Everyone Orchestra at The Barkley Ballroom w/ Al Schnier, Jason Hann, Bridget Law & More Fri-Sat 12/18-19 in Frisco, Co

Artwork by Steve Johannsen.

Two Nights of Everyone Orchestra at The Barkley Ballroom w/ Al Schnier, Jason Hann, Bridget Law & more!
Friday-Saturday December 18-19, 2015
Doors  9pm/ Show 9:30PM; Tickets $21 adv/$25 dos; Ages 18+
Tickets: Friday &  Saturday
The Grant Farm opens the show!

610 Main St, Frisco, CO 80443
(970) 708-7042
www.barkleyballroom.com

“Matt Butler’s ever-evolving jam band collective, the Everyone Orchestra, is always unpredictable. Each show features a new lineup and a spontaneous musical creation.” —Washington Post

Everyone Orchestra is thrilled to announce a two night run at The Barkley Ballroom in Frisco, Co on Fri-Sat December 18-19, 2015 to help the venue celebrate it’s 3rd Anniversary! Conducted by Matt Butler, these shows feature Al Schnier (moe. – guitar, vocals), Jason Hann (String Cheese Incident – percussion/drums), Bridget Law (Elephant Revival – fiddle), Jay Starling (Love Canon – dobro), Sage Cook (we dream dawn – guitar, vocals), Adrian Engfer (The Grant Farm – bass). More tba and The Grant Farm opens the show!

Created in 2001, Everyone Orchestra has spearheaded bringing together musicians from a variety of cities, genres, and walks of life to play purely improvised set with one another, without any preconceptions of how it is “supposed” to sound. Tuning in to Matt Butler’s energy and pantomime, The Conductor is utilized as a pivot to the set mood of each passing jam as he communicates musical concepts using hand signs, whiteboard and assorted mime suggestions. The edge of your seat enthusiasm for what is next is the fuel behind the continuous musical experiment of  Everyone Orchestra.

Having marched clearly into uncharted territory, Everyone Orchestra is an avant-garde conceptual and collaborative performance which deeply encourages and requires audience interaction. Both the band and the audience start the show with a clean slate to help co-create a dynamic musical experience, with Butler receiving ideas from the audience to help set the course of action.

Matt Butler. Photo by Michael Wientrob.

Butler’s unique style of conducting is groundbreaking in that he, as EO’s founder, has essentially created an entirely new way to perform and experience music. Butler says, “Playing with different musicians, improvising every night, and getting the crowd involved in ways that they can’t be at a regular show has provided an unparalleled live music experience.”

“[In each city] Butler will have another group with which he can create the beautiful chaos this act is known for. Simply put, there is no set list to be confined to, no certain marks to hit over the course of the night. Butler makes his way to the front of the stage, and it’s off to the races, testing the limits of his players while also showing how good music is when everything clicks in the midst of an improvised set.” writes Examiner’s Thomas Gerbasi. “At this point, Butler almost has it down to a science, at least as much as you can on a speeding car that could veer off the road at any moment.”

The ever-evolving collective of Everyone Orchestra participants is an increasingly wide and intercontinental group which  has included members of The Grateful Dead, Phish, Furthur, Ratdog, Trey Anastasio Band, Gov’t Mule, String Cheese Incident, moe., members of Allman Brothers Band. including Oteil Burbridge, Yonder Mountain String Band, The New Mastersounds, Big Gigantic, The Punch Brothers, Dumpstaphunk, Galactic,The Motet, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Railroad Earth, Thievery Corporation, Lettuce, Infamous Stringdusters, Dopapod, Leftover Salmon, The Flecktones, ALO, Papdosio, Tuvan throat singers, live painters, dancers, chanters, choirs, hula hoopers, firespinners, jugglers, stiltwalkers, storytellers, a presidential candidate and hundreds of others among a growing legion of other performers.

EO balances the challenges of live group improvisation with triumphant tension and release conduits of music which head deep into the heart filled with the aspiration of creating shared magical moments.

What is Everyone Orchestra → http://vimeo.com/36999515
Musicians Describe Everyone Orchestra → http://vimeo.com/33037192
Musicians from across a wide spectrum of styles and backgrounds describe their experiences with Everyone Orchestra.

For more information, tour dates, videos, downloads & more, please visit www.everyoneorchestra.com, www.facebook.com/EveryoneOrchestra, & www.twitter.com/every1orchestra.

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Asheville Jazz Band Spork! Releases Debut CD at MoDaddy’s on Thursday May 26th

Featuring Justin Ray on trumpet, Steve Alford on clarinets, Jacob Rodriguez on saxophones, Mike Holstein on bass, Ben Bjorlie on drums

Spork! is a 5-piece jazz ensemble from Asheville, NC that combines unique instrumentation, high-energy musicianship and widely varying influences to create a totally new sound. A sound deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, but coupled with the raw power of rock or the sly grooves of hip hop. Trumpeter Justin Ray, clarinetist Steve Alford, and saxophonist Jacob Rodriguez make up the front line; playing horn lines with Tower of Power-like precision before taking off on solo flights that bring memories of Miles and Coltrane. Bassist Mike Holstein is a wizard, filling the space with bass lines, but also somehow conjuring guitar riffs and piano chords from his instrument all at the same time. Drummer Ben Bjorlie is the glue, providing exactly what is needed at any given moment, from frenzied solos to deep pocket grooves. These musicians come together to create the Spork! experience.

Spork! was born when Ray and Rodriguez moved to Asheville from New York City. They were quickly accepted into Ashevilleʼs thriving indie rock/original music scene, and Ray soon began to look for the musicians he needed to perform his own compositions. Enter Alford, who had recently arrived in North Carolina from Chicago and itʼs one-of-a-kind avant-garde jazz community; North Carolina native Holstein, a giant among the jazz musicians of the southeast; and Bjorlie, a drummer equally comfortable in jazz, rock, funk, and the host of other influences that compromise the Spork! sound.

Since its inception, Spork! has been a favorite among musicians of all types. Their first gigs at clubs around Asheville were populated almost exclusively by members of the music community. Their audiences have continued to grow, mostly through word of mouth. They hope to reach even more fans through the upcoming release of their self-titled 2 disc live recording on May 26th, 2011. The recording captures performances at two different Asheville clubs (The Rocket Club and The Magnetic Field) with the group at its funky and frenetic best.

Spork! will continue to record and perform after the release of its debut double volume CD recorded live in Asheville. Collaborations with other artists and groups are currently taking shape, including performances with a string quartet and a DJ in the continuing attempt to bring more influences under the Spork! umbrella.

Find out more about Spork! and see some great videos at http://www.facebook.com/Sporkband.

Spork!
CD release Party
Thursday, May 26th, 2011
MoDaddy’s Bar

9pm, $5
828-258-1550
77-B Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
www.modaddysbar.com

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