Sultans of String + Darlingside

Sunday December 8, 2013 @ 7:00 PM

Known for dizzying world-music jams, polyrhythms and revved up riffs, they can't be pinned down, geographically speaking — it's Sable Island meets the Silk Road, with detours through the Gypsy-jazz coffeehouses of Eastern Europe , next an East Coast kitchen party, then over to the majestic Arctic.

Seamlessly traversing diverse themes of heart, place and tradition, fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar while a funk bass lays down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound.

Since their formation only 5 years ago, Sultans of String have been riding a wave of success, from their debut CD, "Luna", and 2nd offering, "Yalla Yalla!", both hitting # 1 on world/international music charts in Canada, to MOVE’s *quadruple* 2012 CFMA nominations, winning World Music Group of the Year. In the past 2 years alone, they've acquired a JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nomination, 1st place in the International Songwriting Competition, and won this year’s Festivals & Events Ontario-Entertainer of The Year Award.

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Under one roof in New England’s Pioneer Valley, Darlingside came together with five songwriters, a mandolin, a cello and violin, guitars and drums, a chorus of voices, and a van named Chauncey. Holed up in their home between a cornfield and the Connecticut River, they forged a seamless, exhilarating sound at the intersection of rock, classical, and folk music. The band recently released their debut full-length album ‘Pilot Machines’ and are currently shaking rafters along the eastern seaboard with their vibrant live shows.

In an age of increasingly electronic music, Darlingside still values authentic performance on real instruments. The sound is characterized by multiple lead-vocalists, dreamy five-part harmonies, dominating cello and violin interjections, and a dynamic rock engine at the core. Darlingside traces its diverse sound to an eclectic array of musical origins: Auyon traveled and studied the traditional instruments of Brazil, Turkey and Ireland; Harris picked up the cello at age six, performing twice on NPR; Dave learned guitar as a street musician in Boston; Don toured nationally as a boy alto and played sunset cruises in Maine; Sam took up both celtic and jazz drumming at age seven. Together, the five close friends are a powerhouse of vocal, instrumental, songwriting and performing talent.

Following 2010’s self-recorded EP 1, Darlingside teamed up with producer Nathaniel Kunkel (Sting, Crosby/Nash, Maroon 5) in 2011 to turn their house into a hi-fi recording laboratory and playground. The result was Pilot Machines, an insistently melodic collection of new songs that feel both familiar and ground-breaking. The band is now touring behind an ambitious release, with three records culminating in a full-length album.

Darlingside is…

Sam Kapala: drums, vocals

Don Mitchell: guitar, vocals

Auyon Mukharji: mandolin, violin, vocals

Harris Paseltiner: cello, guitar, bass, vocals

David Senft: vocals, bass guitar, guitar

Links:

Tickets:

$15, $25