

But it’s assuring to see that Payen and his bandmates are looking at where they’re going as much as where they’ve been – even if that takes them down strange, unexpected paths. “My advice is to be always clear and aware that what we do as musicians is not the only way to make music.”Ĭaravan Palace has a sound that merges the old and the new, and perhaps appeals to an audience that celebrates what has been done before more than what’s next. And despite his warm laugh and self-deprecating quips, Payen is serious about the nuggets of knowledge he dispenses: The violinist and vocalist for French electro swing band Caravan Palace is in Montreal, two shows down on the first leg of their North American tour. It’s a Thursday evening in late June, and it’s clear that despite his age, Hugues Payen’s sense of adventure and appetite for learning have not diminished with the passing of time. “I consider us to be quite old, or older, for people in this job – we are between thirty-five and forty years old.”
