“Lyon is a beautiful city with great energy”
Hi; I’m Rémy Kaprielan, 39 years old professional drummer. I grew up between France and the USA.
First a short sentence to introduce yourself with your name, age, familiy, country of origin, job, centres of interest
Hi; My name is Rémy Kaprielan. I’m 39 years old. Happily married and father of two. I was born in France. My mom is American and my father’s French. I grew up between France and the USA, going back and forth…
I’m a professional musician and I play the drums.
My centers of interest: Music, of course; Vintage drums, and most of all I try to spend as much time as I can with my family.
Where are you from and what are you doing nowadays?
I grew up in Valence, a one hour drive from Lyon going South.
I came to Lyon in 1996 and I’ve been based here since then. I’m a pro drummer, playing live shows and recording albums for different artists.
Why did you choose to move to Lyon?
I chose to move to Lyon to come and study at the university. I studied Musicology at Lyon 2, and went to Villeurbanne’s music school (jazz section), then to the music Conservatory. Valence is a smaller city. I needed to move here to continue my studies.
What attracted you to Lyon?
Well, Lyon wasn’t too far from Valence, and it offered me all the education I needed.
What was your image of Lyon before you came here?
I already knew Lyon before coming here because my brother was living in rue de l’Arbre Sec. He’d already showed me around, and I was very attracted by all the cultural events, the concerts, the museums, by the beauty and the vibe of the city!
What surprised you the most on your arrival?
The action! So much to do, so much to see, a whole new world to discover.
Have you been able to adapt to the way of life here?
Yes; Very easily!
Has it been easy to make local friends and connections?
As I said, my older brother was living here, so I was quickly introduced to his friends. But on my side, I had the chance to meet one of my best friends on the first day of school at the University, who took me to this little bar (Café de l’Harmonie) where all his friends were playing music. The connexion was made and we started to play!
How do you spend your leisure time?
Walking around, doing some sneaker shopping, meeting friends and talking about life and musical projects, going to the movies with my kids, discovering new places and restaurants with my wife… And traveling: I like to go away and discover the world then come back home and always realize that Lyon is a great place to be!
What are your favourite local dishes?
I really love the old school “saucisson chaud and pommes vapeurs”!
Where do you go for coffee, lunch, dinner, a drink?
For coffee, I go to the Mokxa, or to the Bistro du Boulevard and café Jutard, and I also like the Broc Bar.
I often have lunch at either the Montana, the Bistro du Boulevard or for fast food I like Best Bagels or Bollyfood. For dinner Mamma Osteria is very nice and of course the famous Brasserie Georges or Les Boulistes…but for good pizza nothing compares to Pizza Puce.
For drinks Paddy’s Pub, the Voxx, l’Antiquaire, l’Antirouille, the Look Bar or on the boats floating on the Rhône river…are all fun places to be.
Your family is coming to visit. Where would you take them and what would you show them?
We would go for a long walk around the city, starting from Les Pentes de la Croix Rousse (where I live), going down to the Terreaux, continue until place Bellecour, crossing the Saône river, and walking around the old part of town (St Georges/St Jean/St Paul)…
Your friends are coming. Where would you go?
I’d take them downtown to show them around, then we would go for lunch and after that maybe visit a museum (the MAC) We could also walk around the Parc de la Tête d’or, then go see a concert at Le Bal des Fringants or at the Périscope and end up somewhere for drinks! 😉
What do you like most about Lyon?
The human size. I go to Paris a lot for work, and I always love to come back home because Lyon is a beautiful city with great energy and it’s also less stressful than Paris because everything’s at a decent walking distance.
If you had a magic wand what would you change about Lyon?
I would just add the sea!!! We already have a lot of water with the two rivers, but I wouldn’t mind having the beach vibe and the view! 😉
Would you like to give any advice to people moving to Lyon?
Well, there is so much to say about this city but moving to Lyon will be the smartest move you’ll ever make as it’s not far from the mountains and from the sea plus it’s only 2 hours away from Paris by the high speed train (the TGV).
Culturally and businesswise it’s very interesting and the whole city has a positive feeling about it.
What else? 😉
Do you feel that Lyon is an international city?
Of course! I think it’s a very attractive city concerning tourism, and lot of students from all over the world come to study here. And also, a lot is happening concerning the big international events in sports, music, dance and business.
Lyon is a city that is constantly moving forward.
Listen to Rémy Kaprielan last production: