Fishtank Ensemble January 12, 2010

CONCERT - $16 Advance/$20 Door, 8:00 pm

“For those in need of having their dervish whirled, the Bay Area's Fishtank Ensemble are the rompin', stompin' leaders of cross-pollinated Gypsy music. French fiddler Fabrice Martinez paid dues gigging Europe in a mule-drawn caravan, including stints in Romani villages. El Douje is the master of 21st-century flamenco guitar, while Aaron Seeman is the king of punk accordion. Audience eyes tend to focus on Ursula Knudson, not only for her virtuosic saw playing and a voice that sings in octaves not yet invented, but also for her sensual beauty. The mix includes a Japanese shamisen player and a rock-bottom upright bassist, and we have a young band that is one of the most thrilling live acts on the planet."
- Michael Simmons, LA Weekly

Playing everywhere from the hippest LA clubs to festivals, cultural centers, museums, parades, and even on the street, the band includes two explosive violins, the world's best slap bass player, musical saw, flamenco and gypsy jazz guitar, trombone, opera, jazz and gypsy vocals, accordion and one little banjolele. Tackling everything from French hot jazz to wild Serbian and Transylvanian gypsy anthems, Flamenco, and oddball originals, the band is a not to be missed event for world music lovers...and everyone will love this intoxicating mix of music!!

Fishtank Ensemble formed in early 2005 after the arrival of Fabrice Martinez who, after 9 years of living and traveling through Europe in a mule drawn caravan collecting music,came to the US for the first time and met the future Fishtank Ensemble. Within days of the band members meeting and jamming together they were playing wild gypsy, romanian and klezmer tunes taught to them by Fabrice. Each person had their own unique musical specialty to share with the others, creating a unique sound that encouraged the musicians to take a weekend of jamming just a little further.

That May Fabrice returned from Italy and the band recorded their first album "Superraoul" The album consists of six live performances taken over a week and a half period.

In September 2006 Fabrice came to live permanently int he US and began touring nonnstop with Fishtank Ensemble. The band since has been thrilling audiences on both coasts and in Colorado, New Mexico,the midwest, the east coast, and Arizona. They have performed with The Squirrel Nut Zippers, Juliette Lewis, Jason Webley, Perry Farrell,Los Lobos, and Donovan Leitch. Their music is a wild ride and a mesmerizing good time!

Fabrice Martinez - (Violin and Violintromba): Fabrice is a gifted fiddler whose musical roots are varied- more or less wherever his travels took. him. He has lived itinerantly in romani, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy and now the US, always seeking out new musical ideas and influences while still continuously honing his own unique style.

Ursula Knudson - (Saw, Voice, and Violin, banjolele, percussion): She is classically trained in voice and violin. Self-taught on the saw, she won 2nd place in the 2004 International Saw Festival. She sings beautifully in Romanian, French, Japanese, and sometimes even in English, her native tongue.
Angeles.

Douglas Smolens - (Guitar): Doug is an accomplished Flamenco guitarist performing as "El Douje" with a recently released Flamenco fusion CD entitled Worlds Collide that is available at www.cdbaby.com/eldouje

Djordje Stijepovic (Slap Bass to bring the house down): was a member of leading world music bands in Serbia like Shira Utfila (Sephardic), Kal (Balkan gypsy) and Marsya (Balkan). He finished classical music conservatory and department for jazz arrangement and bass. Djordje performs solo (world music/jazz), provides his signature slap for rockabilly band Atomic Sunset, Deke Dickerson, Slim Jim Phantom (from Stray Cats), Lemmy (from Motorhead) etc and plays with other bluegrass, cajun, jazz, blues and other type of bands.

www.fishtankensemble.com

Official Website: http://www.psalmsalon.com