The Bateleurs Immanent Fire EP release ©2019,
A ‘bateleur’ is a medium-sized eagle in the family Accipitridae, thought to be ‘the bird’ on the Zimbabwe flag, and a type of ‘Falcon’ or unique raptor by some. In French Le Bateleur, “the mountebank” or the “sleight of hand artist”, is a practitioner of stage magic or “street performer”… and is also what the French-speaking people often call ‘the magician’ tarot card.
It’s the combination of all that, where an up and coming blues/rock band from Lisbon, Portugal got its name. Yes, Portugal… that long country on the western coast bordering Spain where there is a string of Atlantic beaches. The entire population for the country is under 11 million people, with the capital (Lisbon) having just over 518,000 people. Sandrine, the lead singer, grew up in Paris and ultimately helped tie all the stuff together to form the final name of their band, “The Bateleurs.”
Interestingly, their original songs are sung in English. The group says they were mostly influenced by some of the megastars from the late ’60s and 70’s Rockers like Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Janis Joplin… some Motown, with a strong connection to the Blues. The group has mixed a bit of all that together to form their own blend of musical storytelling.
Sandrine (Vocalist), Ricardo Dikk (Bassist), Rui Reis (Drummer) are the founding members brought together by chance, playing in clubs and bars. They claim their chemistry was evident since day one, and have been together ever since.
Three of their songs on Spotify are:
~ Stand for What You Are
~ Another Crossroad
~ Lost My Faith
Check them out…
Most all of their promotion is word of mouth, via their fans. However, they also push Facebook, Instagram, Tweeter, YouTube, Bandcamp, and Spotify. They point out that there really is not much airplay for independent bands on mainstream radio, especially in Portugal, but they keep trying.
They caught the ear of some American music media, and are pushing for more publicity and play time; with hopes of some touring in their future. As Dikk told someone interviewing him, [our music is]”no tricks, no cheats, just people playing and singing, and sharing the best they can.”
(Terry Mercer) for UnRated Magazine
Courtesy of MDsChoice.com
