Dance Music for the Soul

A World Beat Afro Pop sound that is irresistible. A body has no choice but to move with a happy swing to the rapturous sounds of marimbas, drums, mbira (thumb piano) and shakers played by the Bliss Gypsys.

Featuring handmade instruments, this seasoned festival dance band is looking to steer up local dance scenes throughout the Midwest.

The music has an appeal that crosses from street kids in Memphis and Seattle to gray haired artists in Sante Fe to gourd farmers in Ohio. African fans say, "We can't believe Americans can play African Music like this!" Dance fans say "You were my favorite music of the festival!" "I have never danced all the way through a concert without stopping!" "I heard you from a mile a way and had to find you!" "These folks have a direct link to full-on universal energy!" and "All of our friends are telling us your music made the party of the year!"

Who We Are

In 2000, we have added a percussionist and continued playing festivals throughout the west and Midwest including; Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Folklife Music Festival in Seattle, Summer Solstice with Marimba Muzuva in Victoria, BC, Zimbabwean Music Festival in Eugene, Oregon, Community Festival in Sante Fe, New Mexico, and Lotus World Music Festival and the Wild Magic Gathering at LothLorien in Bloomington, Indiana.

At the core of our group are Treothe Bullock, Aaron Spalding, Ben Grenat and Tim Hauth. We often include other musical friends depending on where we are and who is around. Treothe, musical director of the group, has formerly played with the Oregon based groups Dancing Trees Marimba, Village Spirit, Mai Chi Maraire and Kubatana II. Our CD was Recorded Live on December 3rd, 1999, at the Guru Java, in West Lafayette, IN. The album was produced and mastered by the Bliss Gypsys.

The Music

We are currently a four-piece band, with two separate but related repertoires. One is full on, high energy, acoustic dance music not requiring any amplification to fill a hall or meadow. We play a soprano, tenor, and baritone/bass marimba with traps and percussion and can set up anywhere. We have been touring for seasons at a time, playing festivals, busking streets and doing musical offerings with ancient forests and wild waters.

With electric power we also play mbira (thumb piano) with percussion. The mbira music ranges from bright dance music to deep meditations. The music we play arises out of ancient living celebrations -- invocations to free the spirit with a fullness of passion and joy.

David Wheeler, Director of the Contemporary Music Workshop, experienced us in Ohio in 1999 and wrote:

"Being a full time professional Arranger/Orchestrater/Composer for many years has made me pretty hard to please but my usually critical self simply drank in the wonderful happening of your performance.

Seldom are the three basic elements of music so well addressed as is evident in the music you played. The melodic counterpoint; harmonic counterpoint; and rhythmic counterpoint all three enjoyed major roles. I am amazed that the native music has evolved to such a high degree of complexity while still maintaining the beautiful simplicity...

Lastly, the visual effect was wonderful. The marriage of your body movements, facial expressions, tone of voice, and the ensuing sound is to me the highest level of human artistry."

The Instruments

Our primary instruments are marimba, mbira, hosho and drum. We feature handmade soprano, low tenor and baritone/bass marimbas made with keys from a tropical bloodwood, padouk. The marimba voicing is throaty and buzzy, which gives rhythmic contours and movement to the music independent of what is literally played. Originally resonated with gourds and buzzed with spider egg casings or sundried mesentery, we use water pipe and popcorn wrappers. Overtones sing through the buzzers in a way that often inspires the question "Is singing happening we can't see?" The sweet sound of heartwood singing acoustically at over 100 decibels gives a feeling which when experienced live, is like no other.
All of the music is rooted in the stylings of mbira. Mbira is the family of African instruments sometimes referred to in North America as thumb piano. It is a set of metal keys mounted on a board inside a gourd resonator and amplified like a guitar. Our largest mbira the Chakwi (Mixing together) also known as Dza Va Dzimu or Mhondoro Huru extends over 3 octaves. It is usually played in duets with complexly interlocking parts with voicings that result from the combined lines played by individual players. Some people say this interlocking style goes back to the pan pipes. It is also said that the first mbira song was sung by a rock in the bottom of the ocean, heard in a dream and remembered in Zimbabwe among the Shona, for all people. All through the music you will hear the sounds of water sung by metal extracted from red stones of iron with fire.

Shakers we play are gourd shakers called hosho, these are fragile seed pods. The original seeds are replaced with hota seeds ­ hard seeds of a flowering shrub in Zimbabwe. The seeds are alive ­ if they are planted they will grow. The living earth is given voice in the crisp pulsing hosho which drives the dance beat.

Trap set is at the center of our drum sound. This mixes with textures on traditional ngoma, djembe and conga in our pop style. The drums leather head gives voice to the animals who roam this earth together with us. Yes, in the Bliss Gypsy sound the voicings of humanity mix with the forests, stones, fire, waters, and animals to create a wild sound of beauty.

Upcoming Performance Dates 2001

Feb 9th Pete's of Purdue, West Lafayette, IN
FRI 11:00pm / Cover $2
Pete's Bar is on Northwestern Ave. north of Chauncey Mall/the Village.

Feb 16th Purdue Mem. Union, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
FRI "La Posada" PSUB
9:00-11:00pm Cover $2 Purdue students/ $3 non-students

Mar 3rd Java Roaster Coffeehouse, Lafayette, IN
SAT 9:00pm Cover charge.

Mar 31st Indiana Gourd Festival, Kokomo, IN
SAT Times to be announced / Free to the public

Mar 31st Wolf Park/Pagan Benefit Concert, Indianapolis, IN
SAT Time & cost to be announced

Apr 1st              International Awareness Week, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN
SUN 7:00pm Fowler Hall / Free to the public

May 5th Beale Street Music Festival, Memphis, TN SAT

May 19th Kentucky Gourd Show, Taylorsville, KY
SAT Free to the public

May 26 Lothlorien ELF FEST 2001, Bloomington, IN
SAT Time & cost to be announced

Bliss Gypsys are available to play festivals, clubs, weddings and celebrations of all kinds.

Contact: Treothe Bullock:1-888-721-4285 or: blissgypsys@yahoo.com

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