Here Be Dragons have supported many of the top names in World/folk music - The Young Dubliners (USA/Ireland), Carlos Nuñes (Spain), The Oysterband (England), Flook (Ireland) and Yo Yo Mundi (Italy). They have appeared on television in Wales, internationally on cable and enjoyed radio support across Europe as well as in Australia and the USA.
With their live show, you don’t so much introduce Here Be Dragons, as unleash them. They leap onto the stage. Mike Brooks, wild front man and lead singer also extremely accomplished on banjo, guitar, mandolin clad in a kilt bearing the Welsh national flag Will Morrison the drummer keeps the band firing on all cylinders, Stepan Pasicznyk (Formally of “The Ukrainians”) does magic on accordion, Cath Watkins sings and plays fiddle like the devil with such apparent ease, and Kyle Jones plays bass, guitar and vocals.
Here Be Dragons try to be true to their culture and heritage, not as a museum exhibit but in a way that’s a more honest reflection of what it means to be Welsh in the twenty-first century, whilst still respecting their Celtic roots. Using acoustic instruments like banjos, mandolins, fiddles and accordions alongside drums and electric bass in a way that’s far from most people’s idea of a Celtic folk-rock band; the emphasis is much more on the rock style of presentation. They sing in both Welsh and English and play mainly original songs but also include a couple of traditional ones like ‘Sosban Fach,’ and interpret them with all the power they deserve.
2) Dungeon synth from Iowa. https://herebedragonsds.bandcamp.com/
Bracchi
Here Be Dragons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A few miles south of Milan
Was where and when my great Grandad was raised
As unemployment hit hard
All around his back yard
He drew the card of the emigre
The British empire was a draw
For all the region's poor
Set off with a goal in mind
He walked a day or nine
To the mining valleys of south Wales
Call me Bracchi Welsh can't remember Cottica or Campanini
Call me Bracchi in Italiano mi chiamo Michelini
Call me Bracchi in Galese Bracchi
There was the Franci and Sabrini
Rabbiotti Campanini
Balestrasi Michelini and the Sacchi
And as we raised our homes
Amongst the Davies and the Jones
We got known after the first here the Bracchi
40,000 men
Worked underground back then
But we did not intend becoming miners
Though we worked the Rhondda seams
We kept our fingers clean
Served coffee and ice-cream in Bracchi diners
Call me Bracchi Welsh can't remember Cottica or Campanini
Call me Bracchi in Italiano mi chiamo Michelini
Call me Bracchi in Galese Bracchi
But the bubble didn't last
Soon the mining boom had past
The economy sank fast to it's knees
Though the coal reserves weren't spent
The will to mine them went
As they sent cut-price coal from overseas
So as the mining stops
The population drops
So like the pits the Bracchi shops are closing down
Looks like our time in Wales is done
Like Grandfather like Grandson
It's to London this emigrée is bound
Call me Bracchi Welsh can't remember Cottica or Campanini
Call me Bracchi in Italiano mi chiamo Michelini
Call me Bracchi in Galese Bracchi
The Here Be Dragons song "Bracchi" tells the story of an Italian immigrant family, specifically the experience of the singer's great grandfather moving from Italy to Britain in the early 20th century. The first verse sets the scene in Italy, where unemployment and poverty were rampant. The singer's great grandfather chose to emigrate to Britain, landing in South Wales where he worked in the coal mines.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Call me Bracchi," which refers to the surname of the family. The following verse lists other families who also emigrated to Wales at the same time. Despite the challenges of adjusting to a new country, the families began to build homes and businesses, including diners run by the Bracchi family.
However, the decline of the coal industry in Wales led to economic hardship, and many families, including the Bracchis, ultimately decided to move to London in search of better prospects. The final chorus repeats the phrase "Call me Bracchi" and highlights the complexity of identity for immigrants who may feel torn between different cultures and identities.
Overall, "Bracchi" is a poignant reflection on the experiences of immigrant families and the challenges they face in building new lives for themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
As the century began
At the beginning of the century
A few miles south of Milan
In a location a short distance away from Milan
Was where and when my great Grandad was raised
This was where and when my great Grandad grew up
As unemployment hit hard
As there was widespread unemployment
All around his back yard
Everywhere in his local area
He drew the card of the emigre
He chose to become an emigrant
The British empire was a draw
The British empire was an attractive destination
For all the region's poor
For those who were poor in the region
So to Britannia's shore he set sail
He sailed to the shores of Britain
Set off with a goal in mind
He had a specific goal in mind when he left
He walked a day or nine
He walked for several days
To the mining valleys of south Wales
Until he reached the mining valleys of south Wales
Call me Bracchi Welsh can't remember Cottica or Campanini
People call me Bracchi, I can't remember some other names
Call me Bracchi in Italiano mi chiamo Michelini
Call me Bracchi in Italian, my name is Michelini
Call me Bracchi in Galese Bracchi
Call me Bracchi in Welsh, Bracchi is my name
There was the Franci and Sabrini
There were people with surnames Franci and Sabrini
Rabbiotti Campanini
There was a person with surname Rabbiotti Campanini
Balestrasi Michelini and the Sacchi
There were people with surnames Balestrasi Michelini and the Sacchi
And as we raised our homes
As we built our homes
Amongst the Davies and the Jones
Alongside people with surname Davies and Jones
We got known after the first here the Bracchi
We became known as the Bracchi, after the first person with that surname
40,000 men
40000 men
Worked underground back then
Worked in mines, underground
But we did not intend becoming miners
We did not aspire to become miners
Though we worked the Rhondda seams
Even though we worked in the Rhondda coal seams
We kept our fingers clean
We kept our hands clean, didn't do manual labor
Served coffee and ice-cream in Bracchi diners
We worked in Bracchi diners, serving coffee and ice-cream
But the bubble didn't last
But the boom didn't last
Soon the mining boom had past
Soon the mining boom was over
The economy sank fast to it's knees
The economy rapidly declined
Though the coal reserves weren't spent
Although there were still coal reserves
The will to mine them went
The desire to mine them disappeared
As they sent cut-price coal from overseas
Because they imported cheaper coal from overseas
So as the mining stops
As mining stopped
The population drops
The population decreased
So like the pits the Bracchi shops are closing down
Just like the mines, Bracchi shops are also shutting down
Looks like our time in Wales is done
It seems like our time in Wales has come to an end
Like Grandfather like Grandson
Like my grandfather, like me
It's to London this emigree is bound
This emigrant is headed to London
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MICHAEL BROOKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind