LUNA PARIS Who is the real Luna Paris? Sure, some music artists may claim to be a world traveler, or say they’ve lived everywhere and gone through all sorts of ups and downs, but singer/songwriter Luna Paris is the real deal. Born and raised in Chicago, and later in California, Luna now calls the fashion capital of Paris, France home. Even at the age of two, Luna Paris says music has always been calling her. From singing along to Pentangle records to recording her own songs on a cassette recorder as a child, Luna Paris says a heavy early influence was her parents and classical music. "My family was in the arts and into classical music. I was training in classical music from three years old," she says. "My dad was also into folk music and gospel, and I picked up a lot of that stuff and ended up loving that old folk music." Luna Paris was in a children’s orchestra by six years old and often competed as a soloist. She says she eventually quit classical music, but she was always in bands, orchestras or performing solo since then. Her first instrument was violin. By age 15, Luna Paris was already singing in bands and playing clubs in a variety of music genres including funk, country, jazz and rock. After a few years in Europe and on the east coast, she moved back to Los Angeles, where she played in a number of musical groups. She also performed in Nashville at the Songwriter’s Showcase at the Bluebird Cafe and all over under the names Lauren Danielle and Prescious Payne,. and wrote a few songs for film and television. A country songwriter friend finally taught me to use a pick on the guitar, so I could get some gigs, and that’s kind of how I got into my second country phase... doing fairs and solo gigs, writing country songs, and filling in for backup singers and guitar players. That phase really pulled me through hard times. Luna Paris survived. After returning to LA, and rejoining the LA scene briefly, the combination of a family tragedy and an offer of representation in London and an exposition of her video art in Paris, convinced Luna to take the leap and try to make it in Paris Between her lo-fi cassette tape early beginnings and becoming a professional musician, Luna Paris immersed herself in the art world, and eventually landed an art agent from London to represent her paintings. Living in Los Angeles, Luna Paris also got into acting and she eventually landed a part in a movie that was filming in Paris. "I came over to Paris to do a little art film, and I felt good here, so I decided to stay. I already spoke the language, so it was easier" Luna Paris says.. Her ’country phase’ as she calls it quickly melted into Luna’s vast musical melting pot, joining her love of classical, folk, pop, rock and alternative to end up as a unique and special creation all its own. With recording assistance from music heavyweights Rick Nowels (Dido, Kylie, Jewel, Nelly Furtado, Madonna, etc) and Dave Dale (Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Meatloaf, Joan Jet, Desmond Child), every song on Luna’s Other Side swings expertly from bouncy, lovelorn angst, alternative rock attitude and dancy rhythms into a singularly original style Luna Paris calls “progressive pop.” Luna Paris is one of those rare artists that could just as ably open for pop stars like Mandy Moore, or warm up crowds for a legend like Carole King, or get a club full of Powerspace or Fall Out Boy fans whipped into a frenzy. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist in the studio, on stage is where the real connection and magic happens, with lyrics and song themes that run the gamut from hope and spirituality, to loneliness, love, encouragement, happiness, and relationships, Luna Paris says it’s all about creativity and connecting. "I want my music to inspire people and my songs to make people feel like they’ve lived it themselves, like they felt or saw or wrote this beautiful, moving, or exciting thing." On Luna Paris Other Side, Luna’s 2008 album released by Unregenerate Records, Luna Paris lets her musical and life influences show through, in a supremely good and original batch of twelve songs: SONG DESCRIPTIONS: 1)"Babylon" features a wicked, soaring REM-jangly guitar line snaking its way through the song, with a modern rock drum track that nicely leads into 2)"Hold on to Me," an uplifting, life-affirming pop rocking tale of friendship and closeness that features the beautiful line: "I’ll never let you down, Hold on to me." 3)"Winds of War" has a punky, Ramones-ish bass line propelling the music forward, and the track could easily sit alongside late 70s New York punk stalwarts like Patti Smith and Blondie or give modern pop punks princesses like Ashlee Simpson or Avril Lavigne a run for their Doc Marten-wearing money. 4) "Other Side," the title track, is a prime example of what Luna Paris does best - melding her vast musical influences to create a poppy, quirky rock sound that sounds alternative and mainstream at the same time. 5)"Don’t Cry, Mystify" shines with a dance floor beat complimented by retro 80s pop synth bends and bleeps with Luna’s smooth lyrical flow imploring the listener to "keep it down, take it around." 6) "One More Night" showcases Luna’s pretty pop voice as she croons and floats her way through a passionate semi-acoustic tale of love and regret. 7) The folky "Back of the Sun" harkens back to the Dylan and Joni Mitchell days when all you needed in music was a guitar and a harmonica. 8)"Shoot" stands out as the star dance track on the disc, with 9)"Running" conjuring up a bit of lilting, pretty acoustic pop 10) Luna shows her urban side on "HipHop Generation," a mellow song with some softly accented synthesizer and Spanish guitar work in the mix. 11)The haunting ballad "Take Your Hand and Run" seamlessly merges with 12)the excellent soulful "Winter Rain," the album’s closing song and perhaps the strongest pop track on Other Side.