As a Nashville resident, sometimes you can take your surroundings for granted.
With seemingly endless options of live music every night and a bounty of music-related happenings and to-dos, there’s never a dull moment if you don’t want there to be. Throw in the other things that cater to a “big city” and you have just about all you can ask for. It’s very much something to be grateful for, especially when you move away from it all and come back. (as this writer once did)
That’s why it’s no surprise Music City welcomes boatloads of tourists, travelers, and troubadours alike who come to bask in all the dopamine-inducing glory this town has to offer.
One such individual who came to Nashville for an experience like none other was Parisian singer-songwriter Guillaume Simon, aka Indolore.
The French musician had grand plans to soar over the mighty Atlantic and touch down on the tarmac in the city where attainable dreams can come true- and for him, they seemed to do just that.
Indolore aimed to record an EP while here, which he did at the acclaimed Bomb Shelter studio in East Nashville with a crew of esteemed session players including Jack Lawrence, Dave Racine, Sean Thompson, and others. The album, aptly titled Nashville, is a 5-song sonic journey that blends his French roots with his dreams and desires of experiencing life as an artist in Music City, if even just for a fleeting moment.
Today, Indolore released his DIY music video for his title track song, which sees him arrive at his temporary home and adventuring the streets and establishments of Nashville. The song itself is a delicate heartstring-tugging ballad, as he sings tender lines like, “Here I am in Nashville / A thousand miles away / From you,” over a gentle picking of acoustic guitar strings.
Aside from achieving a longstanding goal of coming to Nashville to record music and walk the honky tonk streets, he also managed to perform a headlining show at City Winery Lounge, and even got his first tattoo.
Indolore is a prime inspirational example that you can achieve what you set out to do, regardless of where you’re at in your life. You don’t need a big record deal or need to sell out the Ryman (or even play it) to feel accomplished. It’s about setting realistic goals, reaching those goals, taking pride in small victories, and doing so only for yourself.
And for this talented guitar-picking Frenchman, he did exactly what he set out to do and more.
