The Blue Ribbon Boys and The Underscore Orkestra at Basilica Industria

After being devastated about missing what was, as I knew it would be, an amazing concert by Daniel Kahn and the Painted Bird on the 12th (my sister went and gave me the full report), I at least got to see another Klezmer-laden band last weekend, of equal talent. That would be The Underscore Orkestra , who played a double-bill with The Blue Ribbon Boys at the Basilica Industria in Hudson, NY on Sunday night.

There are actually two performance spaces at the Basilica, one large, the other more intimate. The show on Sunday was held in the smaller of the two, which is a cozy room consisting of a rug thrown over the floor, couches and lounge chairs set up along the walls, and dim lights hung from the ceiling. It was a perfect setting for the music that took place. The Blue Ribbon Boys opened the show, and they sounded incredible. Kip Beacco was outstanding on clarinet, his playing beautiful and clear, Lukas Schwartz played fiddle and had some great solos, Seth Travins sang lead on a number of songs and played guitar, Matt Downing kept things steady on upright bass, as did Scott Marks on drums, and Evan Paluzzo played some honky tonk piano.

The Blue Ribbon Boys’ rousing set was chock full of Balkan sounding music, jazzy swing numbers, and originals written by Seth. I love his songwriting not only lyrically, but musically as well. Both aspects sound as though they’re from another era (in a good way), yet the songs display a timelessness. The Blue Ribbon Boys also played a crazy polka, followed by a gorgeous instrumental ballad. Midway through their set, the band called two friends to the stage who are also musicians: Jonothan Talbott on violin, and Evan Randall on vocals. Evan has an amazing voice and sang “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” while Jonathan’s duo fiddlin’ with Lukas added a new dimension. As the night progressed, the room got hotter and so did the musicians. They were creating music like an old-time improvisational band, and by that I mean the likes of Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France. Such sweet sounds came from the Basilica stage! The Blue Ribbon Boys’ set was over much too soon, but at least more great music came after…

The Underscore Orkestra just got back from playing in Europe, and this is their first time touring the East Coast. The band didn’t have all of it’s usual members at the show on Sunday, but the music was certainly not lacking in richness. Their style and use of guitar, fiddle, and tabla drums create a heavily gypsy sound, while saxophone and electric bass add a somewhat modern feel, blending the energy of history and tradition with that of the 21st century. The “orchestra” does a marvellous job of creating a balance between the two, and they easily fascinate the listener with their intriguing music. Playing on Sunday were Jorge Kuchmari on violin, harmonica, and vocals; Cody Pratt on guitar; Leslie Wacker on sopranino saxophone; Joe Correia on sousaphone and bass; and Enrico Solano on tabla and drum kit.

For the opening tune of The Underscore Orkestra’s set, Leslie did not play sax but instead performed a fluid dance while twirling a hula hoop around her entire body from neck to ankles. After that she joined the others, and the sopranino sax contributed a great deal to the mystique of the music. During the show Enrico alternated between tabla and full drum set, as did Joe with bass and sousaphone.  Sousaphone, you might ask? Heck yeah. When Joe first picked it up the crowd cheered, but he set it down without playing it and picked up his bass again, to the dismay of the audience. They yelled out that he was teasing them, to which he responded, “Yeah! You like that, don’t you!” making everyone laugh. He finally did play the sousaphone, and it gave a great sound to the songs. Jorge has a really interesting voice and a naturalness with his violin, meanwhile Cody blew me away. His playing closely resembled that of a classical master, and his hands moved so fast they were nothing more than a blur.

I went to the show expecting to be impressed. What I did not expect was to be rendered speechless by the band’s music and playing — that was a pleasant surprise. The end of the night became a casual party among friends, for that’s what audience and bands alike were by that point, and The Underscore Orkestra brought a couple of The Blue Ribbon Boys back onstage to jam. The show was exciting, and The Blue Ribbon Boys and The Underscore Orkestra were a perfect match for each other. I can’t wait to hear the latter again tomorrow at the New Paltz Cultural Collective! I’m told the band will be bigger (although Leslie won’t be at the show), and I look forward to hearing them in their expanded glory.

*I unfortunately didn’t get any videos of The Blue Ribbon Boys, but I did get two of The Underscore Orkestra:

Mazel Tov

Horamare