8 ½ Souvenirs was formed in 1993 by French-born guitarist and singer Olivier Giraud. "I had no idea what Austin was when I first came here. I was visiting some expatriate French friends and looking for parts for my '54 Olds Rocket 88, which had been half-destroyed by an 18-wheeler. I was blown away by Austin, and I decided to stay." His obsession with old French films and Italian neo-realism combined with his love of Django still directs the vibe of the music. Kathy became the band's first female singer when she and Glover Gill joined the group in 1994. They skyrocketed to local success and recorded Happy Feet with Kathy live at The Continental Club on the venue's label. She then married and moved to The Florida Keys, where she began her family. The band members changed over several years, with Juliana Sheffield and then Chrysta Bell singing. They eventually broke up in 2001. "Thanks to the musical gods, in 2014, we wrangled the original band back together and have been performing ever since."
In January 2022, after 20+ years, they released their album "At The Movies", produced by Charlie Sexton. The music is a multilingual musical confluence of European cafe society, hot club, circus swing, and jazz with English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese songs. The songs are heavily influenced by jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt ("Souvenirs") and Nino Rota, composer of Federico Fellini's film 8 ½. At The Movies is their "IF we only get to make one more record, what do we want people to hear" album (we certainly hope there will be more). It is a collection of songs the band has been playing weekly at their C-Boy's Heart & Soul residency in Austin, Texas since they reunited in 2014, and the album is as eclectic as the band.
