If you're an indie music fan, then hearing that a band has Chan Marshall's seal of approval is a pretty big deal. Which is why I decided to do a little digging on Appaloosa, a dreamy electro duo from Paris, made up of Anne Laure and Max Krefeld, currently supporting Cat Power on tour. (They play the Warfield Theatre this Tuesday night!) Below, newcomer Anne Laure tells me how she got hooked up with everyone's favorite sultry chanteuse.

"I met Chan about 14 years ago, on Avenue A in New York City in front of a Mexican restaurant. Her friend Marc Moore was checking me out, and Chan came up to facilitate, because Marc was shy. She asked me if I was German, and I replied, 'No, French,' with a bit of arrogance. She had short hair at the time, and wore these large slacks with plaid shirts. I thought she looked like a French female writer of the 19th century. She asked me what my sign was. Aquarius, same as hers. A couple of days later, we went to play some music with Marc and it sounded awful but we had fun. And it turns out, he also was the same sign!

Later on, I went on the road with her for the second Cat Power tour. I think it was in 1995. We crossed the Unites States in a Volkswagen van. That is how I fell in love with this country—it changed my perception forever. Chan, apart from being a genius musician and songwriter, is an exceptional human being. She had this energy that blew my mind. A rocket!

Performing before her is a real challenge because I am an unconditional fan, so I really don't want to f*ck it up. When Max and I arrive on stage, nobody knows us. People discover something that is like nothing they have heard before. The biggest satisfaction is when people start dancing or moving their heads, or just looking with curious eyes, noticing the French accent, the poetry and simplicity we put in the music. There is still something very amateur about us being on stage, and I guess some people like our vulnerability. And I think this vulnerability is what they love about Cat Power, too."

Buy tickets to see Appaloosa tomorrow night at the Warfield and click here to grab their demo album, availably exclusively from othermusic.com.

- Caroline Stanley

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