The road is long from New Zealand to europe and Flip Grater is already on her third album. her first album Cage For A Song (2006) has some echoes of the folk and alt-country scene. One of its songs was selected by the producers of the American television series Brothers and Sisters for the final episode of the first season. in 2007, Flip Grater published the first Cookbook Tour, a concept which marries videos, performances, diary and cooking recipes collected during her new zealand tour. This atypical work made the her a darling of New Zealand media.
Her second album, Be All And End All, came out in 2008. The critics happily greeted her strolling indie-folk song, recollections of the PJ Harvey or Suzanne Vega. A long tour in a dozen countries followed.
This latest, While I’m Awake I’m At War shows itself of a rare sensibility. The languishing and restful, folk-song-tinged, (slightly) country sound of Flip Grater lets one glimpse a dreamy girl. There is a melancholic sparsity, but a great generousity in shared feelings. if the ethereal and deeply moving voice of “Find me” moves closer to Cat Power, the entêtante ritornello of “Careful” tilts to the best of Suzanne Vega.
While I’m Awake I’m At War could be a eulogy of slowness and good taste. The recording is very applied, meticulous even. mainly accompanied by an acoustic guitar, heightened occasionally by some violins, Flip Grater slows down the pace of a world that has become too busy to be honest.
Last year, Flip Grater flew away to europe, crossed Germany, in particular with Cocoon who she supported on tour. At the same time, she prepared her second book, The Cookbook Tour Europe, log book of her european tour of 2009 – where she redraws her thoughts, events and meetings of music and vegan cooking such as an encounter with an American in Paris, or the visit of a vineyard in italy.
But it is finally in Paris which she decides to settle down, in the spring of this year, having visited again italy and Brazil. We shall have understood Flip Grater is an enthusiast of music, wines and vegetarian cooking. The three passions are intrinsically connected to her and her glance of the end of the World is worth seeing. You will not be surprised to find her playing in a castle in the depths of médoc, in the middle of vineyards or inviting herself to your home to prepare one of the multiple recipes from her book that will make you salivate.
What is certain is that Flip Grater is an adventurer, in the noble sense of the term.
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See Flip live, solo and French-i-fied on her NZ Summer Tour 2013:
Feb 1st - Matterhorn, Wellington, free, 10pm, with Miles Calder
Feb 2nd - The Playhouse, Nelson, $20 8.30pm
Feb 6th - Dux Live, Christchurch, $20, 9pm
Feb 7th - Queens, Dunedin, $15, 9pm
Feb 10th - Federal Diner, Wanaka, $20, 9pm
Feb 14th - The Old Library, Whangarei, $15, 8.30pm
Feb 15th - Sawmill, Leigh, $10 on door, 10pm
Feb 16th - The Whiskey, Auckland, $20, 9pm,with Rodney Fisher (Goodshirt)
Door sales only. CDs available at shows.
