indeed the Detroit-raised Ferrand isn't really French; nor are the majority of the Brooklyn-based band. But listening to their sixth record, the upcoming Vibratone Records release "Le Weekender", you'd never know the difference, as the record's 13 tracks are all breezy, lighthearted and fun French pop descended from Gallic legends Jacques Dutronc and Serge Gainsbourg (with a dash of The Kinks thrown in).

Writing all the songs originally in French, Ferrand admits to the challenges inherent in writing lyrics in a foreign language, but taking his inspiration from the aforementioned greats and French poets like Rimbaud and Baudelaire, Ferrand sounds as authentic as any man born in the Motor City could ever hope to be. Slated to rock Spaceland tonight supported by Donita Sparks, formerly of L7, be sure to smuggle in your favorite bottle of good French wine. And if you miss them tonight, you can catch Les Sans Culottes this Saturday at the Bordello in Little Tokyo. According to Clermont, it's a 60s-themed party and you can expect some tres cool covers.

Download: Les Sans Culottes - "Le Weekender"

◊ ◊ ◊

Touts For Thursday, April 5
Poetically gifted, Joni Mitchell-compared singer/songwriter Mia Doi Todd headlines at Tangier, supported by From Leaf To Feather. In West Hollywood at the Roxy, hipster favorites Man Man headline a set promising flying feathers, beards and men dressed in all white. Local psych-rockers Xu Xu Fang, founded by former Warlock Bobby Tamkin, play The Silverlake Lounge, supported by The By & By and this month's Monday Night Echo residents, The Black Pine.

Over at the Hotel Cafe, local pop-minded singer/songwriter Katy Perry headlines a bill that includes India Dupre and Pink & Noseworthy. Amoeba hosts a free in-store from experimental rock gods Nurse With Wound, while Ken Andrews, the former lead singer of Failure, headlines at the Troubadour. The Echo presents The Echo Art Project featuring performances from The Letter Openers and Moot Davis, an art gallery, a classic American vaudeville performance and comics. Lastly, ska band Pepper headlines at the Henry Fonda.