Biography

CONTACT INFO:
Troubadours of Divine Bliss
Aim Me Smiley and Renee Ananda
troubadoursofdivinebliss@gmail.com
502 608-1587

Click here to go to Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music Page

"Music that could melt a stone statue." BBC Radio Liverpool

Voted "Best Folk Band" by Offbeat Magazine in New Orleans, LA, and Leo Weekly in Louisville, KY

Voted "Best Singer-Songwriter" by Louisville Music Awards

"Their particular approach to Bliss attracts new audiences each time... breaking the barriers between stage and audience. Prepare to be tickled pink by a couple of irrepressible women with the ambitious name 'Troubadours of Divine Bliss'."
LEO Louisville's Eccentric Observer

"Here at WRUW-FM we’ve been lovin’ those Troubadours for a long time—having Aim Me and Renee on as LIVE in-studio guests and spinning their awesome catalog of CDs" -James E. Guyette WRUW, Cleveland

" "The Troubadours morph effortlessly from persona to persona. In one song they're cockeyed optimists, strumming a guitar and blending voices in textures; the next tune one coaxes sultry jazz riffs from the accordion while the other sings with the sensual abandon of a cabaret chanteuse."Marty Rosen - Livewire

Off the Cuff LIVE One
Release Date: 2005

This is Disc One of a Two-Disc LIVE set at The Winchester in Cleveland, Ohio. It was recorded LIVE in one show with some of our favorite musician friends on lead guitar, mandolin, violin, and banjo.

This album has great energy and showcases some of our audiences' favorite songs.

The album features master musicians perfectly enhancing each song on banjo, violin, electric guitar, mandolin, and lead guitar and, of course, the signature accordion, guitar, and heavenly harmonies.

MUSICIANS:
Aim Me Smiley:vocals, acoustic guitar
Renee Ananda: vocals, accordion
Randy Brewer: mandolin
Steph Dlugon: violin
Brian Henke: lead guitar
Bob Petrarca: banjo

1. Ancient Tower (6:54))

Songwriters: Aim Me Smiley & Astra Kelly

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

Ancient Tower (co-written with Astra Kelly)

“I am circling around God, around the ancient tower, and I have been circling for a thousand years, and I still don't know if I am a falcon, or a storm, or a great song.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke's the Book of Hours

Who would’ve thought you could combine a Native American chant, a 19th century Bohemian poet and the Steve Miller Band in one song? Well, we did in this prayer that summons the circle of life and spiral of the soul. This song features the exquisite guitar work of world-renown Brian Henke.

2. Rise (7:04)

Songwriters: Aim Me Smiley & Renee Ananda

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

After several tours of Europe, we fell deeply in love with Roma-inspired music. Meeting that passion, minor chords with Rumi poetry, this is a call to the spirit. ‘Rise” was started on a train from Grenada to the southern tip of Spain. It was finished as Renee played accordion on the beach near the Rock of Gibraltar and Aim Me danced with castanets.

3. Mi Amor (7:45)

Songwriters: Aim Me Smiley & Renee Ananda

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

How do you deliver devastating news in a way someone can receive it? How do you tell someone that the love of their life, their livelihood, their whole existence is being severely threatened and they are allowing it to happen? This is a song for the Earth and her utter destruction from greed. We wanted to engage people’s hearts and make it personal that our environment is slowly dying. We thought making it a love song would help that resonate. We included the Spanish language to acknowledge that it is the indigenous people who bear the brunt of ecological devastation.

4. Shatter (7:25)

Songwriters: Renee Ananda & Aim Me Smiley

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

This song was written by Renee after Aim Me encouraged her to express deep emotion that Renee was feeling after the end of an abusive relationship where she felt stifled and suppressed.
This song is a shattering of those barriers that we put up to protect ourselves when we are being battered. It is the recognition that we do this to survive but then find ourselves imprisoned in the pain and must breakdown the walls to be free.

5. Life is Sweet (6:15)

Songwriters: Renee Ananda & Aim Me Smiley

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

What a great song, written by Maria McKee. We had never heard of her until our friend Laurie (who designed the album art) put this song on a mix CD for us. It is so akin to our spirits- love the inspiring message in here. When we cover a song, we try to honor the original version then add our own voice to it.

6. Remarkable Romance (6:52)

Songwriters: Aim Me Smiley & Renee Anada

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

So many stories in this Love Song speak to all of the quirky things and moments that you love about someone. They are all true and about our relationship specifically but they harken to any couple’s appreciation of the endearing qualities of each other. We did swim in a fountain in a Swiss City (after Aim Me pushed Renee in). We did fall asleep through the entire opera on our first date. We are doing everything together, changing the world and writing a song that never has to end 

7. Be Brave (4:38)

Songwriters: Aim Me Smiley & Renee Ananda

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

‘Be Brave’ is the very first song that Aim Me wrote. It is very much a first song- with it’s broken dialogue with Self to encourage expression and trust in sharing her voice. She learned to play the chords G, C and Am on the guitar and this song came out immediately in it’s entirety. It is clearly a vulnerable, plea to share her heart with the world, to acknowledge past pain and self-doubt of expression and fear of being rejected or not understood. It culminates in a returning home to the Self and beginning the Dream of Destiny. This song has resonated with countless people for it simple truth and tenderness.

8. Tickle Me Sweet (5:47)

Songwriters: Aim Me Smiley & Renee Ananda

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

Inspired by our time as street performers in New Orleans soaking in the old jazz sounds, ‘Tickle’ is part Parisian chanteuse song and Marlene Dietrich siren seduction and a little Bette Midler. It is all about audience participation as Aim Me moves around the room surprising unsuspecting patrons with a little tickle on the neck, under the arms, on the bald head. This song is certainly a hit on the streets too.

9. Brightside of Life (4:09)

Songwriters: Eric Idle

Publisher: Troubadours of Divine Bliss Music, BMI

How can you not love Monty Python? They have pushed the envelope, questioned the sanctity of everything and uplifted everyone with their absurd joy- we connect with that. Well, and who doesn’t need a reminder to seek the light and not take things too seriously? An added bonus is a spontaneously created , interactive audience participation tune!

TROUBADOURS OF DIVINE BLISS BIOGRAPHY
Troubadours of Divine Bliss, Renee Ananda, and Aim Me Smiley have been best friends since their teens when they met at a holy-roller church outside of Louisville, KY. Despite Aim Me's dad kicking Renee's dad- the pastor- out of the church, the girls remained friends and over a decade later, fell in love. They dreamed of traveling the world making music together-singing songs about following your heart, freeing your dreams, and finding your bliss. So they moved to New Orleans armed with an accordion, a guitar, and harmonies "smooth as KY Bourbon" and became street performers calling themselves Troubadours of Divine Bliss.

Since then, they have spent two decades touring full time all over America, Canada, Scandinavia, and Europe. Their style has broken the shackles of genre and their nine recordings attest to that.

The one running thread through their music is the remarkable harmonies and uplifting message.

The troubadours are musicians, ministers, activists, writers, life coaches, retreat leaders, homesteaders, and founders of Mighty Kindness. They live in southern Indiana in the Hoosier National Forest and tour internationally year-round sharing their songs of love.

Bliss appeared: FIMU Intl Music Fest France, Blissfest MI, Troubadour London, Alaska Women's Fest, Living Room NYC, BBC Radio, WKSU Cabin Fever Fest, El Principal Spain, Mojo Copenhagen, Southern Womyn Fest FL, RiverRoots Festival, Murat Theatre, Eddie's Attic