Dionysos - The Sun Is Blue Like the Eggs in Winter (1998)
Tracklist front / back album covers
Dionysos is a French pop / rock band formed in 1993 in Valence, Drôme; they formed at their lycée. They perform songs in both French and English, and have released six studio albums. They are well known in France for their surrealism and eccentricity.
Their first album, Happening Songs, was self-produced and with entirely English lyrics. With their second album The sun is blue like eggs in Winter (also self-produced) Babet became a member. In 1999, they signed to a major label (the now defunct Trema) and released Haïku which brought the band in to the public eye, mainly thanks to the success of the single "Coccinelle".
The name of the band comes from the ancient Greek god Dionysus, which in French is Dionysos.
Dionysos Band Members / Musicians
Mathias Malzieu – vocals, ukulele, folk guitar, theremin, harmonica, glockenspiel
Mathias is the main songwriter and frontman. He has also written three books – 38 mini westerns (Pimientos, 2003), Maintenant qu'il fait tout le temps nuit sur toi (Flammarion, 2005) et La mécanique du cœur (Flammarion, 2007) – with inspiration drawing between the albums and the novels.
Éric Serra Tosio a.k.a. Rico – drums, percussion, whistle
Michaël Ponton a.k.a. Miky Biky – lead guitar, phonograph turntable, banjo, lapsteel, ukulele, programming. The Miky Biky co-produced La mécanique du cœur with Mathias.
Guillaume Garidel a.k.a. Guillermo – bass guitar, contrabass, synthesizer
Élisabeth Maistre a.k.a. Babet – vocals, violin, keys, banjo, theremin (member since 1998). Babet has begun a solo career and released two albums: Drôle d'oiseau (5 March 2007) and Piano Monstre (27 September 2010).
Stéphan Bertholio a.k.a. Stéphano – banjo, keys, bass, glockenspiel, ukulele, baritone guitar, lapsteel, musical saw, melodica (backliner, then official member since 2002). Stéphan worked as the band's backliner on tour, but joined officially during the recording of Monsters in Love.
Dionysos Discography Full
Studio albums
1996 Happening Songs
1998 The Sun Is Blue Like the Eggs in Winter
1999 Haïku
2002 Western sous la neige
2005 Monsters in Love
2007 La Mécanique du Cœur
2012 Bird 'n' Roll
2016 Vampire en pyjama
2020 Surprisier
Live albums
2003 Whatever the Weather – Concert Électrique
2003 Whatever the Weather – Concert Acoustique
2007 Monsters in Live
DVDs
2003 Whatever the Weather – recorded 30 May 2003 at 'La Laiterie' in Strasbourg
2007 Monsters in Live – recorded 28 October 2006 at Le Zénith in Paris with the Synfonietta de Belfort orchestra
1997 Yoghurt session – extremely rare vinyl
1998 Soon, on your radio – a CD featuring Dionysos alongside Mary's Child and Despondents
2001 Old School Recordings – a collection of rare recordings
2009 Eats Music – another collection of rare recordings, demos and alternative or live versions of previous released tracks
