Troubadours of Divine Bliss, an internationally-touring duo from Louisville,KY featuring accordion, guitar and harmonies"smooth as Kentucky Bourbon" voted"Best Folk Band" in New Orleans & Louisville, KY. They represented the USA at FIMU International Music Festival in Belfort,France, having played across the US, Canada & Europe at International Music Festivals , BBC Radio and many countless notable venues. Their music weaves in and out of genres...it's AmericanaSpirit, AcousticVaudeville, GypsyBluegrass, SoulFolk. Billy Butler from BBC Radio,"Absolutely gorgeous harmonies...music that could melt a stone statue.""It's a scream. It's a tranquilizer. It's a riot and a philosophy class.It might even move the stoics. It's the only product you will everrequire" -David Lily, NefariousA Carnival of Musical BlissOff the Cuff: Live at the Winchester (Independent)Troubadours of Divine BlissBy Tim Roberts, Louisville Music News Forgive the hyperbole that follows: Off the Cuff from Louisville's Troubadours of Divine Bliss is simply fun, fun, fun. Two discs of sheer joy. Guitarist Aim Me Smiley and accordionist Renee Ananda only get better with each release and their music is never disappointing. All of the spontaneity, fun, passion and compassion in every one of their live performances is present in these discs. Anyone who has seen these women perform live knows what that is like And if you have never seen them perform, this is as close as you can get. Recorded during a December 2004 performance at the Winchester in Cleveland, Ohio, Off the Cuff presents the Troubadours in all their spontaneous glory. They have only one message in their music: Free your dreams, follow them and find your bliss. They do not communicate this with sound that you would hear in the Wyndam Hill catalog (atonal music with harps, soprano saxophones and the sound of water trickling over stones, stuff you'd hear piped over the speakers in a dentist's office to mask the whistling of a drill and the grinding of enamel). Instead, they follow in the grand tradition of street busking and cabarets. These are the spiritual goddaughters of Renaissance minstrels, gypsy musicians out to steal your heart (but bring it back to you), Barbary Coast barroom bands and cabaret chanteuses like Edit Piaf. Their musical mirth in those traditions is draws you in and you can't help but feel somewhat changed when it is over. As for the music itself on Off the Cuff, it is, to be sure, a career retrospective containing selections from their three previous studio recordings, but it also features breathtaking covers of John Prine's"Angel from Montgomery," Tom Waits'"Shiver Me Timbers," and even Eric Idle's"Brightside of Life," currently featured in the Broadway musical Spamalot. Each song has the trademark Troubadour accordion, guitar and two-part vocal harmony, but they are also fleshed out with guest musicians Randy Brewer on mandolin, Steph Dlugon on violin, Brian Henke on guitar and Bob Petarcas on banjo. But one song on the entire two-disc set probably has the most impact in light of the disaster that befell the Gulf Coast last month."Scarlet Carnival," a tribute to all the rollicking fun that went on in the Storyville section of New Orleans and which appeared on the Troubadours' 2000 release Dressing Room for Eternity, is a reminder of what that city once represented in the minds of many: the Mardi Gras, nonstop jazz, erotic temptations, voodoo mystery, Lestat. The song is, to paraphrase the line spoken by James Earl Jones's character in Field of Dreams, a reminder of"all that once was good and it could be again" about that city. Throughout all of the music on Off the Cuff, you get the feeling you're at a carnival, where the games aren't rigged, where the rides are safe but still fun, where the smiles are genuine and not a sleaze-hiding veneer, where you can still get a quick peek at the sideshow with their wry wit and sometimes off-color hilarity.In short, it represents everything the Troubadours of Divine Bliss are about. Minister and Unity Radio Host of"Soulstream" Kristin Powell says"They break open our hearts with their soaring lyrics then guide us through the depths of our sacred wounds to the expanse of our inspired gifts. With seamlessly woven harmonies, they mend our hearts again and leave us stronger than ever – knowing that this life is indeed extraordinary!" Author Mary Reaman gushes"Troubadours touch the depths of the human heart while uplifting the spirit. They are a gift of love and healing every time.""I have witnessed the tremendous effect the Troubadours of Divine Bliss have on people. People's lives are transformed by these two powerful women.In addition to finding their own healing, they have gone forth to create and offer workshops to help others find healing and empowerment. The Troubadours of Divine Bliss take spiritual empowerment very seriously and show a real passion for it through their music and actions." --Jessica Mathis, Clifton UU“They are the spiritual goddaughters of a tradition that spans the hidden history of music – of performance, actually – from Medieval troubadours reciting poetry in some noble’s palace, to Chaucer’s Canterbury pilgrims spinning bawdy tales. From Renaissance street minstrels, to singers in turn-of-the-century saloons in New Orleans (where the city’s police posted signs warning patrons to BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS AND LOOSE WOMEN, a line used in the Troubadours’ “Scarlet Carnival”). From performers in outdoor cafes in France after the First World War serenading the Lost Generation, to acts in cabarets in 1920s Berlin – “Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome” – a handful of years before the monsters came out. From flower-child jams in Haight-Ashbury, to singer-songwriter nights entertaining a new set of nobility.”Tim Roberts- Louisville Music News"The 2015 'As You Wish' album from the Troubadours of Divine Bliss is a beautifully-crafted, important contribution to human culture in the early 21st century. To my ear, the enchantingly delicious harmonies from Aim Me and Renee are beyond parallel." S.Peck Music Promoterhttp://www.reverbnation.com/troubadoursofdivinebliss Aim Me & Reneetroubadoursofdivinebliss.com Voted"Best Folk Band"-New Orlean's Offbeat Magazine"Best Singer Songwriters" &"Best Band"-Louisville's LEO WeeklyImpressions"They are the embodiment of a new generation of Folk Artists who have taken the genre to the next level...with a 21st Century Creative Edge. Since their appearance, the Troubadours have stolen the hearts of the Blissfest faithful"-Jim Gillespie, Blissfest Founder"This world can only benefit from a new seed planted by these gardeners of the soul. Their very spirit blossoms into the heart of everyone their music touches. I have witnessed the tremendous effect the Troubadours of Divine Bliss have on people. People's lives are transformed by these two powerful women"--Divinity Rose, SubRosa Gypsy"Their acoustic music with a streak of old-timer flavor appeals to those who like the female camaraderie and harmonies of the Indigo Girls but are looking for something with a bit more weirdness, humor and range...sultry narratives...vaudeville send-ups...luscious covers...Aim Me and Renee move from pathos to flippancy with breathtaking speed"-Anastasia Pantsios, The Scene"It's a scream. It's a tranquilizer. It's a riot and a philosophy class.It might even move the stoics. It's the only product you will everrequire"-David Lily, NefariousBiographyTHE BLISS STORY:Troubadours of Divine Bliss met in a spirit-filled, holy rollin', charismatic church in Kentucky in 1984. Renee's Dad was the Pastor & Aim Me's Dad was a Deacon. As the Hatfield & Mc Coy's of the Pentecostal world, Aim Me's Dad ended up kicking Renee's Dad out of the pulpit. In 1995, they were brought back together with the vision of being Troubadours of Divine Bliss, Renee had a dream she was playing an Accordion, so she got one. Aim Me strummed a guitar, they found their harmony and Bliss was born. They followed their destiny to the streets of New Orleans where wrapped in battery-operated Christmas lights...they debuted as Street Performers on the corner of Royal and Toulouse in the Big Easy. Since then, they have performed throughout America, Europe & Canada in concert halls, festivals, house concerts, radio and television. They have performed at the prestigious FIMU Festival in France, BBC Radio, Wild Goose Festival, Southern Womyn's Festival, The Troubadour in London, Blissfest, Kent Stage, Eddie's Attic, The Living Room in NYC and opened for Tony Bennett, Patty Griffin, Jon Sebastian and many more. They call Louisville, Kentucky their hometown but live in a cabin in the woods of southern Indiana...following their bliss."Explanation is futile...only seeing is believing"--Courier Journal THE MUSIC:Their music is a collective of Americana, Acoustic Vaudeville, Gypsy Bluegrass, Soul Folk that takes you from the depths of your suffering to the Bliss of sweet release using every musical tool they have learned along the way.They have traveled the wondrous expanse of America, Europe & Canada, as true Troubadours, and have been inspired accordingly. Their travels have given them the opportunity to sample a wide variety of tastes, cultures & timely issues that have become the muse for their myriad of musical genres and 6 recordings.Discography:As You Wish / 2015Awakening to Love / 2012Sacred Letters of Surrender / 2008Off the Cuff: Live at the Winchester / 2006Dying Laughing: Firecrackers on a Funeral Pyre / 2004Dressing Room for Eternity / 2001No Place Like OM / 1998 CONTACT:Aim Me Smiley & Renee AnandaPhone:(812) 961-2994Email:troubadours@psci.net"A caravan of creativity from Houdini to Fellini, from front porch to torch, from jamboree to gypsy."--Allen Marando, Indie Muse---ician troubadoursofdivinebliss.com Here are a few Videos-Standinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ItO3owQpkw" Holy Now"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoGc2wkB5hY Ancient Towerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmqTq-Lknhk Scarlet Carnival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duV-6LtFTio Supermanhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0NB0mkAmVcShake the Devilhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8jQaKfdGWs"Live at FIMU International Music Fest in France" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnn0bmdOx30"Awakening to Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvjnliX48DAExtraordinary Lifehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cUanw56FL0Somewhere Over the Rainbowhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOOAfzg_0rA Divining Utopiahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TliF84bK_Q