Bengal's Corner

Hello, everyone!

For those of you asking me about Gil and his tours, here is some information. After he toured Europe, he came to US for a 3-week list of concerts. Yes, that short and quick, and completely sold out...

March 15th 2007 - Toronto, Canada
Massey Hall

March 16th 2007 - Ann Arbor, MI
University of Michigan - Hill Auditorium

March 18th 2007 - Washington, DC
GW Lisner Auditorium

March 20th 2007 - New York, NY
Carnegie Hall

March 21st 2007 - New Bedford, MA
Zeiterion Theatre

March 24th 2007 - Los Angeles, CA
Royce Hall
UCLA

March 25th 2007 - Berkeley, CA
Zellerbach Auditorium
UC Berkeley

March 27th 2007 - Davis, CA
Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
UC Davis

March 28th 2007 - Redwood City, CA
Fox Theatre

March 30th 2007 - Miami, FL
Miami Performing Arts Center

March 31st 2007 - Tampa, FL
Ferguson Theatre
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

Bengal.

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This is a quick Wikipedia text. They don't mention his is a Grammy winner and many other acomplishments but it's a start for those curious about him. Also, this is a recent article [Associated Press] with more info.

Gilberto Gil commence sa carrière comme musicien de bossa nova, mais se met rapidement à composer des chansons centrées sur la politique et l'activisme social, avec son camarade Caetano Veloso. Dans les années 70, Gil enrichit sa musique de nouveaux éléments, inspirés de la musique africaine et nord-américaine. Continuant sa carrière, il écrit également pour d'autres artistes comme Eu Vim Da Bahia pour João Gilberto.

En 1969, Gil et Veloso, dont l'importance au Brésil était d'une certaine forme comparable à celle de John Lennon et Paul McCartney dans le monde anglophone, sont taxés de subversion et emprisonnés par le régime militaire brésilien instauré en 1964. Une fois relachés, ils s'exilent tous deux à Londres. Gil joue alors avec les groupes Yes, Pink Floyd et Incredible String Band, tout en continuant sa carrière solo. Dans les années 70, il fait une tournée aux Etats-Unis et enregistre un album en anglais. Il travaille aussi avec Jimmy Cliff et sort en 1980 un version portugaise de No Woman, No Cry (en portugais, Não chores mais) le succès de Bob Marley & The Wailers, qui introduisit le reggae au Brésil, et y connut également le succès. L’un de ses plus grands succès est le titre Toda menina baiana de 1979.

Il continue à enregistrer des disques et à donner des concerts, mais s'implique également dans diverses causes sociales. Au début des années 90, il se lance en politique et devient conseiller municipal à Salvador, sa ville natale. Son album de 1993, Tropicália 2, avec Caetano Veloso comporte une chanson de Jimi Hendrix, Wait Until Tomorrow, et est considéré comme l'un de ses meilleurs depuis la fin des années 60.

Quand le président Lula da Silva est élu en janvier 2003, il choisit Gilberto Gil pour être son Ministre de la Culture, malgré les critiques de nombreuses personnalités.

Son dernier album, datant de 2004, a été diffusé par le magazine américain Wired sous licence Creative Commons.

by Wikipedia

[Wikipedia links were removed for transcription/changes - all authorized/copyrigthed]

Hello, everyone!

This is another nice tip for tomorrow, in case you are around Farmington (ME). I know many of you can drive there easily.

I'm sure you will have a lot of fun listening to Boréal Tordu!

Bengal. (Thanks, Benoit P.)


Dear friends,

We're so very excited about the Boréal Tordu concert this Saturday at the Nordica Auditorium (The show starts at 7:30pm) in Farmington, ME. This special event is sponsored by the Arts Institute of Western Maine.

Opening the show are the great Franklin County Fiddlers [group of musicians from the Farmington area that tours around Maine displaying and promoting fiddle styles], directed by Tordu's own Steve Muise, soon on their way to tour Ireland. Doors open at 7pm.

Now that Douce is history, Robert will be bringing some of that energy to Boréal Tordu along with some new songs and some other surprises, with Andy Buckland joining us on bass while Pip picks up the guitar parts, and Robby & Steve.. well, you'll see. Rehearsals have been a blast. Please come join us if you can.

Also, next week Rob and Ron head to Vinalhaven to present a program on Acadian music and culture for Vinalhaven public schools. Hey, that's a great idea- every school should do that. Spread the word - the Acadians are here!

À bientôt!

Boréal Tordu
La musique originale des Acadiens du Maine
Original music of Maine-Acadians
30 Mechanic Street
Portland, ME 04101
(207) 761-3931
tordu@gigafone.com

Folk Alliance Presents at Tin Pan South
Saturday, March 31, 2007 – 7:00pm – 12th & Porter – Nashville, TN

Jonathan Edwards, Wendy Waldman, Jim Photoglo & Anthony da Costa

JONATHAN EDWARDS
The word "legend" is often used to describe veteran folk/rocker Jonathan Edwards, whose 1971 million-selling song "Sunshine" ("go away today...") brought him instant fame. During his 35-year career he has recorded 15 albums and collaborated with artists like Emmylou Harris and Jimmy Buffett. His 1987 album, LITTLE HANDS, was selected by the National Library Association as a "Notable Children's Recording." His career has included theater, commercials, record production, and a movie soundtrack. He narrated and performed in the series, "Cruising America's Waterways", which has been airing on PBS-TV stations since 2001, and his most recent CD, LIVE IN MASSACHUSETTS, was released in December, 2006.

WENDY WALDMAN
Wendy Waldman is a critically acclaimed recording artist, as well as a writer of multi-platinum songs for other singers in musical genres ranging from country to pop, film, jazz, children's music and R&B. She is one of the first female record producers to have a major impact in the music industry. Among her biggest records are "Save The Best For Last" and "The Sweetest Days" by Vanessa Williams; "Fishin' In The Dark" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (most recently covered by Garth Brooks); "Baby What About You" by Crystal Gayle; "I Owe You One" by Aaron Neville; "Heartbeat" by Don Johnson, "I'm Gone" by Alison Krauss. She recently put the finishing touches on a brand new Wendy Waldman solo album entitled My Time In The Desert, her first in 18 years, which is scheduled for a 2007 release.

JIM PHOTOGLO
Jim Photoglo has received international acclaim for seven solo albums, as well as two with rhythm and bluegrass band Run C&W, and two with the Vinyl Kings. His most recent release, SPARKS IN THE RADIO, was cited as one of the top CDs on Folk DJ's Best Albums of 2005. As a songwriter with numerous credits in various genres, two of Jim's songs reached #1 on the Country charts including The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishin' in the Dark", one of the Top 200 Recurring Country Singles of all time. Lately he has been combining concerts with songwriting workshops at colleges, clubs and coffeehouses.

ANTHONY DA COSTA
Anthony da Costa is a 16-year-old, folk/indie rock, singer/songwriter from Pleasantville, NY. A member of Tribes Hill and the Folk Alliance, his writing and performing draws from a deep well of rich musical influences, ranging from Bob Dylan and The Band, to Dan Bern and The Beatles, to Neil Young and Johnny Cash. Anthony, a multi-instrumentalist and prolific songwriter, plays coffee houses, stages and festivals throughout New York and beyond. He debuted his fifth CD, Quality Time, at the Folk Alliance Conference in February, at which he was invited to formally showcase. It features singer/songwriter Fred Gillen Jr. and Americana trio, Red Molly. Anthony's greatest joy is sharing the stage with talented singer/songwriters, like Hope Machine (Fred Gillen Jr. & Steve Kirkman), Red Molly, Pat Wictor, David Massengill and even Pete Seeger! Said Fred, who produced Quality Time, "Anthony da Costa's songs shine a beautiful, delicate light on the heart of what it is to be human."

THE FOLK ALLIANCE
For 20 years, Folk Alliance has been the service association for the field, and works on behalf of the folk music and dance industry year round. Our advocacy efforts tackle issues important to the folk arts community. We offer a business directory of contacts for members, and a non-profit group exemption program for US-based organizations.

We are forming strategic partnerships with allied organizations to increase our voice in support of the arts on a grassroots and international level. Our goals are to increase access to needed resources for our members, and to expand to the breadth of the folk music and dance experience for the general public. We do the work we do on the international level so that our members in the field can do their work in their local areas more efficiently, with wider impact, and more profitably.

Hello, everyone,

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Nashville, TN) together with Vanderbilt University are sponsoring a lunchtime lecture by Peter Guralnick on Ray Charles' I Got a Woman hit.

For more information, check this link.

Bengal.

Dear all,

Today I had the opportunity to watch one of the Portland Symphony Orchestra performances in the morning. You read it right - in the morning. It's part of the Youth Concerts, a project that started during Arthur Bennett Lipkin's tenure with the symphony, as a resident conductor (1962-1967). The main goal of the program is to educate the young minds (8 to 13 years old) on "diverse styles of music, while learning about the elements of orchestral music and the instruments that perform it."

The theme for the series this year, Storm Chasers, is the weather and how it can be represented in a Classical repertoire. The concerts were held today at 9h30 and 11h10 am, at the beautifully architectured Merryl Auditorium and will repeat tomorrow at the same times. I was there a bit before the second performance.

I have to compliment the organization of the event for their ability in placing 800 children and their teachers (for each concert) into the auditorium in a very dynamic and efficient way - not an easy task - and even harder to remove them without much commotion and time between both presentations. The main entrance of the theater was surrounded by three-lanes of yellow buses.

Previously to the show, the teachers/schools had access to a pack containing some educational material and a warm welcome to the event by Heather Klenow, the Education and Operations Coordinator. In the material, you could find the program of the Youth Concerts, guidelines to prepare the children for the event with information on the orchestra instruments, the biography of the composers they would listen to, a glossary of musical terms, the artistic record of the performers (including guests), among other useful materials to make the experience pleasant and unique.

According to Normal Rapkin, one of the Orchestra board directors, who I met this morning, this project is presented to the local community twice a year. Once around March and then again around October. Today though it was the first concert where the Orchestra had a guest participating in the programme and he (Rapkin) seemed very excited about it. The guest he was referring to is the Québécois ensemble Le Vent du Nord (a local report on the band's shows with the orchestra can be found here).

Le Vent du Nord (Benoit Bourque, Simon Beaudry, Nicolas Boulerice and Olivier Demers) is in town since last Friday and gave two public performances over the weekend. These were Benoit Bourque's last public performances with the band, since he will start new projects soon. This farewell placed a sad note on the event for many fans that drove up (or down) here for the shows. I had the opportunity to meet some new friends, also talented artists and great people to be with. They told me how much Benoit's incredible energy, talents and stage presence will be missed.

This Québécois band, that has its name translated to English as "The Wind from the North", presented two of their compositions for the Youth Concerts Series together with the Portland Orchestra: Les amants du Saint-Laurent (N. Boulerice) and Gigue à trois (Trad/B. Bourque).

For the majority of the program though, the Classical agenda prevailed:

Wagner - Overture to the Flying Dutchman
Debussy - Nocturnes I. Clouds
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, Op. 8 No. 4 "Winter" I. Allegro non molto III. Allegro
Beethoven - Symphony No. 6, Op. 68 "Pastorale" IV. Allegro "The storm" V. Allegretto "Joyous thanksgiving after the storm"
Straus - Thunder and Lightning Polka

Daniel Meyer conducted the Portland Symphony Orchestra and Le Vent du Nord with expansive, warm gestures and joy. Concertmaster Charles Dimmick led the Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, in this performance.

Daniel introduced the Orchestra percussion to the little ones in the audience while reproducing the sounds of a storm under formation. The following step was to request each part of the theater to reproduce some of these sounds with their hands and feet, complementing the auditory effect. The children around me in the orchestra section were delighted! Another act that completed the presentation was the comic entrance by meteorologist Kevin Mannix (WCSH Channel 6) to introduce one of the classical pieces, explaining the physics behind the storms. At this point, for the average age of the audience, I think terms as "electrical charges" could pass unabsorbed since the concept isn't much accessible to the children of that age (hey, I'm a Physicist). But overall, if the teachers did their work beforehand, I'm positive that the children had an educational experience today. I know for sure, after hearing to many comments, that they enjoyed the whole event. Comments as "If I learn the guitar I can play with a symphony!" (reference to Le Vent Du Nord's guitarist Simon Beaudry) or "I'll buy the CD and make sounds of rain with my family now!".

In terms of complaints, the ones I've heard were - "I wanted to hear one of the band's songs without the orchestra" (from one of the teachers), "we should have more time to let the kids explore the instruments presented like the [Le Vent du Nord's] hurdy-gurdy played today, that isn't a common one" and "the guests weren't called back to the stage for the curtain call". I'm curious about this last one too. Is this a change in the traditional structure of the concerts that they adopt for these series? I missed the reappearance of all the performers after the end of the concert for acknowledging the audience's applauses.

Still, I want to congratulate the Portland Symphony Orchestra and their boards and staff for the initiative on the Youth Concerts series.

Bengal.

Hello, everyone!

I just saw that Pascal Gemme added a new message to his blog. He is having a great time in China. The articles on his performances are non-stop - although it takes a lot of effort to translate all the Mandarin (Pǔtōnghuà/Guóyǔ) texts. Maybe he will talk a lot more about his personal experiences once he is back in Canada. But for now, check all the other information he has been publishing on Québécois Traditional Music - just access his blog.

Bengal.

Hello, everyone!

Check out the New York Times review on Gilberto Gil's show at the Carnegie Hall (New York, NY) last Tuesday.

Bengal.

Hello, everyone!

I want to reproduce here part of an email sent by Le Vent du Nord because this is a great tip for the weekend for those that enjoy Québécois Traditional Music. I'm very curious to see them playing with an Orchestra.

Bengal.

"Symphonic Vent du Nord

March 24-25, Le Vent du Nord will perform two special concerts with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, as part of their 2006-2007 POP concert series. Note: Come to think of it, Portland (Maine) is only a five-and-a-half-hour drive from Montréal… These Portland concerts will be Benoit Bourque’s last concerts with Le Vent du Nord.

Le Vent du Nord Symphonique

Les 24 et 25 mars prochain, Le Vent du Nord présentera dans le cadre de la série de concerts POP 2006-2007 de l’Orchestre symphonique de Portland, deux concerts spéciaux entouré de l’Orchestre Symphonique de Portland. Avis aux intéressés, Portland (Maine) n’est finalement qu’à 5 heures et demi de route de Montréal... Ces concerts à Portland seront les derniers que Le Vent du Nord présentera avec Benoit Bourque."

Press photo. Alexandre, Yann and Pascal. [L to R]

Hello, everyone!

I’m finally bringing to you my interview with Yann Falquet from the Canadian group Genticorum! Yann Falquet (guitar, Jew's harp, vocals) joined Alexandre de Grosbois-Garand (wooden flute, electric bass, vocals) and Pascal Gemme (fiddle, feet, vocals) to start Genticorum back in 2000. Since then, the band conquered audiences, critics and awards.

I completely agree with many reviewers when they say that Genticorum can sound traditional but they are very original. One can clearly understand this statement after listening to tunes like Les cousinages, Bonnet d'âne and Round-point. I can’t find words, that the media didn’t use already, to describe the talents of this band. They are acclaimed by many and it’s easy to know the reasons. They have conquered audiences with their vibrant style, energetic vocals and the originality of their repertoire. Malins Plaisirs (2005, Roues et Archets/Fusion III), their last album, won the Canadian Folk Music Award 2005 in the Best Ensemble category and was nominated for the JUNO (Canada) and the Felix (Québec) Awards in 2006. [These are the top Canadian awards in music]

They got me the first time I’ve heard Cascou! Their rhythm is so contagious that there is no need to understand French. However, if you do speak French, you will love the hilarious stories and love adventures described in the lyrics!

During a quick stop on the band’s agenda, I had the opportunity to talk to Yann over the phone. He is a very friendly person and told me interesting details about the band’s projects and what the future reserves.

I hope you enjoy it!

Bengal.

Interview

Bengal: Yann, let's start with the name of the band. Forgive my ignorance in this but what the word Genticorum means?

Yann: Well, actually, it’s a good question. It doesn’t mean anything. That’s a word that comes from a traditional song. It was sang by Pascal’s granddad.

Bengal: That’s interesting. I would never know that...

Yann: [laughing] Actually, it’s a Latin word… there is a couple of words I think that are like what people would hear here at the church… The church [service] was said in Latin, so people would use these words just because they heard them in the church without knowing what they mean.

Bengal: I’m originally from Brazil, so when I hear the word Genticorum, it always reminds me the word gentle.

Yann: Yes, it’s good cause even though it doesn’t mean anything, people associate it with some ideas. It could be gentle, it could be… it sounds a little bit like gentilhomme, which is gentleman, and corum, [as in] quorum, has an agreement on people. Well, anyway, doesn’t really mean anything but people can have ideas.

Bengal: You, guys, made the choice of playing Québécois traditional music. Why not other styles?

Yann: Why? Well, why... because we all love that music… I think the three of us played many different styles before we started to play Quebecois Traditional Music. Although Pascal, the fiddler, and Alex, the flute player, had some people in their family playing traditional music, so they were exposed to it when they were younger… explored different styles and then later they decided to return to it professionally. Myself, I’ve been through a different style of music, and when I heard some recordings of it [Québécois trad], I just thought it was a great style of music with lots of potential... things to do with it, that… then we realized the three of us have a strong interest in this kind of music and decided to play it. Our goal at first was not… we didn’t have the idea we would be playing all over… we just thought… we were just playing because we like it. And at one point we realized we could do it in the [United] States and in Europe as well, and it’s great.

Bengal: Genticorum is playing Québécois folk beyond Canada’s borders; the music is spreading all over the world. Do you see any difference on how your music is perceived in other countries, by different audiences, especially when different languages are involved and people might not speak French?

Yann: Yes, I would say the difference is mainly between French Canada - so the province of Québec - and the rest of Canada, which I would put in the same category as the United States, and also England… places where people mostly speak English, that’s where we play most of the time, so when we play in Québec, people have heard that kind of music before. Sometimes, some people will like it a lot and they will be a fan of that kind of music, and other people just associate it with something that is folkloric, something that is old. So we have to make them rediscover that kind of music. Maybe they will think it’s like their grandparents music… for them it’s more like... they discover something they know but discover in a different way. As for when we play in a English part of the world, there’s where we are mostly… I don’t know… maybe we have an exotic flavor because [we] come from somewhere else… they don’t have any idea of what we do, they never heard it before, they might associate it with something that is Celtic so they have some references but it’s new, so it’s a fresh… it is fresh for people, which is nice too.

Bengal: In your albums there are many original tunes. Where the inspiration comes from? Do you have a method for that?

Yann: Ah… well, the person who does most of that in the band is Pascal. He played and learned hundreds of traditional fiddle tunes. So… at one point he just started to write tunes that sounds like… yeah, they could be traditional but I guess a big part of it, is having played hundreds and hundreds of traditional tunes and have listened to lots of different fiddle players.

Bengal: So basically great part of the songs is completely original?

Yann: The music is all original although the lyrics, what we sing are all traditional.

Bengal: Genticorum is playing around the world. How important it is to be successful outside Canada?

Yann: I see it… I don’t know, it’s hard to say… I guess different artists, playing different kinds of music, have different expectation. I think for us, we knew that there were already Québécois bands playing in the States. They play in the English Canada a lot, so for us it was kind of a path that we could follow and we were expected to do that. But to play in places like Malaysia and Egypt…and also some Scandinavian countries, that was new for us and we played there. There are not many Québécois bands who have played there before, so it’s a great feeling to do that but it’s… I would say it’s a great bonus but it’s not something that we expected to do at first, and we might not do it a lot in the future because it’s a lot of… it's complicated to organize [everything] but it was really fun… and it’s a good opportunity for us to travel and visit the world.

Bengal: Can you tell me the most exotic place you performed?

Yann: I would say the most exotic was probably Sarawak, [at the Rainforest World Music Festival 2006] which is a province of Malaysia, on the Borneo Island.

Bengal: Do you have time to visit these places you go for a show?

Yann: We never have enough time! Although, sometimes one of us or some of us will decide to extend our trip a little to visit [the place], but most of the time we don’t have the time to do that… we have to go somewhere else, so we visit lots of places for a short time, and that give us a good idea of places we can go back for vacation… maybe someday. [laughing] You don’t have to publish that.

Bengal: Pascal is in China now, right?

Yann: Yes, he is doing a tour for the Canadian Embassies and Consulate. [Pascal Gemme performed last week for Chinese students in Beijing (link) and today in Guangwai]

Bengal: Do you or anyone else in the band currently have individual solo projects? If so, how do they fit into the band’s agenda?

Yann: We had more solo projects in the past... I would say we have less and less. Pascal works on the blog but that’s something he does when he has some free time. He can do it when he is on tour [if] he has an internet access. It is just something he does whenever he can. We all work a lot for the band with all the organizing stuff. We don’t have any big musical project that is going parallel [with the band].

[Pascal does a really nice work on his blog. I do recommend a visit! Bengal.]

Bengal: Many times, the bands in Québec participate in festivals with many other groups. For me, it’s like watching a big family. How is the contact between Genticorum and the other Québécois bands?

Yann: You said it right. There is something of a big family and I think it's because there are not too many people who are really interested in traditional music from Québec. Everyone who has a band, they all have a career but they also meet a lot in the parties and they meet for music sessions. Everybody have to play with everybody. We like to be together a lot and to play. The more we travel outside of Québec, the less we see each other.

Bengal: Your latest album, Malins Plaisirs, won a Canadian Folk Music Award in 2005 and was nominated for the JUNO Awards and the Felix Awards (ADISQ) in 2006. How such awards can influence the life of the band?

Yann: No, actually there is no big change but certainly is very good for… It helps I think for the recognition of the band… more people will hear about the group because of those prizes. So it’s a great privilege that we have, but a band can really have a good career without winning an award. It was good to won but I’m not sure to what point it helped us to have more concerts.

Bengal: Can we expect a new album coming soon?

Yann: Yes, we are already working on the new tunes and… [adopting a tone of suspense] we hope that it will be out in the early 2008...

Bengal: Yann, can you talk a little bit more about it? [insisting] How it will differ from the last ones?

Yann: Well, it’s pretty much in the continuity of the band… It’s always the three of us and no big changes in the instruments. One change that we are pretty happy about it - Alex, who plays the flute, is also a fiddler and he is becoming an accomplished one, so we might have some double fiddle on the next album, which we are very excited about it. We started to do that in the shows. You all will like it a lot!

Bengal: Yann, thanks for your time!

Yann: Thanks for the interest in the band!


More information

If you want to know more about the band and their albums, check the following links:

Genticorum official website (access the latest news about the band)
Genticorum MySpace website (listen to some of the songs from their most recent album and follow the evolution of their calendar of performances)
Roues et archets (here you can buy both the albums from the band)

You can hear to excerpts of Genticorum's songs in some websites of companies that are selling the band's albums online.

Hello, everyone!

This Saturday (Mar.10 - 4 PM to 10 PM), a celebration of the Brazilian culture will be happening downtown Nashville, TN, through music, dances, ethnic food, door prizes and lots of fun. The exact location is the Global Cafe (on the corner of Broadway and 4rd). Bring your friends and spread the word!

Among the attractions are Capoeira (one of my favorites!) and also a band named Danny Salazar y Los Kuatro. OK. Obviously, they are not Brazilians... If they are like Pablo's ensemble then they will be playing a lot of Bossa. The event will have many more attractions reserved. I've heard about some type of parade that will open the entire party, thus probably they will need much more space than the Global Cafe and they might use the Front River area or close one of the streets there.

If you want to have some Caipirinhas and dance, that's the event!

Bengal.

Clip L'Amour n'est rien.../Réalisé par M.Liberatore/Capture

Mylène Farmer (born September 12, 1961) is a singer and songwriter from France (born in Canada). She was born Mylène Gautier in Pierrefonds, Quebec, a suburb (now borough) of Montreal. Some sources, apparently incorrectly, give her birth name as Gauthier or even Marie-Hélène Gauthier. She chose her stage name in homage to Frances Farmer. She is very popular in France and other French-speaking countries, but almost unknown in other countries despite a collaboration with the British vocalist Seal in her song Les mots.

She made her professional recording debut in 1984 with the song Maman a tort, followed in 1986 by her first album, Cendres de Lune including the hit Libertine. She worked together extensively with Laurent Boutonnat, who not only wrote her music, but also directed the long videos for her songs and the 1994 movie Giorgino.

Mylène Farmer gained fame with songs featuring ambiguous or shocking lyrics, and somewhat explicit videos. Maman a tort was about the love of a young girl for her female nurse in hospital (with hints of masturbation).

Pourvu qu'elles soient douces was about a man with an obsession for the buttocks of his lover, with hints of sodomy; the video, set in the 18th century, featured a caning. Que mon cœur lâche was about love with condoms in the age of AIDS; the video clip featured a rendition of God the Father and Jesus, where God the Father would tell Jesus that he does not send him on a mission to Earth for last time was a disaster, as well as a sex scene.

After the disappointing reception of Giorgino, Farmer moved to the US for a while. She returned in 1995 with a new, more rock-like sound for Anamorphosée. This, like her previous two albums, sold over 1 million copies in France and was followed up with the album and DVD Live à Bercy.

Mylène was not to return to the spotlight until 1999 with the album Innamoramento. This was a more subtle affair than the previous album and the lead single L'Ame Stram Gram accompagnied by a magnificent Chinese themed video went to number 1. Some of her best-known songs include Désenchantée, L'âme-stram-gram, Pourvu qu'elles soient douces, and Sans contrefaçon.

In 2000, she and Laurent Boutonnat wrote the lyrics and music for starlet Alizée's album Gourmandises/Mes Courants Electriques.

Albums:
2005 Avant Que l'Ombre [Canada Bonus DVD]
2005 Avant Que l'Ombre
2004 California [Remixes]
2003 Remixes 2003
2003 C'est une Belle
2001 Mylenium Tour
1999 Innamoramento
1998 Dance Remixes '94
1997 Live À Bercy
1995 Anamorphosee
1993 Dance Remixes
1991 L' Autre...
1989 En Concert
1988 Ainsi Soit Je...
1986 Cendres de Lune

Hello, everyone!

Arcade Fire is an indie rock band formed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada comprising band members Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, William Butler, Tim Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld and Jeremy Gara. Howard Bilerman, who played drums on the album Funeral, has since moved on to other projects. As of May 2005, the touring band includes horn player Pietro Amato and violinist Owen Pallett. Neufeld, Parry, and Amato also play in the instrumental band Bell Orchestre. Pallett, though not listed as a band member on the band's official site, both plays with the band live and, according to Butler, helped with the string arrangements for their second album, Neon Bible. Another member in the touring band is Marika Anthony-Shaw, a violist who played on Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light along with Sarah Neufeld and Richard Reed Parry with Bell Orchestre.

My dear friend Marilena sent more information about the band that featured as the cover of the Canadian edition of Time Magazine, in April 4, 2005. Thanks, Marilena!

Bengal.


L'Olympia de Dublin, où Arcade Fire jouait les 5 et 6 mars, et à celui de Paris, où le groupe canadien doit se produire les 19 et 20 mars, on trouve les mêmes guichets fermés en quelques heures, la même attente fébrile pour des concerts et un nouvel album, Neon Bible, qui n'ont pas fini de faire vibrer les coeurs. Sensation rock de l'année 2005, passé en quelques semaines, par la grâce (entre autres) d'Internet, du statut de combo culte à celui de phénomène, Arcade Fire est devenu en un album, Funeral, un groupe de référence.

Les murs de l' Olympia doivent encore trembler de l'incroyable communion vécue entre les Dublinois et les musiciens de Montréal. Les choeurs passionnés des Irlandais donnaient alternativement des allures de stade et de pub à ce théâtre rococo. Une ambiance qui décuplait la dynamique collective des dix multi-instrumentistes du groupe (qui fonctionne d'habitude à sept), au milieu d'un capharnaüm de guitares, violons, violoncelle, accordéon, claviers, mégaphones, percussions, vielle à roue... Comme si l'élan flamboyant et tourmenté de leurs chansons trouvait une résonance particulière dans la capitale de la verte Erin.

La part d'instrumentation folk peut en partie expliquer cette identification. Mais l'Américain Win Butler, immense dadais blond aux tristes yeux clairs et au bon sourire, qui mène la troupe avec sa compagne d'origine haïtienne, Régine Chassagne, perçoit d'autres connexions: "Nous sommes très proches de la façon dont les Irlandais aiment livrer leurs sentiments en musique, sans crainte de débordements émotionnels." The Edge, le guitariste de U2, est passé les féliciter en coulisses. En tournée, les stars irlandaises du rock - un des premiers groupes que Butler ait admirés - avaient pris l'habitude d'entrer en scène au son de Wake Up, un des titres les plus euphorisants d'Arcade Fire.

Comme U2, d'autres figures du rock tels David Bowie ou David Byrne avaient adoubé les Canadiens. Histoire, peut-être, de ne pas être largué par la génération Internet. Une critique dithyrambique rédigée par le webzine défricheur Pitchforkmedia avait allumé la traînée de poudre, relayée par le réseau des blogs avant d'éveiller l'attention des médias traditionnels. La légende veut que le 14 septembre 2004, jour de la parution de Funeral aux Etats-Unis sur le petit label Merge Records, tous les exemplaires aient disparu des magasins new-yorkais avant la fin de la journée.

MESSAGE CODÉ

Les mises en place devraient être cette fois suffisamment importantes. Le groupe s'est associé à une major, Universal, pour distribuer Neon Bible. Si Arcade Fire a également engagé le manager de Björk pour s'occuper de ses affaires, il a tenu à préserver son indépendance en créant sa propre structure de production - Sonovox - et en prenant économiquement en charge la promotion de l'album.

Résultat: un marketing moins agressif que la moyenne, pas de clip, un message codé diffusé sur leur site, une blague vidéo ("Juno award winning guitarist promojoke") disponible sur le forum Internet You Tube... Comme pour mieux protéger l'artisanat du groupe de la pression ambiante.

"On veut dissocier notre musique de la science qui consiste à faire aimer et acheter un produit aux gens, insiste Win. Nous essayons d'abord de rester nous-mêmes, d'exprimer des choses qui ont un sens. C'est pour cela que j'ai aimé des artistes comme les Pixies, Radiohead, Björk, Neil Young, Nirvana, Jacques Brel, la génération punk, dont Internet est un peu le prolongement."

Loin des turbulences de l'industrie musicale, Montréal n'est pas le pire endroit pour défendre une éthique. "Le groupe n'aurait sans doute pas pu exister ailleurs, estime le chanteur, on ne vient pas ici pour réussir mais pour s'épanouir artistiquement, parce qu'entre autres la vie y est moins chère." Comme pour encore mieux s'isoler, le groupe a acheté une petite église, en dehors de Montréal, afin d'y enregistrer son nouvel album.

Ce cadre a pu intensifier la thématique religieuse de beaucoup de nouvelles chansons de la Bible de néon, un titre inspiré de celui d'un roman de John Kennedy Toole. "Je suis fasciné par la frontière ténue existant entre l'horreur et la magnificence des choses faites au nom de Dieu, admet le chanteur. Cela tient peut-être à mon enfance texane."

L'Amérique de Bush, la noirceur du monde, la violence de l'actualité imprègnent aussi ce disque. "Aux Etats-Unis, la peur du terrorisme a tué tout débat d'idées. Difficile d'avoir une vision optimiste du monde. A notre niveau, nous essayons de penser cela en termes musicaux."

Marilena.

Hello, everyone!

Ever wondered what's in a reporter's bag? Mine look almost the same... I would reduce on the mic stuff and add my cameras (digital/manual) with all the chargers and transfer cables. I didn't see in this photo the chargers for the cell and mp3 player, but they might be there. Everytime I go through the X-Ray detectors in the airports, they take sometime with my carry-on. With so many cables I feel like I'm all wired! :) There are other characteristic things any scientist would have in the bag but what you can see in this photo is pretty much what you will find physicists carring around... Well, maybe not the doggie treats...

Bengal.

I stumbled on this site and thought I'd pass it along. From March 09 to 25, 2007, Nine Million Francophones will get together. Hundreds of activities will highlight the vitality of the beautiful French language and the people who bring it to life.

You'll see the map of events across canada. Out of curiosity, I briefly clicked on Quebec and noticed these 2 interesting events.

Les Chansonniers du Québec

Description: Mme. Claire Villeneuve, musicologue
Troubadours des temps modernes, les chansonniers québécois sont des auteurs-compositeurs-interprètes qui, en suivant l'exemple de la Bolduc et de Félix Leclerc, ont raconté la société des années 1960. Une occasion de revivre l'élan collectif qui a marqué cette époque.

When: 14 March 2007
Hour: 7:00 PM
Where: Maison du Bon Temps 8000, boulevard Gouin Est, Montréal.
Information: 514-872-9814

Une histoire de la langue française

Description: Conférence-patrimoine
Dès l'avènement de la langue du peuple romain, le système du latin se trouva modifié. 400 ans sépareront le latin populaire du premier texte français. Éric Michaud explore l'évolution de la langue française, en passant par l'ancien et le moyen français jusqu'à celui que nous parlons.

When: 15 March 2007
Hour: 7:30 PM
Where: Maison de la culture Rosemont--La Petite-Patrie, Studio 1 6707 avenue de Lorimier, Montréal.
Information: 514-872-1730

Lucy

Thanks for sharing, Lucy!
Bengal.

Hello, everyone!

For those who couldn't make it to the Chantez-vous bien chez nous Festival in Quebec, another opportunity to appreciate De Temps Antan performance will be their show in Ann Arbor. My dear friend Anjili is one of the organizers and sent the following info on this event:

"French-Canadian roots and traditional musicians, De Temps Antan, play the Ark in Ann Arbor on Monday, March 5 at 8 p.m. The three members of the group, André Brunet (fiddle, guitar, tapping), Éric Beaudry (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, tapping), and Pierre-Luc Dupuis (accordion, harmonica, jaw harp) are all current or former members of the internationally acclaimed folkloric group La Bottine Souriante. André Brunet will also be known to Midwestern audiences as a member of Kevin Burke’s Celtic Fiddle Festival, whose performance at the Ark last November received a warm and enthusiastic response from their audience.

De Temps Antan’s music is a rich blend of traditional French-Canadian and Acadian songs and original compositions by the artists. Their sets intersperse instrumental folkloric pieces with French-Canadian response songs — all driven by the energetic beat of French-Canadian 'podorythmie,' the foot-tapping that replaces drums in traditional music from Québec. The members of the band offer a fresh and vibrant perspective on the music of their ancestors—and on the joie de vivre that has come to define the music of their province."


THE ARC (March 5, 8 pm): De Temps Antan
316 S. Main St.
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ticket price: $20
Tickets available at: The Ark Box Office, Herb David Guitar Studio, Michigan Union Ticket Office, or by phone at (734) 763-8587

For a sample of De Temps Antan’s music, visit this link.

Thanks, Anjili, for all the info!

Bengal.

Hello, everyone,

Andre Brunet from De Temps Antan will be interviewed today on a local radio station in Michigan, in a few minutes from now, on a show that goes from 6-7 pm (local time, I'm guessing), tonight.

"I don't know if they have en direct/listen live or not." (Lucy)

Flint, Michigan AM1570

I checked the link but there is nothing there so far. The locals can keep your eyes open, better, your ears...

Thanks, Lucy, for the information!

Bengal.

Hello, everyone!

If I was at the beach, this could be the perfect gift for the perfect birthday... of course, with a special company... But I'm at the lab and what makes this day special is the very kind emails and sweet cards you all sent me. Thank you!



And since this day couldn't be without music, I thank Chawa very much for the tickets for tonight's Mendelssohn's Third @ Laura Turner Concert Hall:

David Lockington, conductor
Mark O'Connor, violin
Maya Beiser, cello

Adolphus Hailstork - Symphony No. 3, 2nd and 3rd Movements
Mark O'Connor - For the Heroes
Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 "Scottish"

The last symphony ever completed by Mendelssohn, his Symphony No. 3 "Scottish" overflows with energy, ebullience, drama and invention. Dedicated to Queen Victoria, the piece conveys Mendelssohn's impressions of the Scottish landscapes while Mark O'Connor's work evokes the landscapes of the Appalachian Mountains.

If you are curious about the event, check the program notes.

Bengal,
celebrating!