New CD and more

Hello everyone,

Well, the journey has begun. The band started recording our new CD yesterday. The session went really well and we got around five pieces recorded. Quite a bit more recording to go, but it's a beginning. Once all the recording is done, we have to edit and mix the sound. Then of course, we have to press the CDs, write and design the liner notes/artwork and get it out there! A lot of work still to go ...

If you want to support our efforts by buying the CD in advance (before it's made), we can use your money to pay for the production. If you would like to become an "Angel," and invest between $200 and $1,000, the offer is still open. Contact me and I'll tell you how.

We HAVE however made a new band video for the Yule season. Barry filmed it and Sharynne was away somewhere leading a workshop (or something), so they were not in it. Please check it out:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1244803357

We'll be playing for the "Gaia's Hearth" Yule Ritual on Sunday the 16th at noon. At the end of the ritual, there'll be a Spiral Dance with music provided by Trouz Bras plus The Elemental Choir. Susan (Seafire) Kirsch will lead the dance, Come and join in the fun.

We'll be helping to bring in the New Year by performing at "Providence Bright Night" on December 31st. We'll be sharing the bill with "Pendragon" at The First Baptist Church, 75 North Main Street, Providence, RI. Trouz Bras will perform (with guest bassist James Mobius) at 7:00pm and 9:00pm. Pendragon will play at 10:00pm and 11:00pm.

The band has just been re-booked at "The Blackstone River Theatre." We had a blast at the theatre when we played last year. See a clip of our performance here:

http://one.revver.com/watch/288875/flv

Our new gig at the Blackstone is on Saturday February 23rd at 8:00pm. This will be our first performance there with Sharynne. Check out how to buy tickets here:

http://www.riverfolk.org/

Have a great Holiday!
Ray and Trouz Bras

Menez Du

Check out this mystical video from the Black Mountains of Brittany, with music by Malicorne.

A Korrigan has my back!

I'm being looked after by this little fella!

Ray from the band now sells his own music online

Ray From the band is now selling his music online.
Sample it and buy it here:

Cercle Celtique Tréteau & Terroir perform in Lorient

Do you know the way to Saint-Malo?

The Plin!

Yann-Fanch Perroches performs the three part suite of The Plin.

Plinn Ton-Simple

Bal Plinn

Plinn Ton-Double

A band called DIAMIK

I just came across this Breton band with great musicians Brigitte Kloareg, Yann-Fanch Perroches and Gwenael Kivijer.

They're wonderful!

Their MySpace page is http://www.myspace.com/diamik

Enjoy!

Cyber Fest Noz

The 9th annual "Cyber Fest Noz" will be webcast from PARIS on September 22, 2007.

Trouz Bras will be performing for dancing at a club in Manhattan, New York as part of the celebration, and will be webcast for around 30 minutes at some point in the proceedings.

You can watch the Cyber Fest Noz at www.antourtan.com between 12pm and 6pm (East Coast USA time)

Breizh 'n' Bass

www.breizhnbass.com

Where old dances are dumped!

I was going to get a coffee in Providence, RI and came
across this receptacle where old dances go to die!

I wonder if there are other ones for Hanter Dros and Gavottes etc.

A Breton Vacation

Homer's holiday in Brittany:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49184395@N00/543771280/

There's certainly Rennes, St. Malo and Mont St. Michel in there!

Alan Stivell in Concert

Alan stivell
Uploaded by lebrestois029

Photos of Brittany

Lots and lots of photographs of small detail in Brittany at this blog:

http://kerhiec.blogspot.com/

Everything from bumper stickers

"I am Breton and I am Proud"

to cottages

and food

Very nice!

To masque or not to masque? That is the question!

The band just before our performance
at "Celebration of Celts" in Upstate, New York.

Hmm? Who is who??

Mance, Sharynne, Ray, Meena (our firedancer) and Barry

Our fabulous masques are by

Lisa Russeno & William Therrion
www.BlackSwannMasques.com

Dance, dance wherever you may be

By BARBARA EHRENREICH
Published: June 3, 2007

COMPARED with most of the issues that the venerable civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel takes up, this one may seem like the ultimate in urban frivolity: Late last month, he joined hundreds of hip-hoppers, salsa dancers, Lindy Hoppers and techno-heads boogying along Fifth Avenue to protest New York City’s 80-year-old restrictions on dancing in bars.

But disputes over who can dance, how and where, are at least as old as civilization, and arise from the longstanding conflict between the forces of order and hierarchy on the one hand, and the deep human craving for free-spirited joy on the other.

New York’s cabaret laws limit dancing to licensed venues. They date back to the Harlem Renaissance, which had created the unsettling prospect of interracial dancing.

For decades, no one paid much attention to the laws until Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, bent on turning Manhattan into a giant mall/food court, decided to get tough. Today, the city far more famous for its night life than its Sunday services has only about 170 venues where it is legal to get up and dance — hence last month’s danced protest, as well as an earlier one in February.

Dust-ups over dancing have become a regular feature of urban life. Dance clubs all over the country have faced the threat of shutdowns because the dancing sometimes spills over into the streets. While neighbors annoyed by sleepless nights or the suspicion of illegal drug use may be justified in their concerns, conflict over public dancing has a long history — one that goes all the way back to the ancient Mediterranean world.

The Greeks danced to worship their gods — especially Dionysus, the god of ecstasy. But then the far more strait-laced Romans cracked down viciously on Dionysian worship in 186 B.C., even going on to ban dancing schools for Roman children a few decades later. The early Christians incorporated dance into their liturgy, despite church leaders’ worries about immodesty. But at the end of the fourth century, the archbishop of Constantinople issued the stern pronouncement: “For where there is a dance, there is also the Devil.”

The Catholic Church did not succeed in prohibiting dancing within churches until the late Middle Ages, and in doing so perhaps inadvertently set off the dance “manias” that swept Belgium, Germany and Italy starting in the 14th century. Long attributed to some form of toxin — ergot or spider venom — the manias drove thousands of people to the streets day and night, mocking and menacing the priests who tried to stop them.

In northern Europe, Calvinism brought a hasty death to the old public forms of dancing, along with the costuming, masking and feasting that had usually accompanied them. All that survived, outside of vestiges of “folk dancing,” were the elites’ tame, indoor ballroom dances, fraught, as in today’s “Dancing With the Stars,” with anxiety over a possible misstep. When Europeans fanned out across the globe in the 18th and 19th centuries, the colonizers made it a priority to crush the danced rituals of indigenous people, which were seen as savagery, devil worship and
prelude to rebellion.

To the secular opponents of public dancing, it is always a noxious source of disorder and, in New York’s case, noise. But hardly anyone talks about what is lost when the music stops and the traditional venues close. Facing what he saw as an epidemic of melancholy, or what we would now call depression, the 17th-century English writer Robert Burton placed much of the blame on the Calvinist hostility to “dancing, singing, masking, mumming and stage plays.” In fact, in some cultures, ecstatic dance has been routinely employed as a cure for emotional disorders. Banning dancing may not cause depression, but it removes an ancient cure for it.

The need for public, celebratory dance seems to be hardwired into us. Rock art from around the world depicts stick figures dancing in lines and circles at least as far back as 10,000 years ago. According to some anthropologists, dance helped bond prehistoric people together in the large groups that were necessary for collective defense against marauding predators, both animals and human. While language also serves to forge community, it doesn’t come close to possessing the emotional urgency of dance. Without dance, we risk loneliness and anomie.

Dancing to music is not only mood-lifting and community building; it’s also a uniquely human capability. No other animals, not even chimpanzees, can keep together in time to music. Yes, we can live without it, as most of us do most of the time, but why not reclaim our distinctively human heritage as creatures who can generate our own communal pleasures out of music and dance?

This is why New Yorkers — as well as all Americans faced with anti-dance restrictions — should stand up and take action; and the best way to do so is by high stepping into the streets.

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author, most recently, of “Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy.”

Celtic Cousins

Ray here.

I'm Welsh and our anthem was taken up by the Bretons some years ago.

The Welsh and Bretons really are Celtic Cousins. This slide show features two versions of the Breton anthem - the second one by Alan Stivell with the lads from Cardiff Arms Park, the spiritual and physical home of Welsh rugby.

There are some lovely photographs from both countries in this clip:

La Migration Bigoudenn

A delightful short film:

Chistr Happens…

Here’s a drawing of a Breton bloke who’s had a bit too much “chistr” staggering out of the cider house. The title “Douce Ivresse” translates as “tipsy.” Notice the gent’s concerned-looking escort (perhaps the barmaid) carrying his hat and stick.

Thanks to Joanne Gagnon of Celtic Beat for sharing this photo from an antique postcard. Click on the image above for a closer (and clearer) look at it.

-Barry

Trouz Bras live at The Blackstone River Theatre

This is a new sampler of Trouz Bras at The Blackstone River Theatre, Cumberland in Rhode Island.

If you haven't seen us live in concert, here's a five minute taster:

Trouz Bras teaches Breton Dances

A selection of dances from an event at Belmont in MA.

The Breton Waltz

This is a video of Trouz Bras performing Barry Hall's "The Golden Waltz" with guest fiddle player Shira Kammen in Grafton, MA

A train to Brittany?

A bit of Ancient History

Let me tell you about one of the best things in the whole, wide world - Breton dancing and its magical properties.

The Bretons dance at events called "Festou-Noz" or "Night Festivals." They are gatherings of locals and visitors who come together to celebrate "Breton-ness" (my word). These dances encapsulate everything about being a proud Celt and wanting to show it off. The music is mesmerizing and performed on everything from a capella voices through medieval bagpipe and rustic oboe to synths and drum sets. The dances are simple and hypnotic. They are performed by everyone from the youngest to the very oldest in the community in circles, lines and spirals. Add to the music and dance, fantastic crepes, frites, oysters, cidre and wine, and you have the makings of a really good night out (IMHO). There has been a huge renaissance of interest in the music and dance of Brittany in the last number of years, and younger and younger folks are dancing the dances and learning to play the music.

It was the summer of 1993 and I had just gone back to England from California where I had led dances on a tour of the west coast. During the trip I had decided that I would try living in California for a while. There were a few weeks before going back to California, so I thought that I would like to visit Brittany during the time, as it might be quite a while before my next visit.

Accompanied by a friend from Bristol named Angela, we set off. Angela was an avid circle dancer, but had never been to Brittany or a Fest Noz. I had been to many, of all kinds. They had varied from huge events at the big festivals such as Lorient and Quimper and small, local affairs in far flung villages.

We made our way to the tiny, fairly remote village of Logonna-Daoulas which was situated on the rocky coast just south of Brest.

Logonna-Daoulas certainly took some finding, even with a good map. We did find it in the late afternoon and there were many villagers building a huge bonfire on the village green. We were much too early, as most Festou-Noz don't start until about 10:00pm. Having assured ourselves that we'd found the right place, we set off to find lodging. Home on that night turned out to be a beautiful converted watermill nearby. The thing with a Fest Noz is that if it's successful it continues on until the early hours of the morning. We may not need these beds after all (but they would be good for sleeping off the festivities the next day). We snoozed in the garden and ate a hearty Breton meal in the restaurant of the mill to prepare ourselves for the dancing.

At around 10:00 we drove back into the village and things seemed as though they weren't going to get going for quite a while. We went into the local bar and had some drinks and only slowly did things start to happen. We found that the dance was to commemorate the burning of Joan of Arc and that "things never get going until late around here."

At about 10:45 there was a rush of people to the bar and the excitement began to grow. We went outside just in time to see the lighting of the bonfire, which by this time was as tall as a three story house! The musicians would play from a stage made of a farm trailer with a cover and the outside bar was beginning to do brisk business. The main band for the evening was one of my favorites. "Skolvan" appeared on stage and it was straight into a gavotte and we were off - no introductions, no big build up. In fact there wasn't a single announcement of any kind all night.

The dances kept coming - an dro, plin, laride, rond de Loudeac on into the night ...

When Skolvan were having a break, we danced to an elderly couple of men from the village who sang "Kan ha Diskan", an a capella style of singing. The tempo wavered greatly, but it was wonderful to experience. We also danced to two young musicians called "sonerion" (in Breton) or "sonneurs de couple" (in French). This was the music that Alan Stivell envisioned for a Fest Noz as played on the biniou koz (old bagpipe) and the bombarde (rustic oboe). They were really hot and I could see that in a couple of years they were going to be well known in Brittany.

The fire was constantly replenished and it was incredibly hot. The steps of Breton dances are simple and hypnotic and as the night wore on I could feel that I was getting into a very deep place within myself. I consider the dances 'moving meditations.'

At around about 3:00am it began to rain very heavily and all of us who were dancing in the spiral just moved closer to the fire and were protected by a dome of steam. Those still drinking at the bar were getting soaked. I began to feel very strange. It was as though a huge serpent was uncurling in my belly and was beginning to move up my spine. My chakras were opening with a whoosh as the snake got to them and I was getting lighter and lighter. The dances just kept coming, no conversation between them, no introductions, the band struck up and we danced. Eventually the serpent reached my crown chakra and opened it with a huge burst of flame. I was flying.

I continued to dance in this ecstatic state for hours. 4:00am, 5:00am came and I really felt that at last I understood what these dances were about. Obviously I was experiencing the opening of the Kundalini energy as is taught in eastern traditions and I hadn't even been trying. At about 6:00am I felt the serpent begin to recede, down through the chakras, closing them as it went. Suddenly I began to feel incredibly tired and asked Angela if she would like to leave. We did and she drove back to the watermill.

I have wondered since if many Bretons have had the experience that I did whilst dancing; and thought maybe I'd had it due to my experience of sacred circle dance. It was September 1995 before I thought of it again. I was dancing with the band Ad Vielle Que Pourra at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, California. Benoit from the band was teaching an An Dro and he was talking about raising the serpent. I went to talk to him at the end, and he told me that he had experienced it on a number of occasions.

It's now 2007, and I have danced at hundreds more Festou-Noz. The serpent has risen on many occasions where I have been able to give myself to the music and dance without having to be concerned about teaching or performing. A Fest Noz can be attended at many levels from pure entertainment, through a community gathering to a spiritual event. When in Brittany look for the magic words FEST NOZ on posters in tabac windows, on notice boards or telegraph poles. For the price of a few Euros, you can join in the dance and have a peak into a Celtic world that almost disappeared. With all the music and dance enthusiasts in Brittany right now, I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.

- Ray Price

Cidre from The Big Apple?

There's a new Breton organization just formed in New York. They are called "BZH New York" or The Association of Bretons and Friends of Brittany in the New York area. Made up of ex-pat Bretons, they organize monthly get togethers, Festou-Noz, a Bastille Day celebration in Manhattan and they are hosting the New York leg (arm?) of the huge "Cyber-FestNoz" on September 22nd, 2007.

Their biggest event to date (and it was REALLY big), was bringing the Breton Bagad "Kevrenn Alre" to Manhattan and Philadelphia for the St. Patrick's weekend (with the Bagad appearing in the NY St. Paddy's Day Parade).

Their website is at www.bzh-ny.org/

When in Paris

If you want a little Breton flavor, wander into Montparnasse which is the Breton quarter of the city. There you'll find more creperies than you can shake a stick at and Breton gift shops and music/bookstores. Deep inside Montparnasse, you'll also find "La Mission Bretonne" or "Tri ar Vretoned." It's a community center for ex-pat Bretons where you'll find dance classes, talks, "Festou-Noz" and "Festou-Deiz" and all manner of things Breton.

Don't bother in July or August though, because it closes so everyone can go home to Brittany.

Their website.

Also in London

If you're in "The Big Smoke" and can tear yourself away from the fish 'n chips and warm beer, there's "On Bouge."

"Come and dance French & Breton dances as danced at French bals folks and festivals and Breton festou noz (night festivals). Bourrées, Breton gavottes, polkas, mazurkas, rondeaux, schottisches and valses. No partner necessary, but feel free to bring them. You are all welcome!

Musicians - develop your repertoire and technique for dance-related music in an informal setting.

Music and chat session in the bar from 6.30pm. We often start with a short workshop, followed by general dancing, but sometimes it is interspersed. All experienced dancers are happy to help."

Find "On Bouge" on the web here.

If you find yourself in London

Le Breizho is organized by a group of ex-pat Bretons in London. They put on "Festou-Noz," dance classes and other get togethers, so if you are away in London and want an An Dro or Gavotte, track them down.

You'll find their website at www.breizho.org.uk

ICDBL

If you love Brittany and Breton music and dance, you should consider becoming a member of this great organization: The International Committee for the Defense of the Breton Language.

The ICDBL was established in 1975 in Brussels, Belgium, to support the repeated demands of Bretons that their native language be given the recognition and place in the schools, media and public life of Brittany that it needs to survive. The ICDBL was founded by and continues to count on the support of NON-Bretons, as well as people of Breton heritage living throughout the world, who testify to the international concern for the future of the Breton language.

The U.S. Branch of the ICDBL was founded in 1981, and has members in 38 states - from Alaska, Hawaii and California, to Maine, Florida and Texas. The U.S. ICDBL is a non-profit organization with the aim to help Americans learn about Brittany and the Breton language and culture, and to support the development of the Breton language education and culture in Brittany.

All U.S. ICDBL members receive the quarterly newsletter called Bro Nevez ("New Country" in the Breton language). This 40-45 page newsletter (primarily in English with some Breton and French) includes articles about the Breton language and culture, book and music reviews, and short notes to introduce readers to Breton history, art, literature, economy, sports, nature and Brittany's Celtic cousins. Membership (or subscription to the newsletter only) costs US$20 per year for US residents and US$25 for non-US residents.

Visit the ICDBL Website
Check out the Breton Links

The Trouz Bras FAQ

All the questions you're dying to ask.

How did you come up with the name Trouz Bras?
"Trouz Bras" translates from Breton (the Celtic language of Brittany) to "big noise" or "great sound." We think it describes us well - we work hard to make a great big noisy sound! Our name is often mis-read, misspelled, and mis-pronounced ("true brazz" FYI). It has nothing to do with fish, or trousers, or brassieres. (BTW, Ray thinks it's all about him and his freaking-loud bagpipes. Pipers are so vain!)

Do you play Cape Breton music?
No. Cape Breton Island is a community in Canada with strong Scottish roots. We play the Breton music of Brittany, the western half of France. It's a country of barren landscapes, Celtic myths and legends, megaliths and unique music and dance.

That sounds cool. What else is Brittany known for?
Crepes. Cider. Bombardes. Awesome cider. A strong sense of community and cultural identity that reaches back thousands of years. Did we mention the awesome cider?

Why do you play Breton music?
Ray fell in love with the music and dance of Brittany when he first visited in the 1920s. Since then he's spent many delirious nights all across Brittany at "Festou Noz" (night festivals), drinking cider and dancing until he keeled over. He loves Breton dancing more than life itself, and he will teach it to anyone who has at least two legs. The locals declared him an "honorary Breton" (a title that was later revoked once they tasted his cooking).

Why is Breton music Celtic?
The Celtic universe is much larger than just Ireland and Scotland. There are actually two distinct families of nations, related by their language and culture. Ireland, Scotland and Isle of Man make up one branch, and Wales, Brittany, and Cornwall the other. Until recently, the ancient traditions of the lesser-known groups have languished in comparative obscurity, but Trouz Bras (and many other newer Breton bands in Europe) aim to help change that. Breton music is traditionally performed on ancient instruments known as the biniou koz (old bagpipe) and bombard (rustic shawm), both of which are extremely loud. As time has progressed, the music has developed with the introduction of fiddles, accordions and guitars. There has been a huge renaissance of interest in the "Fest Noz" in recent years. The music is driving, insistent and mesmerizing and the spiral and circle dances are performed by everyone from the youngest to the very oldest.

Where are you guys in Trouz Bras from?
Ray is originally from Wales, though at some point in his life he has lived in, traveled to, or been kicked out of just about every continent. Mance is a native New Englander. He still lives in the house he was born in. (Still sleeps in the same crib, too). Barry was raised in an Ohio cornfield and grew up playing hillbilly music on a cigar-box fiddle. We're not sure where Brian is from. He just showed up one day with his bass and started playing. We haven't really spoken to him yet. We only know his name because it's written on his butt. With a Sharpie. (Don't ask).

What type of bagpipes is Ray playing?
Ray plays a set of traditional Breton pipes called a "veuze" (which is Breton for "burst eardrums"). He also plays a larger, mellower set of English border pipes. (Of course, it's ridiculous to use the term "mellow" with bagpipes.) The other bag you'll see Ray pick up during performances is filled with gin.

How did you come up with the band's instrumentation?
The bagpipes and fiddle are traditional instruments in Breton music. Barry also plays the vielle, which is a Medieval European fiddle. For the rhythm section we draw on traditional instruments - Mance's bodhrans come from the mists of ancient Irish history, and Brian's electric bass comes from the darkest recesses of eBay. We like using these instruments to back up the tunes, rather than being clichˆ© - no drum set, no guitars, and no keyboards.

But isn't that a guitar Barry's playing?
Yeah, it kind of looks like one, but it's actually a bouzouki.

I thought a bouzouki was some sort of weapon?
In the wrong hands it is.

Do you guys make a lot of money playing Breton music?
It varies. Each member of the band is paid on a per-note basis. So that means Mance gets paid more than the rest of the band. Combined. Ray earns the least, since his droning pipes only clock in at one note per tune.

How is Trouz Bras different from other Celtic bands?
Hmm, well it's likely that we're less tattooed. We rarely play in pubs, and we do all our own stunts.

What? You do our own stunts?
Well, most of them. We use stunt doubles for crowd surfing, and for band rehearsals.

Someone who loves Brittany!

I was checking around the blogosphere when I was putting together this new site and came across an artist who lives and works in Brittany named Sarah Wimperis.

Sarah creates beautiful work on the theme of Brittany and its people and you should check her out.

Her main blog is: http://www.sarahwimperis.blogspot.com/
From there you can find out about her work as a painter, her life in Brittany and her lovely B&B.


Of particular interest to me were her pictures of Breton dancers. The one above really captures the essence of a Fest Noz (but as Sarah says, "not the smells"). The picture below is a very whimsical depiction of some Breton dancers - it's cute!


Enjoy her work and her love of Brittany!

- Ray

Making a NOISE in a bookstore

Barry from Trouz Bras and I performed in Lowell, MA yesterday for "A Celebration of Brittany."

We went under the name "The Trouz Bras Sonneurs de Couple."
It was great making a noise in a bookstore with our biniou and bombarde! It's a pity that there wasn't a bigger audience.

Who knew that Jack Kerouac had Breton roots and was born and bred in Lowell? That's what the event was all about.

- Ray

Kerouac Attack!

As Ray mentioned in his posting, we played at an event honoring Jack Kerouac at his birthplace in Lowell, MA. Traditional Breton instruments and garb...everything but the cider!


We were LOUD! Ray said it had always been his dream to blast his bagpipes in a bookstore. It's always been my dream to blast a bagpipe store, but that's for another day.

- Barry

Another Picture from Lowell, MA

The "Trouz Bras Sonneurs de Couple" or "Sonerion"
Ray Price - Veuze
Barry Hall - Bombarde