Category: Blog

I’ve just uploaded this song to youtube – La jument de Michao is an interesting song – it is a traditional Breton song that originates from Vannes.  I’v provided a translation below, for all the good it will do you – but I think it rocks.

It is supposed to be a parody of the Dies Irae – a part of the latin Mass, and as I say on the YouTube commentary there is probably a deep significance to the lyrics which have long been lost…  if anyone can provide an insight I’d be very interested to hear it!  I will add that the weasel is the official animal of Vannes and you will see it everywhere (wearing a cloak).  This extract is from the Quimper-Vannes Blogspot:  I hope they forgive me for copying it here:

Ermine

The eleven ‘ermine spots’ which form the pattern in the top left corner of the Breton flag represent the way the black-tipped tails were hung on the white fur. This heraldic ermine canton was a feature of the arms of the Dukes of Brittany.

The story goes that Anne de Bretagne, the last independent Breton ruler and the wife of two successive French kings,  saw a group of hunters chasing after an ermine. When the ermine reached the edge of a muddy lake the ermine decided to stand up to his attackers rather than risk soiling his beautiful white fur.

ANNE DE BRETAGNE

Anne, it appears, was so impressed that she saved the ermine and adopted it as the emblem of her dynasty along with the motto:

end quote.  Couldn’t have said it better myself.  The ‘better to die’ bit in particular.  Here are the lyrics:

In ten years time, I will go

I hear the wolf and fox singing.

I hear the wolf and the fox and the weasel singing

I hear the wolf and the fox singing

In nine years time I will go

Michao’s Mare has gone into the meadow

Michao’s mare and her little foal have gone into the meadow

and eaten all the hay.  (repeat)

Winter is coming lads, winter is coming – Michao’s mare will regret it…

So, there we have it.  Better now?  Great song though.

I hear the

We’re coming to the end of our season here in beautiful la Trinité sur Mer, Brittany, France. We’ve had a cracking time and enjoyed every minute of the music we’ve been fortunate enough to share with our audiences at the fantastic and friendly Bar’oudeur in Carnac, the Fête de la musique in Pleugriffet, the impressive and delightful Château Ville Voisin, the Fest Noz at Guillac and – well just thank you to everyone we’ve met along the way for your kindness appreciation and support along the way.

That’s the truly great thing about music – no matter what age, gender, nationality you have to just love it. Over the summer we must have played for dozens of nationalities – to people from all walks of life and you know what? They all love music. If I was a lot cleverer if like to write a thesis on what part of the human soul needs music- and it seems to be one of the absolutes of the universe – but I’ll just have to settle for the knowledge that it is simply that- imperative.

Next gig will be at the Reflections Restaurant in St Vincent sur Oust on 2nd November 2018, from 8.00pm.

Be great if you could make it!

A few others in the offing and I’ll keep you posted….

In the meantime stay safe

Tarra

Tony

Bringing our own brand of mayhem and madness we’re pretty active in Brittany right now!

We’ve played some regular gigs at the Bar’oudeur in Carnac over the last few weeks and more in the pipeline (check out our facebook page for regular updates) and the next one is Friday 19th July 2019.  This will be a Peaky Blinders theme night – and we’ll be providing the musical entertainment starting from 7.30 pm.   It promises to be a fun night so if do happen to be in the area come along and say hello!  If you’re not in the vicinity check out

the budget airlines and get yourselves over here – you can always sleep on the fabulous Carnac beach and catch the next plane home in the morning.

Other than that we’ve played in the Fete de la Music in Pleugriffet and for a Fest Noz (a night party to me and you) in Guillac.

And there’s more … although I’m afraid I cant tell you because it’s strictly on a need to know basis.  Oh wait – you need to know don’t you?  Well the thing is – I dont have the details right now – but there are a couple of other concerts in the offing … more later!

Take care fellow Hooligans and see you at one of our gigs hopefully!

Tony  XXX

I know it’s been a while since we posted we we’ve been so busy and our media manager has had a hard time keeping up.  Actually we don’t have a media manager except ourselves – and we’ve been so busy!

Here is a track from our upcoming new album A House in France  – this song is called Bonne Journee (and as any of you French speaking followers will know it means have a good day!)

Now, I am about to start a blog about our cat – K-Fur (sort of pronounced Kayfor).  I have mentioned the idle good for nothing  before briefly a year or so back but here’s why the old useless fleabag deserves a blog.

About this time last year (2017) we decided to clear off to work in France and after much soul searching and debate decided that he should come with us.  But for one detail it was not an easy decision to make  – it would mean ferry rides, a longish car journey and then living with us in a caravan in deepest darkest Brittany for five months – and he doesn’t speak a word of French.   I said ‘but for one detail’ – and that detail was that there would be nobody left at home in England to look after the poor little blighter so we really had no choice.  We agonised over it all the same – even though I may speak harshly about the feline dimwit I love him really and certainly wouldn’t want to put him through any torment.

As you will read in the forthcoming blog – that same kitty, whose life had until that point been sheltered to say the least, rose to the challenge and I can now only describe him as a LEGEND and  a HERO…

Keep visiting to read why I have changed my tune!

Tarra for now – hope you like the track and I’ll post more about how you can hear the rest of the album and spend all your hard earned cash to buy it…

Tony and Lucy – Hooligans Rule

Good day to all fellow Hooligans!

Its been a bit busy over the last few days so apologies if I have taken a bit long to post this blog update.

Firstly, our thanks to  Martyn Hillstead and all the folks at the Teignmouth Folk Club who gave us such a warm welcome at the Oystercatcher Cafe in Teignmouth on Thursday 29th September.  What a friendly and talented bunch of people.  Alongside some excellent unaccompanied singing there were other singer songwriters performing some insightful and cleverly written pieces – all very entertaining and enjoyable.  We ended the evening

with a couple of tunes and a song.  For those who are not aware of the the folk club you can keep in touch with what is going on there by subscribing to their public Facebook group at this address – or search in Google for them…

The the following day it was down to the Crown and Sceptre in Torquay who host a Friday night folk  session.

I love these sessions – you never know who will turn up and play and certainly every time we’ve played there, there is a great atmosphere in a real old pub – not one of those plasticky excuses for a bar – but a throw back in time (in a good way of course!  If you are down that way on a Friday night from half pas eight onwards pop in – I don’t think you will be disappointed!

Where next?  Well we will be at a session back in the Pack Horse Inn in South Brent again this Thursday (6th October 2016) from about 8 o’clock for more mayhem and madness and then on Saturday moving on to Kent for a few weeks (or possibly longer).  I’ll post more when we know where we will be going!

In the meantime stay happy and safe and see you somewhere soon.

We have a cat called K-fur.  We named him that when he was little – it was K for Kitten – which at the time we (and our then 8 year old granddaughter) thought was amusing, and now we are slightly embarrassed about.  Anyway we haven’t seen him for some time now.

Let me explain.  It isn’t that the weird critter has run away from home or anything like that but for the last week or so he has taken to climbing under the throw on our couch and won’t come out.  We have to tell visitors to the house not to sit on the couch if there appears to be a lump in it.  Indeed I have sat on him a couple of times but it doesn’t seem to deter him.

We get up in the morning and there is a lump under the throw.  All day long it is still there and when we go to bed at night – guess what.

Just thought you might like to meet him so here is a pic.  I  will post more pics if there is anything more exciting than a lump, but it is doubtful.

So – here is K-fur the Mystery Cat for your enjoyment: