French musician Eric John Kaiser turns Oregonian

CORVALLIS - Three years ago, French musician Eric John Kaiser moved from his native Paris, France, to the Northwest.

"I followed a young lady who was from Portland," he said.

Things didn't work out with the girl, but Kaiser quickly fell in love with the Rose City and its vibrant music scene and to his surprise he found that Portland crowds embraced him, even if they didn't always understand the words.

Since, he has toured from Los Angeles to Seattle twice, and played at numerous venues around Portland and around Oregon.

Before arriving in Oregon he had also toured in Quebec, Australia, Ireland and Hong Kong.

Kaiser just returned from a album release tour in France and Belgium, for his second album "French Troubadour" and will play a Corvallis show with Break As We Fall at 10 p.m. Friday, May 15, at Bombs Away Cafe, 2527 N.W. Monroe Ave.

The new album was backed by French producer Alain Gandit, but recorded in Portland by Jason Powers (of the Decemberists, M-Ward and Spoon) at Type Foundry Studios. It features Douglas Jenkins from the Portland Cello Project and French Star Tété.

Kaiser embodies a modern pop/rock sound that borrows from many genres including rock, hip-hop and reggae. His lyrics are often a mix of French and English and some reviewers have likened his style to Manu Chao, though his songs on the average are mellower, more autobiographical and less political.

Kaiser's proficiency in both French an English stems from the fact that his mother is American, so although he grew up and attended schools in France, his first language was English.

Kaiser didn't take a direct route to becoming a performer, instead he made a career for himself in France as a documentary film maker and radio personality at a large radio network.

Over the years, he had the chance to interview the likes of John Butler, Xavier Ruud, The Stereophonics, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Jack Johnson, ACDC, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wyclef Jean, James Blunt, and many other famous alternative French artists.

Working in the media opened Kaiser's eyes to a possible career in music.

"It demystified things a lot," he said.

Pulling on training in his youth as a classical guitarist, Kaiser started playing around Paris. His first album, "L'ODyssée," was recorded at the Paris studio of Philippe Baïa and released in 2006.

"My inspiration is based a lot upon who I meet," Kaiser said. "I usually write things that I've lived."

As a result, Kaiser thinks his latest album "French Troubadour" has "more of a rock and American sound" than "L'ODyssée."

"A more Portland sound, but with a French touch," he said.

When writing new songs, Kaiser said his decision to use one language over the other is "more intuitive" than anything else.

"English is great for melodies," Kaiser said. "Both languages have different tools and energy."

"For some reason my sadder songs always seem to be in French," he admitted.

Fraiser chose the name "French Troubadour" to identify himself because "troubadour" is French word that has been adopted into the English language and he likes the thought of a guy going from city to city sharing stories.

"I like to travel," Kaiser said. "So it fits with the concept of my album."

"I'm still discovering cities like Corvallis," he said.

In June, Kaiser will embark on a West Coast Tour with Tété. For more information on French Troubadour Eric Joh Kaiser, see www.ericjohn kaiser.com

or www.myspace.com/ericjohnkaiser.