Mike Rimbaud

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Lower East Side vet Mike Rimbaud took the name of his new band from a set of cute cartoon signs that reminded ’50s commuters not to smoke or spit. But it’s that dingy, subterranean, through-the-grate kind of glow that informs his scruffy-voiced rock songs, invoking ’70s Costello and Springsteen along with an improbable hint of Brazil—the Baiana guitar (a surfy-sounding electrified acoustic). (Kamenetz) –The Village Voice Mike Rimbaud, in basic black, wielded an electric guitar in songs that were terse, telegraphic and propelled by urgent strumming. Mr. Rimbaud has a rocker’s rasp in his voice, and he knows how to get the most power out of verses with few words. His songs crackle with New York’s nervy paranoia. By JON PARELES The New York Times Mike Rimbaud Press Book (Download) Review of Mike's concert at the Delancey in New York, March 29, 2010 –from Lucid Culture X-Roads magazine interview May, 2010 (French Press) Interview published in New York City's The Villager: Mike Rimbaud is an indie musician from New York City. He has released six CD's and he is also a painter who exposes his work. He is performing regularly in the City and in other places. He has visited Brazil many times although you can't feel any "Brazilian" sound in his work, the influence is present by the use of an electric "cavaquinho" (also called "Baiana Guitar", a 60s invention by two musicians from Bahia, used in samba and chorinho). He agreed to give The Villager an interview after we met in person at an East Village pub. Ernest Barteldes : Tell us a little about your background. Mike Rimbaud : I was born in New York, spent my childhood on Crosby Street, in Little Italy. I'm a third generation American. I took guitar lessons from Eric Darling, a folk singer who played with the Weavers and the Roof Top Singers,starting when I was six years old. With a couple friends I formed a rock band in high school, I played bass in it and sang some original songs, we did some gigs in Massachusetts where I was living at the time. I started performing solo when I was in college, I played some coffee houses and open mikes, and since then I never stopped. In the early nineties I lived in Paris for a couple years and toured solo and with my band all over Europe, including Russia. I continue to go to Paris regularly and have a side project called "Adam Evening" that I'm recording with a French experimental electronic musician. Ernest Barteldes : Your working track, 7-11 on 9-11 gives your view of that day. Did the events of that day affect your music in a deeper way? Mike Rimbaud : I don't think it changed the way I play guitar or write songs, I've been playing since I was a little boy. I've written political songs before, for example, "American Terrorist" and "Blacks sea, Red Light" from my "Red Light" CD, or "Police State of Mind" from "Mutiny in the Subway" my first CD. My song "You Make Love Like you Make War" was inspired by the Gulf War. I'll probably write a sequel for Gulf War 2. It's important to have songs that speak to current events, topical songs are pretty common throughout folk music history.

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