Brulé (band)
Encyclopedia
Brulé & AIRO is a multi award winning contemporary Native American
group featuring a New Age
/Worldbeat
sound. Based in South Dakota
, they have sold over one million CDs worldwide and have made media appearances with the Live with Regis and Kathie Lee television show, CNN WorldBeat, QVC
, and others. They maintain a schedule of well over 100 performances a year including full stage productions with traditional dancers, an annual holiday tour, performances at Milwaukee's Indian Summer Festival, Indian Art Markets in Denver, Arlington (Tx.)
, and Overland Park, Kansas, Harbor Fest in Virginia Beach, the world-renowned Ordway Theater in St. Paul
, Foxwoods Casino, and many additional outdoor festivals and events. They have released 11 CDs over their 12-year existence.
in southwest Minnesota
. He was adopted at birth, and his talent for music was evident at an early age. Paul knew about his adoption but his true heritage was kept a secret. After Paul lost both of his adoptive parents in the same year, Paul's wife Kathy discovered his adoption papers. After several years of grieving and healing, a breakthrough came in 1993 when Paul discovered his biological Lakota family. His homecoming was a happy one and he was reunited with a brother, sister, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. The effect on his music career was monumental. Armed with the new knowledge of his heritage, Paul re-entered the world of music in the relatively new genre of contemporary Native American music. Mixing the traditional sounds of Native America with the music he grew up with, rock
, pop
, jazz
and everywhere in between, Paul cut his first CD, We The People, and Brulé
was born.
and the traditional drum
were soon added to the mix as the band started to form. In 1999 Paul and the band received their first of many awards, Paul was presented the 1999 "Outstanding Musical Achievement Award" by the First Americans in the Arts for One Nation.
(NAMA or NAMMYS). Star People was honored as the Best Instrumental CD of 2002 while Brulé was named the Native American Group of the Year. By the end of 2002 Paul's son Shane had completed college and quickly joined the family business on guitar. By 2003 the band was steadily maintaining a schedule of over 70 performances a year including full stage productions with lights, video, and Native American dancers. Nicole also released her follow up CD to Passion Spirit entitled Night Tree. Night Tree also received a NAMA award for Best Instrumental CD in 2003. The band continued traveling and playing in 2004 but did not release a CD during the year, opting instead to prepare for multiple releases in 2005.
Silent Star Night was the music featured in the band's 2006 holiday tour, the bands largest and most successful tour to date. Covering nine cities, the full stage production featured new video, dancers and lighting.
"
Performed at the Mount Rushmore Amphitheater at the base of the monument in the Black Hills
of South Dakota. Performed in front of record crowds of 5,000 people the first night and over 6,000 the second night, the concerts featured the band's full stage production with special guests. Paul shared his story and his goals of peace, hope and reconciliation between the cultures. Both concerts were professionally filmed for a future broadcast on South Dakota public television and on other PBS affiliates across the country. On October 6, 2007 the 9th annual NAMA Awards were held. Brulé & AIRO were nominated for a record five awards and received two. For the second straight year they were honored with Group of the Year, this time for Silent Star Night, and Kinship received the Best New Age Recording Award. Silent Star Night was also nominated for an Aboriginal People's Choice Awards held in Canada. In November 2007 the group released the third installment of the Nicole CDs featuring Nicole LaRoche on flute. Entitled Deep Dreams the CD adds a new sound to the extensive Brulé & AIRO collection. On December 2, 2007 the first broadcast of "Brulé & AIRO Concerts for Reconciliation of the Cultures at Mount Rushmore" was presented as part of South Dakota's Public Television Pledge Drive. Two thirds of the concert were aired while viewers were encouraged to make a pledge to SDPB. A DVD of the Mount Rushmore concerts as well as a live audio CD of the concert were offered as gifts to those who made pledges. The DVD and CD, along with a documentary of the making of the concert will be made available for sale to the public around the 1st of the year.
!Year
!Title
|-
|1996
|Brulé We the People
|-
|1997
|Brulé Lakota Piano
|-
|1997
|Red Nativity One Holy Night
|-
|1999
|Brulé One Nation
|-
|2001
|Nicole feat: Brulé Passion Spirit
|-
|2002
|Brulé Star People
|-
|2003
|Nicole feat: Brulé Night Tree
|-
|2005
|AIRO feat: Brulé Tatanka
|-
|2005
|AIRO feat: Brulé Tribal Rhythm
|-
|2006
|Brulé & AIRO Silent Star Night
|-
|2007
|Nicole feat: Brulé & AIRO Deep Dreams
|-
|}
Paul, Nicole and Shane are enrolled members of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
Moses is from the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge Reservation
Clay is from the Rosebud Sioux Tribal reservation
Thirza Defoe- Hoop dance
, fancy shawl dance, Eagle dance
Petur Redbird- Men's Traditional dance
Lewis St. Cyr- Chicken dance, grass dance, men's fancy feather dance, hoop dance
Lowery Begay- Hoop dance, men's fancy feather dance
Therese St. Cyr- Jingle dress dance, women's traditional dance
Garan Coons- Chicken dance, men's fancy feather dance
Gentry St. Cyr- Chicken dance, grass dance, men's fancy feather dance
Linda Thompson- Women's traditional dance (Paul's cousin)
Rene Avila- Men's Aztec dance
Jade Summers- Jingle dress dance (Nicole's Daughter)
Emily Sinclair- Jingle dress dance
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
group featuring a New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
/Worldbeat
Worldbeat
Worldbeat is a music genre that primarily refers to a blending of Western pop music with traditional/folk or world music influences...
sound. Based in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, they have sold over one million CDs worldwide and have made media appearances with the Live with Regis and Kathie Lee television show, CNN WorldBeat, QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
, and others. They maintain a schedule of well over 100 performances a year including full stage productions with traditional dancers, an annual holiday tour, performances at Milwaukee's Indian Summer Festival, Indian Art Markets in Denver, Arlington (Tx.)
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, and Overland Park, Kansas, Harbor Fest in Virginia Beach, the world-renowned Ordway Theater in St. Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, Foxwoods Casino, and many additional outdoor festivals and events. They have released 11 CDs over their 12-year existence.
Hidden heritage
Paul LaRoche grew up as part of a white middle class family in the small community of WorthingtonWorthington, Minnesota
Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St...
in southwest Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He was adopted at birth, and his talent for music was evident at an early age. Paul knew about his adoption but his true heritage was kept a secret. After Paul lost both of his adoptive parents in the same year, Paul's wife Kathy discovered his adoption papers. After several years of grieving and healing, a breakthrough came in 1993 when Paul discovered his biological Lakota family. His homecoming was a happy one and he was reunited with a brother, sister, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. The effect on his music career was monumental. Armed with the new knowledge of his heritage, Paul re-entered the world of music in the relatively new genre of contemporary Native American music. Mixing the traditional sounds of Native America with the music he grew up with, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and everywhere in between, Paul cut his first CD, We The People, and Brulé
Brulé
The Brulé are one of the seven branches or bands of the Teton Lakota Sioux American Indian nation. They are known as Sičháŋǧu Oyáte , or "Burnt Thighs Nation," and so, were called Brulé by the French...
was born.
The SOAR years
In 1995 Paul signed a record deal with Sound of America Records. There he developed Brulé's first CDs. We the People, Lakota Piano, One Nation and collaboration with Robby Bee entitled One Holy Night were all produced in just four months. Upon returning home Paul and his family made the move to the Lower Brule Reservation where they still maintain a residence to this day. With only the bare necessities, Paul was about to set out on his new musical endeavor as a solo artist. But before he could walk out the door for his first live performance, his daughter Nicole offered to join and play the melodies on her flute, Brulé became a duo. Starting from nothing, Brulé worked the art show circuit slowly gaining exposure and a solid fan base. Nicole began to carve out her own sound and style and became the groups lead instrumentalist. GuitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and the traditional drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
were soon added to the mix as the band started to form. In 1999 Paul and the band received their first of many awards, Paul was presented the 1999 "Outstanding Musical Achievement Award" by the First Americans in the Arts for One Nation.
Projects featuring Nicole
In 2001 Paul formed Buffalo Moon Productions with aim of featuring Nicole's flute playing on future CDs. Passion Spirit was released in 2001 featuring Nicole's unique style of flute playing. In 2002 Paul completed his next SOAR release entitled Star People. The title track from the CD quickly became a crowd favorite. Ten minutes in length, the fast paced song closes out every Brulé performance. In the same year Brulé won their first Native American Music AwardsNative American Music Awards
The Native American Music Awards , commonly known as the Nammys, are an awards program presented annually by The Native American Music Association & Awards, which recognizes outstanding musical achievement among Native Americans...
(NAMA or NAMMYS). Star People was honored as the Best Instrumental CD of 2002 while Brulé was named the Native American Group of the Year. By the end of 2002 Paul's son Shane had completed college and quickly joined the family business on guitar. By 2003 the band was steadily maintaining a schedule of over 70 performances a year including full stage productions with lights, video, and Native American dancers. Nicole also released her follow up CD to Passion Spirit entitled Night Tree. Night Tree also received a NAMA award for Best Instrumental CD in 2003. The band continued traveling and playing in 2004 but did not release a CD during the year, opting instead to prepare for multiple releases in 2005.
AIRO
As the group began to slowly become independent, Paul expanded Buffalo Moon Productions by introducing AIRO (American Indian Rock Opera) as an extension of the Brulé name. Performing for years under Paul's recording name, AIRO gave identity to the rest of the band members and the dance troupe. Paul was now able to record music with his whole band under AIRO. In 2005 Tatanka became AIRO's first release. Featuring an up-tempo rock sound Tatanka became an instant hit. Shortly after Tribal Rhythm was released. A more easy listening sound, Tribal Rhythm features Shane and the classical nylon string guitar, a new instrument for the group. In 2006 AIRO won its first NAMA for Group of the Year for Tatanka. Brulé also won that year for Best Compilation album for The Collection. As the summer wore on the group began to produce a long awaited follow up to One Holy Night. When One Holy Night was released it was a ground breaking CD, the first to introduce Contemporary Native American Holiday music. Now able to use Brulé & AIRO together, Paul and the group released the new CD Silent Star Night in the fall of 2006. Taking the sound from One Holy Night a step further,Silent Star Night was the music featured in the band's 2006 holiday tour, the bands largest and most successful tour to date. Covering nine cities, the full stage production featured new video, dancers and lighting.
2007 and beyond
2007 ushered in a history making year for the group, Paul released his final CD for SOAR entitled Kinship, and Paul was able to realize a lifelong dream for Brulé & AIRO. On July 13 and 14, 2007 the group presented the "Brulé & AIRO Concerts for Reconciliation of the Cultures at Mount RushmoreMount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
"
Performed at the Mount Rushmore Amphitheater at the base of the monument in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
of South Dakota. Performed in front of record crowds of 5,000 people the first night and over 6,000 the second night, the concerts featured the band's full stage production with special guests. Paul shared his story and his goals of peace, hope and reconciliation between the cultures. Both concerts were professionally filmed for a future broadcast on South Dakota public television and on other PBS affiliates across the country. On October 6, 2007 the 9th annual NAMA Awards were held. Brulé & AIRO were nominated for a record five awards and received two. For the second straight year they were honored with Group of the Year, this time for Silent Star Night, and Kinship received the Best New Age Recording Award. Silent Star Night was also nominated for an Aboriginal People's Choice Awards held in Canada. In November 2007 the group released the third installment of the Nicole CDs featuring Nicole LaRoche on flute. Entitled Deep Dreams the CD adds a new sound to the extensive Brulé & AIRO collection. On December 2, 2007 the first broadcast of "Brulé & AIRO Concerts for Reconciliation of the Cultures at Mount Rushmore" was presented as part of South Dakota's Public Television Pledge Drive. Two thirds of the concert were aired while viewers were encouraged to make a pledge to SDPB. A DVD of the Mount Rushmore concerts as well as a live audio CD of the concert were offered as gifts to those who made pledges. The DVD and CD, along with a documentary of the making of the concert will be made available for sale to the public around the 1st of the year.
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable"!Year
!Title
|-
|1996
|Brulé We the People
|-
|1997
|Brulé Lakota Piano
|-
|1997
|Red Nativity One Holy Night
|-
|1999
|Brulé One Nation
|-
|2001
|Nicole feat: Brulé Passion Spirit
|-
|2002
|Brulé Star People
|-
|2003
|Nicole feat: Brulé Night Tree
|-
|2005
|AIRO feat: Brulé Tatanka
|-
|2005
|AIRO feat: Brulé Tribal Rhythm
|-
|2006
|Brulé & AIRO Silent Star Night
|-
|2007
|Nicole feat: Brulé & AIRO Deep Dreams
|-
|}
Other releases
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Hidden Heritage The Story of Paul LaRoche (book) |
| 2007 | Brulé & AIRO 2007 Holiday Tour (Concert DVD) |
Current band members
- Paul LaRoche- PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Electronic keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Vocals (1995–present) also the band's song writer and producer - Nicole LaRoche- Classical fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
(1995–present) Does not use a wood flute as is most associated with the culture. Instead uses a steel European flute to emulate sound of the wood flute. - Shane LaRoche- Lead guitar (2002–present) Performs on the acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, nylon string guitar and electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. - Moses Brings PlentyMoses Brings PlentyMoses J. Brings Plenty is an Oglala Lakota television, film, and stage actor, as well as a traditional drummer and singer.-Background:Moses Brings Plenty was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation, in South Dakota...
- Traditional drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
, Vocals (2006–2010) Each traditional drum is respected and cared for in the traditional ways of the Native people. - Clay Brian- Traditional drum (2007–present)
- Kurt Olsen- Drum kitDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2007–present) from Minneapolis, Minnesota performs with the group at larger shows - Kristé Belt- Vocalist (2006–present)
Paul, Nicole and Shane are enrolled members of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
Moses is from the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge Reservation
Clay is from the Rosebud Sioux Tribal reservation
Dance troupe
These dancers perform with the group several times throughout the year and represent several tribesThirza Defoe- Hoop dance
Native American Hoop Dance
Native American Hoop Dance is a form of storytelling dance incorporating anywhere from one to thirty hoops as props, which are used to create both static and dynamic shapes, or formations, representing various animals, shapes, and storytelling elements. It is generally performed by a solo dancer...
, fancy shawl dance, Eagle dance
Petur Redbird- Men's Traditional dance
Lewis St. Cyr- Chicken dance, grass dance, men's fancy feather dance, hoop dance
Lowery Begay- Hoop dance, men's fancy feather dance
Therese St. Cyr- Jingle dress dance, women's traditional dance
Garan Coons- Chicken dance, men's fancy feather dance
Gentry St. Cyr- Chicken dance, grass dance, men's fancy feather dance
Linda Thompson- Women's traditional dance (Paul's cousin)
Rene Avila- Men's Aztec dance
Jade Summers- Jingle dress dance (Nicole's Daughter)
Emily Sinclair- Jingle dress dance
Awards and nominations
- First American's in the Arts Awards:
- Won: Best Outstanding Performance (1999) for One Nation
- Native American Music Awards (NAMA/NAMMYS):
- Nominated: Songwriter of the Year (2000) for Paul LaRoche & Robby Bee One Nation
- Nominated: Duo or Group of the Year (2000) for Brulé One Nation
- Nominated: Best Pop/Rock Recording (2000) for Brulé One Nation
- Nominated: Flutist of the Year (2001) for Nicole Passion Spirit
- Won: Group of the Year (2002) for Brulé Star People
- Won: Best Instrumental CD (2002) for Brulé Star People
- Nominated: Record of the Year (2002) for Brulé Star People
- Nominated: Songwriter of the Year (2002) for Paul LaRoche Star People
- Nominated: Best Female Artist (2003) for Nicole Night Tree
- Won: Best Instrumental CD (2003) for Nicole Night Tree
- Nominated: Best Producer (2003) for Paul LaRoche Night Tree
- Nominated: Record of the Year (2003) for Nicole Night Tree
- Nominated: Best Instrumental CD (2006) for Brulé The Collection
- Won: Best Compilation CD (2006) for Brulé The Collection
- Nominated: Song of the Year (2006) for Brulé Stomp Dance from The Collection
- Nominated: Best Instrumental CD (2006) for AIRO Tatanka
- Won: Duo or Group of the Year (2006) for AIRO Tatanka
- Nominated: Artist of the Year (2007) for Paul LaRoche Kinship
- Won: Duo or Group of the Year (2007) for Brulé & AIRO Silent Star Night
- Nominated: Best Instrumental CD (2007) for Brulé & AIRO Silent Star Night
- Won: Best New Age CD (2007) for Brulé Kinship
- Nominated: Record of the Year (2007) for Brulé & AIRO Silent Star Night
- Aboriginal People's Choice Awards:
- Nominated: Best Instrumental CD (2007) for Brulé & AIRO Silent Star Night