Jazz/ Rock Steel Pannist Jonathan Scales Fourchestra Tours DC and New York City 9/22- 9/25

“…rising star of the steel drums…” ~Traps Magazine

“The Real Deal [with] a Thelonius Monk-like attitude with a Mozart creativity that works.” ~ Pan on the Net
“At the end of the day, Scales is going to be a major play in rewriting the books on steelpan music outside of the box.” ~ When Steel Talks

Classically trained composer turned steel pan maestro and front man of the Fourchestra, Jonathan Scales is heavily influenced by the complexity of banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck to the hustle of Jay-Z. Gritty blues guitarist, Duane Simpson, and fusion-chops bassist, Cody Wright, provide the harmonic support for Scales’ sound, while jazz/hip-hop drummer, Phill Bronson, drives the time-shifting, modern grooves. Based in Asheville, NC, the cast of Characters holds this mind-bending concoction together with jazz edge and classical sensibility as they tour around a new album, Character Farm & Other Short Stories.

“unique compositions which not only display the amiably quirky wit and charm of the likes of Theolonius Monk and Horace Silver, but also a level of complexity behind an entirely approachable manner…Scales’ steel drum propels the compositions forward through harmony more so than rhythm and that frees Bronson to attack his drum kit with unusual syncopation that manages to show elements of cocky, hip hop swagger and cool, bop jazz.” – William Helms – The Joy of Violent Movement

Show Details at a Glance:
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra

Thursday, September 22nd
Red Door
Free admission ($5-10 suggested donation), all ages, 8pm
443 i St. NW
Washington, DC
www.reddoorloft.tumblr.com

Friday, Sept 23rd
Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 1
1am, Free, 21+
196 Allen Street
NY, NY, 10002
212-477-4155
www.rockwoodmusichall.com

Saturday, Sept 24th
The Shrine
8:00 PM, Free, All Ages
2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
New York, NY 10030
(212) 690-7807
www.shrinenyc.com

Sunday, Sept 25th
Pantonic Steel Orchestra’s Panyard
Free, All Ages
2514 Albemarle Road (between Veronica Place & Lott Street)
New York, NY (Brooklyn)
www.pantonic.com

www.JonScales.com

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The Mast perform their debut piece ‘Figure Eights’ at The Magnetic Field on March 27th: Songs, Electronic Soundscapes & Monologues

The Mast perform their debut piece ‘Figure Eights’ at The Magnetic Field on March 27. ‘Figure Eights’ explores one woman’s quest to steer the cavalry of her own imagination through songs, electronic soundscapes & monologues

“Haale’s warm, supple voice unfurled like a curlicue of smoke”-New York Times
“Brilliantly produced rhythms”- Popmatters
www.TheMastMusic.com

Asheville, NC- The Mast is the latest project by the Brooklyn-based vocalist/poet Haale and percussionist/producer Matt Kilmer. Described as, “One of the most expansive duos out there, The Mast has to be experienced live,” by the BeaconPass.com. They are set to debut their performance piece Figure Eights at the Magnetic Field in Asheville, NC on Sunday, March 27, 2011. The performance is $15 and starts at 8pm.

“An extraordinarily powerful vocalist. The emotions expressed in Haale’s songs are as warm and inviting as the sounds…” exclaims Jim Derogatis with the Chicago Sun Times. Through songs, electronic soundscapes, and monologues, Figure Eights explores one woman’s quest to steer the cavalry of her own imagination from a preoccupation with doom and disaster, to something brighter, the golden nectar, tucked inside the crimson bell of a flower, for instance. Existence and the spectrum of possibility! Where are we putting our attention? Within a world soaked with images of violence, there still exists the hummingbird, flapping its wings 80 times per second in the shape of figure eights, hovering at the mouth of a flower to energize itself off the sweet elixir. Master attendant to and perpetuator of beauty–a creature, she decides, worth emulating. The piece is a series of snapshots, starting with her childhood spent swimming in seas of anxiety, and following her through a fascinating transformation. A celebration of alchemy and the mind’s triumphant malleability.

Before they launched The Mast in 2010, Haale and Matt Kilmer were writing, performing, and touring together for 3 years under Haale’s name. Starting in 2007, upon the release of the EPs, ‘Paratrooper’ and ‘Morning,’ they toured across the country, in Canada, and Europe playing such venues as the Bonnaroo festival, the David Byrne-curated series at Carnegie Hall, the Hillside Festival, Celebrate Brooklyn, Mimi Festival in France, and Preservation Hall in New Orleans. In March 2008, they released the full-length album ‘No Ceiling’ which the Boston Globe called ‘one of the year’s most memorable releases.’

The Mast will release their debut album, Wild Poppies, in the spring of 2011. Music can be heard on www.TheMastMusic.com and  www.haale.com.

Recording ‘Wild Poppies’ from upcoming album to be released spring 2011:

In Persian, Mast means “intoxicated with existence, in a blissful state of wonder and awe,” which is exactly how Figure Eights will leave you feeling in this not-to-be-missed performance.

Show Details at a Glance:

The Mast perform their debut piece “Figure Eights”
Magnetic Field Theater

Sunday, March 27, 2011

8pm, $15
(828) 257-4003
372 Depot St., Suite 50
Asheville, NC 28801
www.themagneticfield.com
Tickets available: www.eventbrite.com/event/1392327489

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