It's hard to believe it is almost July…until you step outside and get cooked. After another two productive days of recording for the new Mahadev album this past weekend, it's time for me to channel my inner funky peasant and get ready for an Orkestar MEZE show at a brand new venue (for us), the Pig 'n Whistle in Hollywood!
Along with the grooviest Peasant Funk you could ever hope to dance to, this event will feature authentic Bulgarian food (served from 10pm) and rakia (Bulgarian moonshine) served at the bar in addition to all your other favorite drinks - true Peasant Party style. Of course, we will do our signature belly-dancing contest as well, so be ready to shake it!
Orkestar MEZE Peasant Party in Hollywood
Friday, July 11th
Pig 'n Whistle
6714 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
$10 cash at the door
21+
Doors at 9:30pm RSVP on Facebook
The past two days have seen the first recording sessions of what will become Mahadev's sophomore release. I have been involved in Mahadev since it's inception by bandleader Dave Cipriani in 2011, and through several changes in size and lineup over the years, the band continues to evolve. Like so many musical projects these days, Mahadev is difficult to describe without either using blanket generalizations or far too many words strung together - suffice to say it draws from multiple traditional music cultures from around the world and filters them through the members' individual interpretations, styles, and personal study.
Blogger is not currently letting me embed the player, so click here to check out a track from the first Mahadev album. You can stream the rest of the album as well.
I'm into the mastering stages for the Michael Mull Octet album, with initial passes on two of the songs. They both are sounding really solid already, so aside from a few potential tweaks, I'm going to be saving up some cash to send the rest off soon! The rough plan at the moment is to try to release the album sometime this Fall, so stay tuned.
Lastly, the second Orkestar MEZE album is also slowly coming to be, with mixing underway and some ridiculously fat sounds happening! We are definitely bringing the peasantry, but with an extra thick slathering of funk and soul this time around. We're talking SPF 100. We have a potential July show in the works, so keep an eye on Facebook and/or peasantfunk.com.
I count myself very fortunate to be involved in such adventurous and musically fulfilling projects, especially with such a wide range of style, dynamics, and personalities...keeping me on my toes and giving me plenty of practice material!
Join Orkestar MEZE for an absolutely FREE show this Saturday 7/13 on the famed House of Blues main stage! Here's the trick - you still have to get tickets to get in. Just email peasantfunk@gmail.com with your address and the number of tickets you want. That's it. FREE! If we can't mail them to you in time, we'll find another way to get them to you at the show! Look what happened last time we explodified the HOB mainstage:
We have another amazing guest this time around - K'noup from VIZA, a longtime friend of Orkestar MEZE and a helluva singer. We will be performing a song of his, a slamming Greek MEZE staple tune, and some edgy Bulgarian pop songs with a MEZE "tvist". Don't miss this one! Details below:
Orkestar MEZE feat. K'noup @ House of Blues Sunset
Saturday July 13th, 2013
9:00pm, one set only FREE (email peasantfunk@gmail.com for tickets)
ages 18+
8430 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood RSVP on Facebook
Our Orkestar MEZE show at MALABOMBA! two weeks ago was a rip-snorting good time, full of sweaty peasant dancing and foot-stomping grooves. As you might remember, we also played a few weeks prior to that at the House of Blues Foundation Room.....and sold out the show! We owe it all to the fans for your amazing support, so we want to say "thank you" with a FREE show this Thursday night, 3/14 - this time, on the historic main stage of the House of Blues on Sunset! That's right: not only a chance to rock out with MEZE for free, but you'll be doing it at one of the premier clubs on the West Coast with fantastic sound and good vibes. What's more, we'll be hanging out in the Foundation Room after our set to keep the party going, so come on upstairs and have a drink with the band! We're all peasants here!
The great Knoup from Viza joined us at the Foundation Room to rock some Greek goodness:
Word on the farm is that we will be hosting another legend with some major tricks up our shirtsleeves on Thursday night, so don't miss it! All you have to do is send an email to peasantfunk@gmail.com with your name, and the number of tickets you want for you and your buddies. As many as you want. Free. Just show up, pick up those bad boys at will call, and you are ready to get down! Here's the skinny:
Orkestar MEZE @ House of Blues Sunset - FREE SHOW
Thursday, March 14th
7pm, ages 18+
FREE - email peasantfunk@gmail.com to be added to the will call list orkestarmeze.com
House of Blues Sunset
8430 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood RSVP on Facebook
Back in 2010, Orkestar MEZE played one of its first official shows at the massive sexy dance party that is MALABOMBA! We are prepared to knock your peasant socks off this Wednesday night...I can't put it any better myself - see what the MALABOMBA! site has to say:
Release the goats and fill your flask with plum brandy, because on Wednesday, February 27th, you’re ditching
the farm and heading down to MALABOMBA! L.A.’s favorite international dance party returns to La Cita to get
down and dirty with the funky Bulgarian sounds of Orkestar MÉZÉ! Long-time Malabombaderos will
remember their magical JBs-meet-Ivo Papasov stylings from the last time they blew the roof off a couple
years back. Whether you’re a MALABOMBA! virgin or you love us long time, you won’t want to miss this one!
Crooked dances, blazing horns, sultry vocals, and more funky Balkan madness than you can shake a
shepherd’s crook at!
Oh yeah! Entry is FREE before 10pm, and only 5 bucks after that...fits the peasant budget quite nicely. RSVP on Facebook if you please, and check the details below. See you there!
Wednesday, Februray 27th, 9:30 PM until last call La Cita Bar, 336 S. Hill St, LA 90013 FREE admission before 10:00
Only $5 cash after FULL BAR - FULL BOMBA!
Here's a taste of what went down last time MEZE took over the place!
Orkestar MEZE is rocking Rusty's Surf Ranch again, tomorrow night in Santa Monica! To hold you over, here's a fun video of our CD release show at the Key Club overlayed with some cuts from the album. You can get event info on facebook or just come by Rusty's around 9pm! Rusty's Surf Ranch Santa Monica Pier Friday, March 2 10pm; all ages $7 at the door
Here's a fun video promoting Orkestar MEZE's debut album, "Peasant Funk"! We're pioneering a new style of music under the same name, mixing Balkan melodies with American funk, jazz, and soul. The video features some footage of us workin' hard in the studio set to the title track of the album. I hope you get a kick out of it, and please stop by www.peasantfunk.com to hear more music and purchase the album!
What a month of music for me, definitely a lot to be thankful for! After an incredible "Peasant Funk" CD release party with Orkestar MEZE, it was straight to a week of grueling rehearsals for guitarist/keyboardist Mike Keneally's "The Universe Will Provide". This 50-minute piece for a rock power trio-plus-an-orchestra was set for its US premier on Friday, November 18th at the REDCAT theater downtown, and everyone in the group but Mike was a CalArts student or alumni. I had my fair share of musical challenges; my part covered alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet, flute, and my first forays into the bass saxophone. A feat in itself, full rehearsals were run Monday through Thursday, and the result was an incredible performance those involved won't soon forget. You can read a lot about the piece and its conception here. The performance was recorded and documented by multiple cameras, so I'm hoping I can direct you to a stream or DVD in the near future. Until then, suffice to say that I am honored to have been included in this performance and am proud of my fellow CalArts denizens for really pulling as much life, blood, and jumps-for-joy out of that music as possible!
Coming soon: my octet, take two. People are on board, music is being written and arranged (including some Placebo and 38 Special), and we'll see an inaugural performance early 2012. Two woodwinds, two trombones, two guitars, bass, drums...here we go!
The time is finally here! Orkestar MEZE is geared up for an incredible show this Friday night, 11/11/11, at the Key Club! We're proudly releasing our debut album, "Peasant Funk", as well as some killer merchandise like T-shirts, posters, and stickers, all adorned with that classy peasant look you've come to expect from MEZE. Check out the event on facebook, and get cheaper pre-sale tickets at http://www.milenkirov.net/, our leader's website. We'll have some incredible special guests sitting in with us as well, not to be missed. It's bound to be a legendary night...get a piece for yourself!
Looking forward to a busy upcoming week. I'll be going into the studio for a couple of days to record Orkestar MEZE's debut album, "Peasant Funk"! We have been polishing all your peasant favorites and working on a couple brand new songs for the record, and are all excited to get in the studio this week. We did a great photo shoot for the album today in the hills of Sunland, complete with horses, sheep, dust and pitchforks; can't wait to see what came out of that!
More updates to follow, but "Peasant Funk" should be out in about a month, with a big CD release party in the works as well!
Otherwise, I'll be posting a few upcoming gigs here very soon, come back soon. I've also been transcribing some more solos by Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendal, a project I began last year and was put on hold until now. Once I get a couple more done, I'll post here with some analysis --- transcribing has already yielded some amazing stuff, so I'm excited to share it with you.
