Franco Americana began as a duo in 2011 when Bruce Harvey (double bass) lured Pierre Bastide (dobro) to visit the Ozarks following his annual excursion to the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS. The two met seven years previously at the WVF and had numerous opportunities to become familiar with each other’s playing at all the festivals Pierre was able to attend from his home in Paris, France. The Ozark region of Missouri has been an inspiration to Pierre and he has a fascination for all aspects of the lifestyle.
Their music explores many genres including Blues, Country, Rock, Newgrass and Jazz. Pierre brings a unique approach to the music with his appreciation of an Americana repertoire flavored by a distinctive French twist. Both sides of the duo are life-long musicians and multi-instrumentalists. Pierre performs throughout Europe with the Belleville Blues Band and annually hosts the dobro workshop at the La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France. He also directs group improvisation and music therapy sessions. Bruce currently accompanies traditional old time fiddlers on upright bass and also plays electric bass in a vocal oriented quartet. Together they make music whenever possible and their time with each other has continued to increase with each passing year.
Franco-Americana 