Vishten
There's an old saying that goes something like, “ Go out and make your mark in the world exploring the new ways but don't turn your back on your roots”. The members of Vishten have been doing just that for the past ten years, presenting their brand of new-traditional Acadian music in over a thousand performances in eight different countries.
Made up of seventh generation Acadians living separate but parallel musical experiences, twin sisters Pastelle and Emmanuelle LeBlanc from Prince Edward Island, Canada have teamed up with Pascal Miousse from the nearby Magdelen Islands to create a sound that incorporates elements of the new ways while retaining and staying true to the essential Acadian spirit of their roots. The sound is essentially Celtic but with a difference.
The songs are French, sung by each band member, alone or in four part harmony. The foot percussion drives the rhythm in a fiddle tune at times yet refrains itself in the gentler musical moments. The band members are accomplished multi-instrumentalists and step-dancers incorporating the fiddle, guitar, accordion, penny-whistle, banjo, mandolin, piano, jaw-harp and bodhran into each performance.
Vishten are surely making their mark in the world today as their musical maturity comes through to captivate audiences wherever they play.
