Debout sur le zinc - Les promesses (2006)

Debout sur le Zinc (which translates in English to "standing on the zinc") are a multifaceted ensemble that formed in France in 1996. Blending a number of styles -- the rather long list of which includes traditional French tunes, rock, klezmer, dancehall, jazz, tango, etc. -- paid off for the group, as the five years following its 1999 self-titled debut full-length saw Debout sur le Zinc becoming one of France's most popular live acts. The core of the group -- Christophe Bastien (guitar and vocals), Simon Mimoun (vocals, violin, and trumpet), Cedric Ermolieff (drums and percussion), and Olivier Supice (banjo, vocals) -- met in high school, and eventually added Romain Sassigneux on clarinet and guitar soon after. Bassist William Lotvi joined in 1998, just in time to begin work on the first record. L'Homme a Tue-Tete, the group's second album, was released in 2001, and was met with popular and critical fanfare, while 2004 would see LP number three, Des Singes et des Moutons. By the time of 2006's Les Promesses, Debout sur le Zinc had become popular enough to sell out their first show at the famed Olympia music hall in Paris.