![The Moldovan Agent … [ video teaser ]](https://astrakanproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/miniature-construction.jpg?w=800&h=450&crop=1 "The Moldovan Agent … [ video teaser ]")
Yeah, we did it again! It has been too long since a real Astrakan Project teaser, with all ingredients we love including road-trip sequences!
Facebook event for Rennes concert next Sunday: http://www.facebook.com/events/284259268574586/
Music from first album here: http://astrakanproject.bandcamp.com/album/astrakan-project
Last month we had the honour of being invited to perform a couple of songs for the live show “Bec’h De’i” on Brezhoweb web channel. The show is lived streamed and afterwards available on streaming too, and for us it was a “première”! The ambiance is so much different from recorded shows, once the show is running, it’s ’till the end! The show is hosted by the very pleasant Lionel Buannic, quite famous among breton-speaking people for having leaded the tv news some years ago.
The show is held monthly, this one was about “writing and publishing in Breton today” and was held in the lovely library of a famous old Collège of Quimper: Lycée Le Likès. (remember our gig library in Ipswich? )
Here’s the first song we performed, from our 2012 album:
Song from album: http://astrakanproject.bandcamp.com/album/astrakan-project
A description of the harsh conditions in central Brittany,
unemployment, children starving, small businesses going bankrupt, poor harvests…
”living out of little money isn’t easy, for sure,
but living out of little bread is even worse”
Full lyrics and English translation: https://astrakanproject.com/2013/09/19/
Full show on streaming:
http://www.brezhoweb.com/video/bech-dei/BD_15_8.html
‘Last week-end we had the chance to spend 4 days in Paris for “Fête de la Bretagne” celebrations, all happening in the borough n°XIV (XIV arrondissement as we say in French). This particular area of Paris is renown and famous for a major migration from Brittany from the end of the XIXth century on. It is actually in the West part of Paris, and surrounding the train station Montparnasse that connects with Breton cities and towns.
Even nowadays, it does have a funny familiar Breton flavour, in some streets (rue du Montparnasse, rue d’Odessa) you’ll find loads of Crêperies (breton pancake restaurant) one next to each other, we never get that many at the same place in Brittany! La Mission Bretonne, founded in 1947, is at the heart of this community, and organises any sort of cultural events throughout the year, from concerts to exhibitions, music, danse, breton language classes, meetings, well, not to miss if you are around in Paris and want to meet people with some interest in Breton/Celtic culture (don’t forget to mention you came because of us!). They are the ones organising 10 days of Bretons events in Mai to celebrate Breton culture, and had the great idea to invite us 🙂
Here are some words from both of us after our out-doors gig next to City Council from Paris XIVème – if you want to hear Yann, jump to 9’30 where he’s interviewed from the kids playground area!
We’re just back from Paris where we had a few gigs and also the chance to sing an a-capella Kan ha Diskan for a danse at a fest-noz. Image is quite blurry but sound is cool!
Upon an almost general request, here are the lyrics with an approximative translation in English – bellow the video, so that you can follow the lyrics – or download the PdF version here and follow it along!
Me am boa bet ul lez-vamm (ha) | he oa kriz ha kalet
Div teir eur a-roak an deiz | ganti me (a) vije savet
Da vont da gerc’hat dour da feuntenn ar Wazhaleg
I had a stepmother, she was harsh with me,
She would wake me up 2 or 3 hours before the sunrise
To get water from the fountain
Ar feuntenn a oa pell | an dour a oa strafuilhet
Gant mab un den jentil | oc’h abeuriñ e gezeg
Hag eñ a c’houl diganin « Plac’hig (ha) c’hwi zo dimezet »
The fountain was far away, the water was cloudy,
By a gentlemen’s son watering his horse
And he asked me “young girl are you married?”
Med me oa ken yaouank | a respontis ne oan ket
En o kregiñ en em dorn (e)vit ma c’has er valeneg
Eno a lakas ac’hanon da sellet ouzh ar stered
I was so young, I replyed I wasn’t,
He took me by the hand for a walk,
There he made me look at the stars,
Pa savis ac’hane ma dilhad a oa joget
Ma c’halon a lampe ha ma c’horf a oa brevet
Ha me a soñje neuze « Petra am eus amañ kollet ? »
When I got up from there, my clothes were wrinkled,
My heart was “loping” (like a horse!) and ma body was tired,
And I thought “ what did I lose there?”
Neuze deus e c’hodell e roas din pemp kant skoed :
« Kerzit d’ar gêr plac’hig lârit d’ho tud oc’h dimezet
D’ur c’havalier yaouank o tistreiñ deus an Naoned »
Her took from his pocket 500 “crowns”
“Go back home young girl, tell your parents you’re married
To a young knight returning from Nantes”
Pa oan o tont o vont, dre hentoù braz Plouaret
Me a glevis ar c’hleier o seniñ evit ma eured
Me a glevis a c’hlieier o soniñ evit ma eured
While I was going through Plouaret’s roads,
I heard the bells ringing for my wedding
I heard the bells ringing for my wedding
And you can also download the PdF version here – please let us know how you enjoy learning Breton words!
You can stream the full album here: http://astrakanproject.bandcamp.com/album/astrakan-project-b
Not only do we look at the Stars, but today we almost feel like Stars! During our last UK tour we had the pleasure to meet the lovely fROOTS magazine team for an interview that will be featured on their June’s edition. And yes, it is our first cover ever 🙂 And, oh yes, we feel super proud too!
![Sell ouzh ar Stered [ look at the Stars ]](https://astrakanproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/fb-banner-event.jpg?w=800&h=450&crop=1 "Sell ouzh ar Stered [ look at the Stars ]")
Today is the Celtic celebration of Beltan, and was the perfect day to release our video from our song Sell ouzh ar Stered…
Since the shooting in London, there was a lot of work to bring Simone’s painting to life and create this story, we’re totally over the moon (!) by such a nice adventure! And as any adventure, full of doubts, delay, creativity, team work… We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!
Download this song: http://tinyurl.com/stered
Credits
Sell ouzh ar Stered / Look at the Stars
Director: Anton Short
Cinematography: Daniel Zafer
Vocals: Simone Alves
Ud/violin/prog: Yann Gourvil
Studio version:
Nea Peramos / Plougras / 2014
© & ® simone alves & yann gourvil
Preparing a tour is like dreaming of the new places we’ll see, the wonderful people we’ll meet… and we are so pleased our Fall tour we’ll lead us to Luxemburg, Germany again, from West to East, UK and for the very first time to Czech Republic, in the beautiful city of Prague. (all tour dates are here)
What a great chance for a nice poster 😉 (yep! we totally love Photoshop!)
Hello,
It’s been a long time since we haven’t blogged. Not that we didn’t have anything to tell about. We may even have had so much to tell about that it could somehow have been overwhelming… Lot’s of uncertainties, of projects, ideas, dreams that had been on hold for months and that we weren’t sure we could bring to fruition.
Since we returned last month from our last UK tour, we’be been super active in many direction, and we finally can announce it…. next video will be released for Beltane (the night of the 1st of May).
We’re in the very final stage of editing the video. It’s the first time we get to work with a video director (except for live videos, but it’s quite different), and we are very lucky to be working with a very talented person, that not only was able to direct the performance shooting, but also is animating some of my drawings. And it’s incredible to see them coming to life!
Tour-wise, we’ve been booking for Germany, Luxembourg and Austria for next winter and fall (keep an eye at this section), not much towards the UK, but this should be done shortly too.
All for now!
§ Simone
We moved back to Brittany, basically we’ll be away from Middle-east/East of Europe for some very long months, we don’t know when we can have a base there again, and after 7 years travelling back and forward, it feels weird, really!
But fall has been blessing us with a wonderful and warm sun and light… and we’re enjoying it before next tour (yep, we’re going to the UK again soon!)
. astrakan project . 