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Bio
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More About Pierre de Gaillande
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Pierre de Gaillande was born in Paris, France, spent his formative years in California, and has been living in New York City since 1994. He graduated from the University of California at San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts and Media, and studied film theory and production at the Sorbonne and the Centre d’Etudes Critique in Paris, France.
Pierre began his musical journey playing trumpet in the school orchestra at age eight. He then moved on to bass, before deciding he needed an instrument that could play multiple notes at a time. He picked up the guitar at age thirteen to write songs and impress girls. In college, Pierre played trumpet in cartoon-jazz band Creedle and then fronted his own band, Bunji Thump. After moving to New York, he played with cow-punk band Morning Glories and C. Gibbs Review. He formed Melomane as singer/guitarist/songwriter in 1999.
Currently, Pierre writes songs for and plays guitar in New York bands The Snow and Melomane, and composes music for film and television.
Additionally, Pierre has embarked on a project to translate and record the songs of iconic French singer Georges Brassens into English. In April 2009, Pierre was awarded a month-long composer's residency at Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming for his Georges Brassens Translation Project. The book and CD are slated for release in June 2010 on Barbes Records and Ugly Duckling Presse.
Pierre’s groups tour Europe and the U.S.A. regularly, as well as performing frequently in New York. Melomane’s music has appeared in television shows on MTV, the Discovery Channel, HBO, A&E, VH1, and many others. Melomane has shared the stage with myriad well-known acts including Wilco, the National, Keren Ann, Zuri West, and Luna. Pierre has collaborated and recorded with many notable musicians, including Eleni Mandell and Vic Chesnutt. The Snow's music has also appeared in countless film and TV soundtracks.
In 2007, Pierre composed the score for feature documentary Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox directed by Sara Lamm, which was released theatrically in the US and aired regularly on the Sundance Channel. He also composed music for feature documentary Danielson, A Family Movie directed by Sonny Aronson, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2007. In addition, Pierre has scored countless short films, including The Perfect Dress, directed by Rose Viggiano, and Help Wanted, directed by Hilary Downes.
In September 2006, Melomane was sponsored by the US embassy in Moscow to perform a four-concert series in Russia.
Other collaborations include music for dance performances with Uruguayan choreographer Luciana Achugar, for which he won a “Meet the Composer” grant from the New York State Council of the Arts and a collaboration with Israeli choreographer Ari Pomerantz for Walking City Standing Square, a joint program of Barnard School of Dance and Dance Theater Workshop in New York. |
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