Jean-Paul Delon, half of the French duo known as Watson Bridge, finds more than a hint of inspiration for his music within the environs he calls home. “We live in France, in the old mountains named Massif Central,” he explains. “Our landscape looks a lot like the Appalachian mountains, particularly in the state of West Virginia.”
Delon, who sings and plays guitar, and partners with lead vocalist and guitarist Isabelle Groll, says Watson Bridge are longtime members of the French bluegrass community. “Isabelle started playing bluegrass thirty years ago in the band Crazy Buffalo,” he explains. “I’m a member of the band Bluegrass 43, active since 1977. We used to jam together, and then we decided to form a duo in 2010. Since then, we’ve played more than 150 gigs in every part of France and in Switzerland. We’ll play in any venue — in bars and restaurants, concert halls, or for private events. We’ve also played some major festivals — Bluegrass in La Roche — three times on the main stage and many times for the street festival — five times at EWOB in the Netherlands, and twice at Herbe Bleue. At the big festivals, we often perform as a quartet, with double bass player Florence Chapuis and French mandolinist extraordinaire Dorian Ricaux.”
Asked about their influences, Delon claims that the two first started listening and practicing American music fifty years ago. “The man who touched us most, emotionally speaking, was Doc Watson,” he adds. “Though we are not a cover band as far as his repertoire, we wanted the name of our duo to pay homage to him. As young adults, we grew up listening to the classic sounds of bluegrass like Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and the Stanley Brothers, but soon we were attracted to progressive artists like Seldom Scene, New Grass Revival, and David Grisman.”
Nevertheless, Delon claims things began to shift once he and Groll began working together as a duo. “The influence of singer/songwriters became prominent, first for the intense poetry of the lyrics and second for the sound of a one-man band or duet,” he said. “Our current heroes are Darrell Scott, Kate Wolf, Gillian Welch, Peter Rowan, the Milk Carton Kids, and Watchhouse. Another major influence is Kathy Chiavola, who is a model for the beauty of the voice. Isabelle can sing high, and Kathy’s interpretations fit naturally in her range.”
Even so, Delon said the two had certain challenges they had to overcome.
“First, we had to accept the fact that it is impossible to play real bluegrass music with just two voices and two guitars,” he conceded. “Working as a duo is a wonderful experience where everyone is more upfront than in a band, but we can’t count on the fiddler or mandolinist to make the song shine from the beginning till the end. So we work hard to create interesting arrangements for each song, with beautiful intros or endings, changes in colors, rhythms, or keys, twin instrumental breaks, and original vocal harmonies that fit the song. Along the way, we learned how to produce a full sound with only two guitars that can complement each other, often with the use of capos in different places. I frequently use a baritone-tuned Martin, giving extra bass notes and separating the ranges of the two instruments. We believe that the audience deserves to hear music arranged as well as possible.”
“Second, in nine out of the ten gigs we play, a typical French listener has never heard about bluegrass, nor is fluent enough in English to immediately understand the lyric’s poetry. As none of us are good at writing songs, we soon decided to be as eclectic as possible about the cover repertoire we choose. Our set lists always contain a swing number or two, an occasional pop song, a Mexican love song, or a baroque piece. A typical concert by Watson Bridge is maybe seventy percent folk, bluegrass, and Americana-rearranged covers, and thirty percent musical surprises. French audiences respond very well to this eclecticism, and no one ever tells us that ‘everything sounds the same’.”
Delon went on to explain Watson Bridge’s impetus was more than a product of its initial influences. “We have a deep respect for the bluegrass giants who paved our way, but sometimes we like hijacking the old standards,” he continued. “For example, our version of On And On keeps Bill Monroe’s lyrics, but uses a Latin groove that carries the melody of Sting’s Fragile, just because the first words of his chorus are ‘on and on.’ It was a lot of fun to imagine, and it works. This creative process is very important for us, and we spend a lot of time thinking of what a new song could sound like. Many ideas end up in the trash bin, but we know when we have found the one that works. Isabelle’s artistic intuitions and feelings are always spot on for the music. I have a solid background in different styles and harmony, and so our duo is always experimenting with new ideas, while keeping a creative and open mind.”
Those ideas have come to full fruition through the band’s recordings. “In 2020, we released our first album, titled Orion, named after Isabelle’s cat,” Delon recalls. “We received very good reviews from the French bluegrass community. The album often presents a full band sound, because we invited eight excellent friends from the French bluegrass community to play banjo, mandolin, fiddle, bass, and dobro on some tracks, and also to sing harmony with us. We are currently working on our next album, and hope to release it in the spring.”
Naturally, Delon has his own option on what gives bluegrass its universal appeal.
“Bluegrass is not very popular in France, at least in terms of mainstream TV, radio, big tours and concerts,” he concedes. “It’s not a problem for us, because we think that on a small scale, it’s as alive and solid as ever in our country. The French bluegrass community gathers every fall in Vichy, thanks to FBMA — the French Bluegrass Music Association — and this year, we had 120 pickers. Our feeling is that a big festival like Bluegrass in La Roche helps a lot when it comes to creating new listeners and eventually new pickers. Watson Bridge was amongst the founding members of the one weekly bluegrass jam in France, at the Antidote Pub in Lyon, and we have played there quite often since 2011. We saw many young pickers come out of this jam. Plus, American pickers visiting France are always welcome there. Ten years ago, we thought only people in their 50s liked to play bluegrass in France, but today, we see a growing interest from young people, and they actually learn much faster than we did during the ’70s.”
