On January 21st, local musicians Amee Chapman & Paul Garcia came into the KZSC radio station to talk about their new CD, Grace is Hell to Keep Up. It was quite the show featuring Amee performing live three songs off her new album, Grace is Hell to Keep.
Amee Chapman & the Velvet Tumbleweeds are having a CD Release Party at Kuumbwa the first weekend of February 1, 2013. The night includes special guests and Carolyn Sills opens. Music starts at 8pm, doors open at 7:30pm. The CD was produced with the help of musician Alan Evans (Soulive) and through Beachcombed Music.
This show was a pre-recorded interview from December 1st, 2009, when both these fabulous singers that form AE were in town for their CD release party at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz.
They sang beautifully live at the Kuumbwa and captured wonderfully both on the CD and in the radio station. For more information about their music, their website is AEsings.
The two women bring together a deep knowledge of different vocal traditions to create something new while honoring the old. I’m fascinated that they were able to take a passion sparked when they were children and cultivated into their adulthood through a two-prong approach to gain deeper understanding: by studying ethnomusicology and continuing to sing.
During the interview, Aurelia and Eva articulated their process, evolution, and intention as artists very well. This includes addressing sensitive sociological issues of culture and traditions.
You will also hear them talk about their chosen name AE (the joined a and e, officially pronounced “ash”) and how it represents something of a dual nature–not singular, not plural, but exactly two.
Georgian panduri khalhuri
During their short visit to Santa Cruz, as I mentioned above, I had the fortune to see them play both in the studio and at the Kuumbwa. They primarily perform a cappella with occasional accompaniment on the accordion, Eva, and Georgian panduri, Aurelia.
In case you missed our mini-interview that was broadcast December 1st, please scroll down on this blog.
Our show can be heard in entirety below by clicking on the triangle below.
The recorded interview starts with Aurelia and Eva singing. During the live broadcast, I introduced them both at the beginning of the show to give context.
Below is a YouTube video of Aurelia and Eva performing “Shairebi” which is on their new CD.
The Artists on Art show for the 1st of December was irregular and jam packed.
The first part of the show featured Aurelia Shrenker and Eva Salina Primack (locally home grown) came into the KZSC studio for our Artists on Art show to talk about their CD release of their first AE CD entitled AE at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz. They sang beautifully. For more information their website is AEsings.
Click on the triangle below to hear our “mini” interview.
A full length show will be broadcast live in a few weeks. Exact information to follow.
Then, in the second half of the show, Karlton Hester spoke about the upcoming UCSC/ISIM Event (December 3-6th at the UCSC campus and Kuumbwa). This event has over 70 performers coming from all over the world. He has been working on this event for over 2 years.
Soraya Murray has organized a panel on Electronic Media and Improvisation (Info) featuring performance artist/composer Pamela Z, artist and VJ/artist/director Art Jones of the Bronx, and the interactive arts duo Lucky Dragons (Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara). This panel will bring together audio and visual artists whose improvisational approaches wield emerging technological media in innovative and searching ways. Through improvisation, recombination, repurposing and chance, their pioneering expressions begin to emerge.In addition to a moderated discussion that will explore improvisation as a pivotal ingredient to dynamic electronic interactivity, each of the artists will be staging a performance of their work. Here’s this part of this show:
At the end of September I had the pleasure to interview Matt Moran, band leader of the Slavic Soul Party for the weekly half hour UCSC’s KZSC radio show, Artists on Art. Please click here to hear the show in its entirety.
Amee Chapman & the Velvet Tumbleweeds are having a CD Release Party at Kuumbwa the first weekend of February 1, 2013. The night includes special guests and Carolyn Sills opens. Music starts at 8pm, doors open at 7:30pm. The CD was produced with the help of musician Alan Evans (Soulive) and through Beachcombed Music.
Soraya Murray has organized a p
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