BY: BOOKMANS

Tucson chanteuse Marianne Dissard and preacher's son Will Elliott team up for a mini-tour of Bookmans' stores this August, taking their respective French pop and faux-folk beyond Bookmans' Summer Music Series in Tucson and up to Phoenix and Flagstaff.

It's a musical tour d'Arizona! Tucson musicians Marianne Dissard and Will Elliott will be playing BOOKMANS GRANT on August 8th as part of Bookmans' Summer Music Series, but they've decided to expand their schedule to include performances at BOOKMANS PHOENIX (August 14th, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and BOOKMANS FLAGSTAFF (August 15th, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) as well. 

Calexico-produced French pop from Tucson, Arizona. MARIANNE DISSARD sings her French lyrics with music written by Joey Burns of Calexico and by Naim Amor. Her first album, produced by Burns, is due out for release in September 2008 and features Joey Burns, Rob Burger (Tin Hat Trio, Laurie Anderson), John Convertino (Calexico), Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson), Naïm Amor, Matt Mitchell, and a score of Tucson collaborators.

"Her work has a lovely, mournful lilt, a sort of Parisian blues. Even those of us who don't speak French cannot help but be touched by the stark beauty of her phrasing." (M.Simmons - LA Weekly)

Faux-folk from a preacher's son. WILL ELLIOTT has made quite a name for himself in a town that is no stranger to superior songwriting. After the release of A Devil's Drought in 2006, Will won the Tucson Weekly's Critics Choice Award for Best Song Writer. Too traditional to fall into the freak-folk camp, but just a bit too oddball to be considered traditional folk, Will Elliott's songs occupy their own glorious little spot in the universe.

"There's a river, quaked & cold running around your neck/and it smooths my knuckles down to the bone - " A wisdom beyond his years. One thinks of Harry Nilsson in his prime." (TucsonScene.Com)