Hi everybody!👋🏾 Bri Chronicles here back at ya with another interview.  

I am here today with some very special people.  I can’t wait to introduce you to them.

They are very close and dear to my heart, these are my uncles, but, they are even more special than that.  They are in a great group, they are musicians and they will tell you all about it.   

They are called Les OdasCieux, I present you the Manager my uncle Jean and the Maestro of the group Michel.    So, I hope that you guys enjoy this interview get to learn more about them and hopefully you get to enjoy their music.

Bri Chronicles: So, hi nice to see you guys, it’s been awhile.

Manager Jean: Same for us, yeah we are very happy to be here with you also.

BriChronicles:  Aw, thank you.

Manager Jean:  Yeah, so I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

BriChronicles: Merry Christmas, Happy New Year that’s coming in three days.

Manager Jean:  yeah

BriChronicles: And you know it’s nice to be with family, I haven’t been seeing you guys in about what, over a year?

Manager Jean: I think so…more than one year.

BriChronicles:  This is crazy how life is going right now, we are trying to do our best with everything huh.

Manager Jean: yeah

BriChronicles: So guys this is a special time. Only because of everything going on with pandemic I get to see them!  So wonderful.  I haven’t seen the maestro in…forever. 

Maestro Michel: *laughs* yes at this time, with the pandemic, people, we always try to do our best you know, not contaminate and follow the rules, to stay alive, wash your hands and stuff because you know with the pandemic you don’t take chances.

BriChronicles: No we can’t take chances.

Manager Jean: We have to follow all the instructions in order to protect ourselves.

BriChronicles: And our family.

Manager Jean: yeah. To protect yourself while you protect other people also.   Very important, yeah.  So all the time you have to wash you hands and even to go out so it’s like that.  

BriChronicles: Yes, so keep yourself safe.

Manager Jean: So it’s another…how do you say that… big season eh?!

BriChronicles: It’s another season and thankfully this time around we can see each other, so I’m so happy about that.

 
So like I said, they are called ‘Les OdasCieux’.

How many are you in your group?  How many members?

Manager Jean: We are more than, well, the band has been founded by five biological brothers.  So we have more people that are playing with us.   But in total with the other musicians like I can say in total we have thirteen?..

Maestro Michel: When the band is complete & when we are playing a big show, thirteen people only.  Cause you know, we’re like an orchestra as we are playing Kompa style (Haitian music), we call it “orchestre”.  You got your orchestra and got a mini group.  So when we play a big anniversary or we have a big program, we have at least thirteen people, full band.

BriChronicles: Wow

Maestro Michel:  Then we can shrink it, it could be nine, depends on the location where we’re playing.  So we have nine people always active.

BriChronicles:  Always active, nine people.  That’s quite a lot of people!

Manager Jean: Now we’re trying to see if we can get at least two OdasCieux eh, a small odascieux because now with COVID 19 it’s difficult to perform with a full band so, that’s why we are trying to see if we can get a small OdasCieux where we can reach more people.

BriChronicles: Right, you want to reach as many people as possible.

Manager Jean: As possible you know.  So now we are going to get a small OdasCieux for a small (group of) people and another for full (group of) people.

BriChronicles: That’s great.

Manager Jean: That’s the plan.

BriChronicles: That’s the plan?

Manager Jean: For 2022 yeah.

BriChronicles: It hasn’t happened yet, oh ok.

Manager Jean: Not yet, because we need to be matched with the season you know.

BriChronicles: Oh ok.  Yeah of course.

Manager Jean: That’s what you call audacieux (audacious in french) hein. Definitely.

BriChronicles: Ay, you have to, you have to. Audacieux for those who don’t know what that means is audacious, in french. So, they are really audacious in how they process their things and I’m kind of wondering if that’s why they picked that name, I will let them tell us.  

Why did you pick the OdasCieux as a name for your group?

Manager Jean: It’s an original name. There is a big story for this name.  

BriChronicles: Ok.

Manager Jean:  So, you know, we have a big family like eight families. We are five brothers and three sisters.  I remember like nine years ago we decided to celebrate the anniversary of our big sister.

BriChronicles: Yes.  Which is my mother.

Manager Jean: eh, which is your mother?! Ok!!   So we try to celebrate her anniversary which was a big surprise.   So, I remember that, with probably your dad, we tried to do a big surprise.  I remember it was at Michel’s house, nine years ago, and then, when she came at the event, she was surprised to see…I think you were there.

BriChronicles:  Yes, I was there.  

Manager Jean: Yes. Not only you, we had some other people come from other cities that she knew hein, I’m talking about old friends so she was very surprised.  I remember before coming in Canada, I received a guitar from your dad and I was practicing playing guitar and with my guitar, Michel was playing saxophone, Mickey (another group member & brother) was guitar bass and then we started playing some music that we know she loves, ok.   So…we play but some people think that the fact that we play some music, they were satisfied, they considered us to be audacieux (audacious), like a band. And they said that we are really audacious. So now that we are a band, we need to get, like baptise..we get a name for the band.

BriChronicles: Ok

Manager Jean: someone said; « you are audascieuse » (audacious). The Maestro said, you got the name! You got the name!

BriChronicles: Ah!  That’s so good.  

Maestro Michel:  If I can add in a few things about the reason why we call ourselves OdasCieux.   

BriChronicles: Yes of course

Maestro Michel: Because we didn’t know nothing about music before.  I was fifty, and older in my time, music was the last thing on my mind.  So, when we start practicing and it was for your mother’s anniversary, we try to give her a surprise.   Because at the time, your mom sang songs from ‘Moustaki’ (George Moustaki). Usually, in her generation the girls always sang French songs, like to play popular classic songs. Like nowadays, people play Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie those guys.  But at that time people used to play those songs, like, (he sings; ‘Ne laisse pas passer, la chance d’être aimer; a song by Patrick Norman).  It’s a song your mom used to sing when she was young.  So basically, we practiced this music, it was me, Jean and Gardy.  It was three of us. So the people who came to the show, or rather be part of the surprise or accomplices, you know? They start saying, I think it was Mme Hogarth (family friend), nobody knows us as musicians and she said; 《you guys are audacious. Oh, you are audacious guys》in creole.  Meaning you have plenty audace. You are doing a concert, you are not musicians but you are playing music.  Because they were satisfied, the fact that we practiced, the sound, the place and it was well done and to play as musicians they were saying you are audacious.  So the name stayed on my mind.  I thought well , if you are going to do something, keep practicing every Saturday and it’s a joke that became serious. 

Manager Jean: (To piggyback) On this point, we wanted to remain audacious. Because audacity is someone who is smart, who wants to succeed like what you are doing.  We want to do what we like but also realize a dream successfully.  When the person called us audacious we caught the bug.  It’s the word that ignited a fire in us.  And afterwards we reunited and we really created the word audacious.   If you notice the word isn’t written grammatically.  It’s not the French way of spelling audacieux, it’s a bilingual word that we created.  Because the majority of Haitians in general are bilingual, when I say bilingual I don’t mean Canadian.  When they come here they speak Creole and French.  Haitians in general speak Creole, you know the ancient history.  But if you noticed, the word is written in a way that makes it bilingual, we created the word which makes us more audacious.  Do you understand?

BriChronicles: Yes I do

Manager Jean:  Because the word is not written in French audacieux, but

O-D-A-S-C-I-E-U-X.  So, Odas is the style of music we play.  Every group that plays Kompa has its own style.  It’s the style of Kompa that we play that we call Odas. If you listen to our music you will hear Odas, Odas, it’s our style.  And ‘ les Cieux’ (heaven in English) it’s a French word, it’s this Kompa that will rise up in Heaven.  Exactly, and this is why we call it OdasCieux.   You understand? It’s a complete word.  We took the time to create the word and be Les OdasCieux.  

 BriChronicles:  It’s very deep

Manager Jean:  It is deep & it’s an original name too.

BriChronicles:  It’s very original.  No one can take this name, it’s written in an original way so we will know if someone tries to take it.

Manager Jean:  Yeah, ok,  what I noticed is that there are people that are really interested to hear us and follow us because they like the originality of the name.

BriChronicles:  I can understand the interest, the curiosity of, who are these people who has a name with such a spelling? Let me see what it’s all about.

Maestro Michel:  I did a research before creating this name & I found a lady in France with the name Audacieux.   Also if I can add, there are two significations of the word audacious.  There is the bad side, a liar, someone who is not serious, who lacks integrity, who is caught in a lie but keeps up the charade, that is someone with audacity.  We are the good side of audacious, meaning with effort we will succeed.  We dare.  If it wasn’t for the audacity of our ancestors, the Haitians would not have had their independence in 1804.  So, we still practice being audacious.

Manager Jean: This is what we recommend to everyone, to be audacious to reach your objectives, not in the bad sense but in the good sense of the word.  Through our music, through our videos, we didn’t know we would get this far.    

BriChronicles:  You persevered.

Manager Jean: We persevered, really we are a model for the community.

BriChronicles: How do you feel receiving the warm reception these days from the public.  Because as you said, you started small and all of the sudden people are coming to see you play, they are interested, they are intrigued.  So how does it make you feel?  Does it encourage you more? What are the plans now, maybe in 5 years…where do you see this going?

Maestro Michel:  I always say the sky is the limit, as we were touching on earlier, sky is the limit because I cannot tell you where we are going but I can say we are going somewhere.  So basically with all the love we receive from the people, encouraging us, saying don’t give up, that is the key that you feel like you are doing something good. So from that energy we get, for example now from the launch of our first album, I think he (Manager Jean) said something funny that day.    Oh, a woman carries a baby for nine years, OdasCieux took nine months to make a CD.  This is not what he wanted to say, he meant to say the opposite.  It took Les OdasCieux nine years to make a CD. We were laughing saying, my God if a woman had to wait nine years to carry a baby… 

BriChronicles: We would never be done.  yeah, too long, oh my goodness.

Maestro Michel: It took us nine years to have our first album.  So we are very satisfied for our first one *laughs*.

Manager Jean: Well, a woman takes nine months to carry a baby, it took us nine years to have a album.  Our album has nine songs on it, it’s as if we have one song for each year we’ve played music.   Generally, people follow us everywhere and it encourages us to do better.  When they congratulate us that lets us know we are on the right track. There are some people who try to discourage us, they tried.  Like when we do a program, they say, oh you are still there, you’re still playing, when will you stop?!  A question to which is easy for us to answer as he just said, we will stop when we can no longer continue, we are here to move forward until we can’t anymore. So, how do we feel?  We feel like we are in Heaven.  Because when we tried to sell our first album, we have some pictures that you can post.

BriChronicles: Yes.  Ok your album is on Spotify.  What is the title of your album?

Manager Jean: ‘Chaché Komprann’ (learn to understand in English). It’s from grandpa. It also has a story behind it.

BriChronicles:  I didn’t know that.

Manager Jean:  Ok.  Think about it & we will come back on it.   So we were selling our album for $20.  There was a fan who said no, you have to bid it off. You have to bid.  So we tried it.  You should see how happy people were to be a part of this competition.  We started at $40.   There is a business man who bid $300 for a CD.

BriChronicles: Oh, congratulations!

Manager Jean:..and someone else said no, I have to out bid him, paid $320 and took the CD from his hands.  Others gave $100, $200 etc. That’s night we sold CDs at extraordinary prices.  I was not expecting that.  I was not expecting it.

BriChronicles: How could you expect that.

Manager Jean: Yes, but that encouraged us to do more.   And to answer your question what our plans are, unfortunately we are in exceptional times, COVID 19, we don’t know when Mother Nature will give us a chance. We were supposed to perform at the end of this year and that had to be canceled. However, we took advantage of our situation and put out an album and three videos that are on our site and also on YouTube.  What encouraged me more, one of our nephews was singing one of our songs I can share with you if you haven’t seen it yet.

BriChronicles: Yes, yes, I saw it!  I can also post it but I will have to ask his permission first.  That was very encouraging to see, he was really into it.

Manager Jean: *laughs*. It was like, this is what we want!  This is what we are looking for!  We want one of you to take over.  Who will replace us?  It is a family gain.   You understand?

Maestro Michel:  If I may add something.

BriChronicles: Of course 

Maestro Michel:  My wife doesn’t really listen to these things. I told her to look at the video (of nephew), she pretended not to pay attention, and all of the sudden she started to hum the song, so I pointed it out to her; ‘oh so you were listening’ *laughs*.  She asked who is singing this, I told her Alex (nephew) & was humming it too.  So it works you understand?

Manager Jean:  You have to see the way he sings it.  He sang it with so much emotion, it came out of him.  So that’s encouraging eh.   It was spontaneous.

BriChronicles: Yes.  And he posted it to show you that it touched him.   

Manager Jean:  It’s not just him, even our other nephews do it too.  They hum our songs.  Even my daughter will participate when she wants. *laughs*

My son-in-law plays the sax with us once too.  In ‘Chaché Komprann’, he plays the saxophone on that record. There is a future.  And yourself, if you can help us too with what you’re doing. It’s for your good.  We will leave this earth eh, the name will stay for you guys.  Definitely. *laughs*

BriChronicles: Well, now that we know, we will have to support you more.

Manager Jean:  Definitely.  Plus, to answer your question, you wanted to know what our plans are in five years, at this time we think we are more regional. We have already performed in Montreal and want to be more present there, we always perform in Ottawa. We were even invited to perform in New York and Toronto in February for black history month but with the current situation we don’t know if it will still take place due to COVID. We want to expand more nationally, play in other provinces in Canada & other countries.  What we realize is our music is being heard everywhere because of the technology. We have fans in Africa, Haiti & elsewhere who call to congratulate us say how good it is.  But we would like to physically be there to play music also. That is our future plans.

BriChronicles:  That will come.

Manager Jean:  Also from now, we are thinking of another album, maybe 2022, 2023. 

BriChronicles: 2022 is next year.

Manager Jean:  Yes, we know. We are working on it now.  We are working on a Carnival. 

Maestro Michel: Possibly Christmas 2022.

BriChronicles: Ah.  An exclusive here eh! 

Manager Jean & Maestro Michel: Yes.

Maestro Michel: We have a lot of music in the vault.  The only thing left is to practice them and do some arrangements and they will be out.  It costs a lot to do an album so the music is there.

BriChronicles:  Who writes for the group?

Maestro Michel: It’s like a stew.  I have music I write, he has ideas, Mickey’s brother-in-law Charlot, so those who surround us have been able to contribute in writing a song.  So we do not have a specific writer.  It’s our project, our resource.  I have a good idea, I share it, he has an idea he shares it and we work on them together.

Manager Jean:  We are really audacious because I do, he does, my bother does and as he said Charlot does too so that makes us a force to be reckoned with.

I almost forgot to say that our moto is Force Tranquille (quiet strength). We get along, we do things.  Even for the Carnival, the song is done, it’s ready to go.  But we have all we need within the family, we don’t need to look elsewhere.

BriChronicles: That’s good.  You get along very well.  Things are moving, slowly but surely.  Look, you now have an album out with nine songs, you have songs that will be out, you are thinking of another one that will be done, you learned to play music on your own.

Manager Jean: *laughs* 

BriChronicles: Have you guys taken any lessons?

Maestro Michel: Like I always say, we entered the music scene by the small door.  We were not musicians.  I work, I have a career.   We are all professionals. For example, he is an accountant, I work in a hospital, Mickey is a technician.  We all have our own careers outside of music.  It can also be a good thing because maybe the interest wouldn’t be so strong.    When I started to play the saxophone, someone said to me, hey, don’t quit your day job.  I took it as there is no future in this for you.  You’re making the effort but it’s not for you. The more I practiced, I was told, oh, there is an improvement.  My dad, when I was younger in Haiti, didn’t quite understand or support my dreams in playing music.  But I remember when my dad congratulated me.  It wasn’t easy for him to do even if it was deserved, he wouldn’t do it.  He congratulated me when the band Tropicana, Tropicana was one of the biggest band orchestra in Haiti, when we played with them.  My dad being from Haiti knows Tropicana is a big deal, when he saw them introduce us to the audience, they appreciated us and we played with them, that is when my dad saw that we had something serious, we weren’t wasting our time, we had something good in our hands. That being said, before we started practicing, to answer your question, I didn’t have an instrument at all. I was always fascinated by the sax but it’s not a popular instrument in the Haitian music.  Most Haitians play the guitar or the drums, they are more appropriate and easier to learn.  It’s never too late to learn.  One day, I went into a shop here in Ottawa & was suggested by the seller the tenor saxophone as the most valuable, so I bought it on the spot.  I quickly found out that for the genre of music we play, the alto saxophone was most appropriate because it’s in a higher range in sound, than the tenor.

Manager Jean: We consider ourselves as semi professional.

BriChronicles: Why?

Manager Jean: Because we work, we perform, we respect the public and we try to do it well.  But since we don’t make a living out of it, we consider ourselves as semi professionals.  Soon, since we will be retiring and we would like our youth to eventually take over as a career.  We think that in five years, we will be professionals because the people have shown love for Les OdasCieux.

BriChronicles: Okay

Manager Jean: This is what I hope for our group, that we become professionals.

BriChronicles: In the sense, you say you are semi-professionals because you have another job, you are not full time musicians.

Manager Jean:  Right, it’s not all we do. We have occupations/ careers.  We are in difficult times, we have other obligations and music alone right now doesn’t allow us to cover those expenses. We can’t perform on a regular basis due to restrictions.

Maestro Michel:  Just like in church, there is a quota that have to be followed.  So we can’t have a big audience like we once had at venues where we played. 

Manager Jean: Right, due to COVID also. But I think that we are semi professionals.

BriChronicles:  But I think you are professionals, musically speaking.  You are audacious and passionate.

Manager Jean:  That’s why I say, I think. It’s not only the musical side, our goal is also to promote it artistically, music + art.  We would like to play in arenas & theatres.  We are not there yet, but maybe in five years from now.

BriChronicles: Well, you have videos that you put out, evidently.  It was very interesting to see that.  Did you guys have good time shooting the videos?! 

Manager Jean:  If I knew it was that interesting to do videos, I would have done more. Because it’s the videos that allow people to see you, you understand?  If it wasn’t for videos maybe my nephew would not have been able to see us through the music.  The video help people love music.  We have our first one called´Ou Alé’ and it got 2k views.  The video wasn’t 3 days out yet & got 500 views.  The last music, ‘Amour Frivole ’ just came out & already has 500 views.  People like this song.  And then we have ´Osmose ´.  We have Haitians who love Osmose because it has a more cultural sound.  But what I realize a lot of people favor the song Famn Déraillé ´ which I find fascinating. I still don’t understand that. 

BriChronicles: It’s interesting to see.

Manager Jean:  Yes!  It’s interesting to see because why is it clicking with so many people? Even people outside of our culture is loving ‘Famn Déraillé’, that’s all I hear.

Maestro Michel:  I think it’s the beat.  It’s catchy.  That’s what happens with music. You can write beautiful songs with powerful words etc.  But there is something that you write or play that you may put less importance to & somehow it clicks.  I remember like I said earlier hearing my wife humming the song, she wasn’t paying attention to it, but she hummed after the fact, it stuck in her head.  I’ve heard, when someone hums a song after it’s been played, it means it’s good. 

BriChronicles: Like they say in English it’s catchy!

Maestro Michel:  *laughs*. It’s catchy.

Manager Jean: *snaps his fingers.  Like they say in creole ´Gin Bagay!’ (That’s the stuff) They love this song.  That’s what I noticed.  Young or old, ´Fanm Déraillé ´…

BriChronicles: You have a hit!

Manager Jean: *nods*. Right.

Maestro Michel: It’s a possibility.

BriChronicles: We will see how many more you will have.  I’m pretty sure you will have a many.

Manager Jean: The Carnival. I also invite you to be a part of it.  I want to try & have all the family children to participate in this project, young or old. Even the Godmother of the group, if Covid will give us a chance.  

BriChronicles: Like they say all things have to come to an end so..

Manager Jean:  They say all good things so I’m not sure…

BriChronicles: *laughs* That’s why I omitted the word good, because we want the good to continue. Covid is not a good thing so I don’t know.  I had to remove that.  

Manager Jean: People want it to go, go & get away but it’s still there.  I don’t know that people know how to fight that.  I don’t think so, now we are talking about a third dose.

BriChronicles: Well, we will see. But you guys will keep going because you are Les OdasCieux, so you will continue your journey.   

One last question, well one of the last questions, we touched on it earlier.  It was about the title song of your album Chaché Komprann.  Chaché Komprann, you were going to explain that my grandpa was the inspiration for this song.

Manager Jean:  Yes, if I am to translate this title in English it means, ´try to search’? Just to understand, right? When we were younger we got a lot of advice like you can’t do this, or that.  It’s important to protect yourself but it’s also important to know.  To try to search to know.  Every time grandpa spoke personally to me, he felt like my adversary.  No matter what he said, even if I didn’t agree, I accepted.  But when I got older & I could have a conversation with him, even if he said the right thing I would challenge it..to bug…

The interview is suddenly interrupted by my mother.

BriChronicles:  *to my mother as she walked through the video again* Do you want to say hello? 

Mother: Hello! *smiles big to the camera*

BriChronicles: This is the godmother, this is the reason for Les OdasCieux.  This is the reason guys.

Manager Jean:  Yeah, she is the head, eldest of the family.

(God) Mother:  I know that these guys are passionate.  They want to go far and worked hard to go far, so go far *starts singing in French*.  Do not stop guys, you are good!

Maestro Michel: Thank you. *laughs*

Manager Jean:  If she says we’re good then that means we are! *laughs*

Maestro Michel: The Godmother said so! It must be true.

Manager Jean: Definitely eh?!  She’s a tough critic so if she says it then it must be.  And it’s true there are a lot of people who told us this & congratulate us.  
Back to grandpa, he would say something, I wouldn’t let him finish & grandpa would stop me & say; No! Listen to what I am saying.  If you already know (what I am saying), you will understand even more.  Listen to what I am saying to you.  There is a part in the song that comes directly from him.  ‘Zip your lips, if you already know, you will know more’.

BriChronicles: So take the time to listen.

Manager Jean: Yes, definitely.   There is a good moral lesson in it, that it’s good to listen because you will pick up more things/ information, then you will know more. This is why we are born.  We all have a mission.  Everyone has the capacity, intelligence to do something good.  It’s important to identify & know why you were born & I encourage people search that for themselves. Once you have identified what it is, you will figure out how to accomplish it. You will find the means to do it. You have to search, ‘Chaché Komprann’.   Question the bible.  Every answer is in there.  

If you have a dream, you have the possibilities to realize it.  This is the message Les Odascieux wants to tell people.

BriChronicles: Perfect.  This is what I say also to my blog listeners and readers, you have a dream or something you want to do, now is the time, now is the moment.  Don’t wait until tomorrow because it is not promised.

So go ahead, if you have something you want to do, go ahead.  I see a connection with my other interviews, this was the moral.  They didn’t know their business was going to take the path it took.  One of my interviews (Colette Leader Kalumbi), didn’t know her love for art was going to turn into a book for children & the other was (Birdy’s Daughter), she went to the Blue mountains in Jamaica and started her own coffee company without really liking coffee but wanting to share the richness of her culture.  She didn’t even plan to do this but the desire was there & she started it.   She could’ve denied that desire, but she didn’t & now it’s thriving.  So just do it, take the first steps.

Manager Jean: That’s right. This is what we want.  And we want to congratulate you.   It’s important to start something.  Today you are here, with us.  Maybe, you will see in the future of where you are going to be.  Definitely it’s like that.

BriChronicles:  Thank you.  we will see where God takes me.

Manager Jean: God always want us to do something.  We just start, you lift the left foot and it will do the rest for you hein.  Like the OdasCieux men does hein.

BriChronicles: Also I have to say the reason why I have them here, not only because they are my uncles but I really love what they do.

Manager Jean: Wow

BriChronicles: I want you guys to really listen to them.  Take a look at their videos, check out their website.  I’m gonna post the links, the videos, that we talked about even the one of my cousin, their nephew who did a short clip video of him singing their song that touched pretty much their heart so much, I will put a little snippet of that.

Tell me where can they find you, what’s your website, ig?

Manager Jean: Ah you know, www.odascieux.ca.  The phone number, if you want you can catch it also (613) 400-3513 and if you desire to contact us this way you can.

Maestro Michel: To purchase the album to boost up our sales even further it helps the group to do even better & make more albums with your participation, we can create more nice videos & songs in the future.

Manager Jean: Yes, we also have Facebook, Instagram.  If you just type Odascieux, like the spelling, you will see us eh.

BriChronicles: And YouTube of course, their videos are there, lots of great things there, go ahead and take a look. I will go put up the links. And please give them a chance. Support people from the community and you won’t regret it.

 Again thank you for being here.  

BriChronicles back at cha & have a great day 🙂