Andrew Oliver Kora Band

Posted by Michael on March 20, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Tickets: $13 advance, $15 at the door.

Click here to purchase advance tickets.

The Andrew Oliver Kora Band combines elements of jazz and traditional West African music to create a unique soul-stirring sound.
In the wake of his 2007 tour of West Africa with the U.S. State Department’s Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, pianist and composer Andrew Oliver was inspired to dive deeper into the relationship between jazz and West African music. His exploration led to the founding of the Kora Band, featuring atypical instrumentation that highlights Kane Mathis on the 21-string Kora, a traditional harp from West Africa.
Mathis is one of the most accomplished Kora players in the U.S., having spent many years in The Gambia studying with master musicians. Also featured are Chad McCullough on trumpet, Brady Millard-Kish on bass, and Mark DiFlorio on drums. The talented ensemble performs both original compositions designed to explore the many possibilities of its unique timbre as well as traditional and modern songs from West Africa arranged specifically for the band.

For the Empty Sea Studios performance, the Kora Band will take a more “acoustic” approach, with Mark DiFlorio replacing drumset with a calabash-based percussion setup. Andrew will play Fender Rhodes. The tunes typically featuring Kane on electric guitar will be performed on acoustic. This will make for a unique and intimate set from the Kora Band in a room known for its fine acoustic quality, which promises to accentuate the unique acoustic properties of the kora even more than usual.

“…the sound is so seductive…” - The Oregonian
“…transcends mere exoticism…” – Willamette Week
“…mesmerizing… it’s as novel and agreeable a sound as you’ve never heard.” – Seattle Times

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Toy Box Trio CD Release Party w/ God’s Favorite Beefcake, Bakelite 78

Posted by Michael on March 13, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Showtimes: 7.00 PM w/ God’s Favorite Beefcake, 9.00 PM w/ Bakelite 78.

Tickets:$13 advance, $15 at the door for either show (tickets sold separately)

Click here to purchase advance tickets.

The Toy-Box Trio presents “…charmingly quirky music that shifts from whimsical to creepy, from lullabies to marches. It is the soundtrack to a forgotten circus, a broken childhood memory, a magic music box full of dust and wonder.” (Sarah Shay, Jew-ish.com).

Founded in 2007 by classical composer Harlan Glotzer, the Toy-Box Trio is devoted to helping audiences experience through-composed music in an entirely different way.  The pairing of concertina, toy piano, and tuba is reminiscent of the classical piano trio—a staple in chamber repertoire—but able to extend into the 21st century by creating a sonic landscape evocative of dusty old music boxes and haunted carnivals.  Jordan Block of Sepiachord describes the trio’s sound as “…markedly intimate retro-future circus music, transforming baroque sounds into a stranger version of ‘The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’.”  Toy-Box Trio is committed to approaching time-worn ideas and concepts from unexpected, non-traditional, and rarely-used angles.  The trio fills the space between carnivals, circuses, and classical chamber ensembles, creating a light and fanciful sonic atmosphere.

The Toy-Box Trio is at home in venues ranging from concert halls to cabaret clubs to street corners, and performs for a diverse audience including families, steampunks, and symphony-goers.  Previous performances include the Seattle International Cabaret Festival, Steamcon, and the University District Street Fair, as well as various stages and art galleries throughout the Puget Sound region.  Aside from stage performances, the Toy-Box Trio has been featured on KEXP’s “Sonarchy Radio” and has made a live television appearance on the Seattle Channel’s “Art Zone with Nancy Guppy”.  Sepiachord has commissioned two separate pieces from Toy-Box Trio for the CD compilations The Sepiachord Companion and The Sepiachord Passport.  Music from the trio’s self-titled EP creates the backdrop for Philadelphia’s Olde City Sideshow and provides the soundtrack for various films including My Lucy Charm and Back Ally.

For the 7.00 show, the Toy Box Trio is joined by God’s Favorite Beefcake, the illegitimate musical offspring of singer/songwriter  Shmootzi the Clod (a.k.a. Drew Keriakedes) and bassist Meshuguna Joe (a.k.a. Joseph Albanese), formerly of Seattle’s Circus Contraption performance troupe.  Joined by a rag-tag ensemble of skilled musicians —on guitar, musical saw, banjo, fiddle, harmonica, and spoons — the two eccentrics serve up a rich stew of Americana and old-time music, seasoned with a dash of tango and a dollop of old-school country.  The band’s maniacal live shows combine sideshow theatrics with toe-tapping original tunes.  Did someone say sword-swallowing?  God’s Favorite Beefcake is living proof that old circus habits die hard.

In the 9.00 show, The Toy Box Trio welcomes Bakelite 78.

Robert Rial arrived in Chicago at the turn of the century, eager to engage in the musical styles he loved most: country-blues, jazz, swing, tin pan alley, and American folk. He took comfort in music originally released on 78 R.P.M. records that were occasionally made from an early form of plastic called Bakelite. Bakelite 78’s preserved the music of this era and the band was born to bring them back to life.
The instrumentation of the band reflects this bygone era and is an eclectic mix of Dixieland, blues, proto-country, and cabaret. The original lineup of Bakelite 78 performed throughout Chicago from 2003 to 2008.   The group released their acclaimed debut It’s A Sin in 2006, and followed up in 2008 with Delta Disc, (produced in Mississippi by Jimbo Mathus, and partially funded by a City Of Chicago Department Of Cultural Affairs’ generous Community Arts Assistance Program Grant).
In 2009, Robert departed for Seattle and Bakelite 78 went through a personnel change. During this time, Robert sought multi-instrumentalists that preserved the same essence of the group’s original sound. The new lineup of musicians includes Robert Rial on tenor guitar and voice, Erin Jordan on piano, accordion, and voice,  Austin Quist on upright bass and sousaphone, Erik Reed on trumpet and acoustic guitar, Ashley Komoda on clarinet and saxophone, and Steve Baz on drums. Within a couple months, the group began performing original compositions under Robert’s direction. The persistence of vision combined with subtle improvisation is echoed in the music that takes on an exciting feel of its own. Fans of ragtime, blues, jazz, and swing will appreciate the anchoring rhythm section and strong vocals of Bakelite 78.

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