"Organizers hope to make Metal Fest an annual event, they noted in an announcement that the first Metal Fest is happening at the Grand Event Center on Halloween."
- October 28, 2025
"Raising the noise for Halloween, the lineup includes The Staboteurs, Oister Boy, The Broken Rule, Dead by 50 and Undergrad. Punk, metal, prog, and more. Tickets at the door."
- October 28, 2025
Briand has a diverse musical style blending various genres, including electric, acoustic, percussion, hip hop, and opera. No two songs of his sound the same, which is by design. The musician draws upon a wide array of genres and traditions from around the world, including African, Celtic, Nordic and Native American [...] Along with mixing genres together, Briand also utilizes different languages such as English, French and Breton."
- Lizzie Cooper
September 29, 2025
"During his performance, Briand used a looping pedal for multiple songs on his setlist, recording a riff or beat and then using the looping pedal to repeat the sound [...] To demonstrate how the device works, one of his songs included six instruments, which is the maximum his looping pedal could loop at a time - two djembe rhythms, a guitar riff, ocarina, a dun dun and didgeridoo [...] The performance went smoothly, with Briand starting with one instrument and slowly looping more until the room filled with sound. He added his own vocals on top of the instruments, truly turning himself into a one-man band."
- Lizzie Cooper
September 29, 2025
"Later inhis performance, Briand showed off his voice skills by performing "Cold Song," an operatic aria from Henry Purcell's 17th-century opera "King Arthur." This piece utilizes the high falsetto notes of a countertenor. After the performance of "Cold Song," Briand explained how he was able to turn a classic opera aria, which has historically been an elaborate, upscale piece targeted for more aristocratic audiences, to a primitive sound using his dun dun drum. He expressed his desire for opera to be more accessible to all audiences, speaking of how he would visit his local library as a child to ask his librarians about different classical musical works."
- Lizzie Cooper
September 29, 2025
Soutenu par la Région Bretagne dans le cadre du dispositif Bretonnes et Bretons du monde, Breizh Fest célèbre, le temps d’une journée, la Bretagne, la culture et la gastronomie bretonnes outre-Atlantique, à Minneapolis. La cinquième édition a eu lieu le 30 mai 2025.
"J’ai trouvé un emploi auprès de l’Alliance française de Minneapolis en qualité de directrice de la programmation culturelle. En 2021, je me suis associée avec Claire Corvaisier, une Bretonne de Fougères. Nous avons créé Breizh Fest ensemble."
- Natalia Karczmarczuk
"En 2024, nous sommes de retour à Séné. Ce fut douloureux car j’ai quitté le poste que j’aimais. J’ai donc choisi de créer ma propre structure, Monark Productions, agence de conseils en développement de projets artistiques internationaux. Je travaille dans l’événementiel interculturel pour faire dialoguer les cultures, je veux créer un espace de culture, d’échanges… Je souhaite entre autres faire grandir Breizh Fest et d’autres évènements. J’aimerais que la 6e édition ait lieu et qu’elle bénéficie encore du soutien de la région, et que Breizh Fest voyage à travers le Monde."
- Natalia Karczmarczuk
"Tribal percussion [...] I put forward in every song. Those two songs are very much different. First one, there's a lot of Afro Beat, a bit of Serge Gainsbourg going on there. The second one is much more Rage Against The Machine, metal. And still both songs incorporate some African drums or some form of world percussion. The first one, knives. This is why it's called "Playing with Knives". I'm actually sampling kitchen knives."
"Originally I thought that I was starting to compose those songs [i.e. "Playing With Knives" & "Song to the Fascist"] for a band [...] Eventually I was trying to get a few people, and it was very hard. I'm an expat, it's not the easiest, you know. You come with an accent, you come with a different culture [...] being very straightforward and very direct, it can be scary [to Americans/Minnesotans]."
"Fun anecdote about "Song to the Fascist", it's the first song I ever recorded. Again, I really pictured a whole band. I was like ok [...] let's layer everything out, just like our good friend Dave Grohl, right? Only at the time I knew much about Nirvana for sure, which I'm a big fan of, but I actually did not listen to much Foo Fighters. I discovered after recording this song that this is actually what he does, that he records everything." [...]
I really wanted it to be ready on November 5 so I pushed myself [...] Sadly I knew that was coming, and I'm sad to say this, I was betting on his [Trump's] win [...] And so I worked to kind of make sure it was released that day because I wanted it to be symbolic and also I wanted it to be a statement [...] I remember the last night, the final steps, because I wanted my producer to have at least a week to touch it, I had a sleepless night [...] I spent the entire last night completely awake, polishing it out. I sent it, and I went to teach my classes straight away. I then I crashed for maybe twelve hours."
"Durben said the Sunday concert promises to be a "fascinating musical experience," and he hopes attendees walk away inspired by new thoughts and ideas."
Josh Lafollette
- September 26, 2024
"For Briand, variety is exciting, and homogeneity is boring. One song may sound utterly different from the next, and that's entirely by design. The only thing tying them together is his sense of rhythm and groove. "If you can come to my shows, I'm sure you will like at least one song. Maybe you will not like all the songs, but also maybe this is why I am doing what I am doing. Maybe I'm not here to be liked." he laughed.”
Josh Lafollette
- September 26, 2024
"[Briand] has a fraught relationship with genre, likening it to a prison while acknowledging its utility and inevitability. "I think humans have always liked the idea of classifications and putting things in little drawers because it makes them feel comfortable. It makes them feel safe [...]" said Briand. He notes that genre labels rarely come from musician themselves, and are often devised by critics and the press. While embracing a genre can help musicians find an audience and market their music, he said it can also be constraining [...] Whether he's talking about culture or music, he expresses a desire to see a relaxing of the categories that divide people."
Josh Lafollette
- September 26, 2024
"The kind of fusion Greenvale Manitou engages is facilitated by a de-centering of a sonic narrative that music academia has struggled for decades to challenge: teleological harmonic language."
Kevin Schwandt
- April 21, 2024
"Greenvale Manitou has a clear purpose. The music’s structure, though, doesn’t privilege the end. It privileges the present. [...] In many traditions, sound is used to build community, reinforce social bonds, and explore collective obligations. That is often reflected in the musical content, which is frequently “non-teleological.”
Kevin Schwandt
- April 21, 2024
"[...] Algonquin spirituality, schnitzel, and beer are all elements of the context within which I heard and continue to hear Greenvale Manitou. Context is undervalued in the academic study of music. I need my students to value it. That way, the new music history curriculum at Augsburg can work. In cultural studies, adding things does not require eliminating things. We just need context, critical thinking, and compassion.”
Kevin Schwandt
- April 21, 2024
"[Santa Closet] has this great folk rock feel with a live energy behind it. The second track ["Playing With Knives"] gives off a totally different vibe with this outstanding percussion that really makes you want to move and dance. [I]t sets such a heavy groove and utilizes vocals as instruments to add color to the already vivacious sound of it."
- January 26, 2024
"Cedric Briand of Greenvale Manitou said it has been “an absolute pleasure” working in the studio with Dutta [...] Briand added that not only is Dutta patient, understanding and very talented, but his brand and mentality fit his own. “He is a friend too,” he said. “That’s how I know that I will keep working with him on my subsequent releases for sure.”
Pam Thompson
- January 16, 2024
"["Queen of All the Animals"] has a particular way of bringing out a very alive and breathing approach to a funk and jazz undertoned songwriting style and it's all done with such a colorful set of instrumentation that you get caught up in it straight away [...] but it's the soul and character that you get attached to."
- January 18, 2024
"The latest release dubbed "Santa' Closet" feels warm with holiday spirit and packed with an acoustic rock and pop approach that comes through beaming with character. The releases from Greenvale Manitou all give something genuine and a little new which has become part of the staple sound of the project."
- January 10, 2024
Picture courtesy of Pam Thompson
- January 16, 2024
"I just feel very grateful, and I just expressed this to my boyfriend [...] that he is willing to bring me into his life and share what's his most prized things on the planet [his children] with me [...] I also feel very grateful that I have the capacity to do that."
Jennie Autonoe
- August 10, 2023
"The two-year old has taught me that I can still be, like, super silly and I can still, like get to the two-year old level [...] I can communicate even though I don't have a language [French] to do it. Like, we communicate with facial expressions and funny sounds and like, I'll ask him over and over something, and I'll repeat it, and then he'll just start laughing at me..."
Jennie Autonoe
- August 10, 2023
"The six-year old has taught me that I still have a lot to learn with regards to patience [...] because she's obviously more affected by her parents splitting up, so there's some emotional stuff there [...] She's very theatrical [...] But she's also then as a person, she's very dramatic [...] She is teaching me just to like kind of let go of anything that I think of how it should be, and just kind of observe from her perspective, like what it is in her world and how do I meet her there rather than she should meet me as the adult."
Jennie Autonoe
- August 10, 2023
"Greenvale Manitou is an anomaly - a deviation from the common rule, stereotype, arrangement, or form. They are both into exploring creative outlets and rabbit holes, refusing to stand still and always moving as artists. [They] incorporate unifying messages on diverse topics, as they understand the only way to promote a better future is by instilling shared-value impacts today."
- July 29, 2023
"The guitar work is subtly perfect, and the vocals really do kind of change character along with the premise of the song so it's very alive and breathing in the end. It is definitely quite refreshing to hear such a unique record and one that ranges so much style and approach within a three-song spectrum because you just don't come across that very often anymore."
- July 18, 2023
"Your song crafting is so sophisticated. There are so many well crafted elements in there that, particularly when you listen to your documentary [i.e. the making of Skies & Grain on YouTube] and you hear how it's done, you realize that incredible thoughtfulness that you put into every aspect of your music."
Pauline Jennings
- June 04, 2023
"This artist has got a unique style blending Pop, Indie & Reggae genres. While the production is minimalistic, the core attraction is the vibe of the song. Groovy!"
"This is an amazing tune, really feeling and has beautiful vocals. I like the overall production of the track and performance."
"Well for me, I can say that this musical composition has very intriguing lyrics as well as a very original song title, and the edginess on this track sounds good."
- Feb-Mar, 2023
"Really good song, love how it goes from calm to full energy in a very smooth way, great work."
"Powerful instrumentation arrangement. Great job on the vocal performance too. But the song was a bit too heavy for our playlist."
"The singer's voice is powerful, it offers an awfully wise consistency and strength to the song, the lowest accompanies marking the steps, good job."
- Feb-Mar, 2023
"The panel features Lanesboro’s own Michael Seiler, as well as Northfield-based artists Glynnis Lessing, Gerie Thelen, and Cedric Briand. Conceptualized as a casual, yet informative space for artist development, topics such as promoting one’s work, making a living as an artist, and grant writing will be included, among other things."
- November 3, 2022
"Powered by its poignant themes and bombastically propelled forward by both its excellent writing and accomplished performances, [...] "Skies & Grain" is a melodically exciting and rhythmically thrilling piece of songwriting that is steeped in inspired creativity and thought-provoking sentiment."
Andre Avanessian
- July 7, 2022
"Local musician Cedric Briand didn’t have to think twice when choosing the party date for the EP and album release of his band Greenvale Manitou; he chose his birthday, June 8. After all, a party can celebrate many occasions. Briand, a singer-songwriter based here in Northfield, said the party at the Grand Event Center will mark the three-song EP release."
Pam Thompson
- May 31, 2023
Pictures courtesy of Pam Thomson
- May 31, 2023
"['Born of the Same'] is intensely cool [...] And it's sexy. There are sexy parts to it. Again, incredible singing. Just the variety of what you can do with your voice is really great. Your range is incredible. And as I said before, I love the different genres and it's so seamlessly put together."
Pauline Jennings
- April 17, 2022
"From the electrifying guitar riffs to the overall booming drum beats, against the manic vocal aspects. Keeping everything coming together in a superb way. Each element that is intertwined, flows together so well. ‘Born Of The Same’ is a piece that you will instantly get lost in and want to keep going back to."
- May 8, 2022
"Whenever the vocals switch from singing to rapping, it gives the song a different vibe to it, keeping true to the realness of the song still, it adds a different layer of depth to it. This is their first single and all you can do is long for more from the duo. Pretty soon you’ll be singing at the tops of your lungs alongside Ced."
- June 4, 2022