MEZE at MALABOMBA! 2/27/13

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!

CAP Show and More

The "IN" show at Complete Actors Place is coming up on Friday, Oct. 1st. The three-hour show/hang includes a short set by my trio with Ben Shepherd and Cameron Hicks, as well as a complimentary bar and snacks. Contact me for presale tickets ($5 less than at the door).

Imagine Nation Entertainment presents: The IN Inaugural Show
Friday, October 1st, 8-11pm
Open Bar 7:30-9pm
$20 presale ($25 at the door)

Complete Actor's Place
13752 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423-3067
(818) 990-2001
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In other Michael news, the Orkestar MÉZÉ gig at Bordello Bar was amazing! Such an energetic, dancing, and PEASANT crowd! Thanks to Malabomba for putting the show together, can't wait to return and rock it again.

Making baby steps toward finishing the album; with some great input from my wife, I have managed to finalize the order of the pieces for the trio album. Normally, putting together a set list is just short of agonizing for me, so I knew this was going to be tough. To be fair to myself, however, I feel this collection of tunes was particularly difficult to arrange in a flowing and pleasing (but still interesting) order. I'll be going back to the studio one last time now to finalize the tracks, including the time between the end of one track to the beginning of the next.

Although I am getting a little sick of hearing myself so many times, Ben and Cameron sound so solid and energetic on the recordings, and I am so excited to put this thing out! In the meantime, I've been scheming about starting up an octet to flex my larger-ensemble-composing-and-arranging muscles (which haven't been flexed very often in the past couple of years). I'm still solidifying the instrumentation and direction in my mind, but I'm thinking layered, textural, rhythmic, spacious, with a lot of room to breathe --- I'll keep you posted.

Goodnight for now...jamming out to my old metal friends Darkane.

Orkestar MÉZÉ at the Bordello Bar!

Another killing MÉZÉ gig on Thursday, September 23rd...we've got some new tunes and are ready to groove! Here's a little endorsement from our hosts, Malabomba!

"On September 23rd MALABOMBA! orchestrates a peasant uprising! We’re proud to present the down and dirty proletarian sounds of ORKESTAR MÉZÉ at the Bordello Bar on Thursday, September 23. This ensemble features 10 hot dudes and 1 hot chick from five different countries, all united in their love of Balkan brass music and... funky rhythms that liberate the asses of the workers.

ORKESTAR MÉZÉ plays “peasant funk,” a musical goulash of their own creation. Bandleader Milen Kirov knows that the best music comes from the salt of the earth folks from all over the world, so he draws on the folk and pop music of his native Bulgaria and mixes it with Eastern European brass band music, American soul and a splash of low-down funk to create a uniquely danceable urban turbo-folk sound. When ORKESTAR MÉZÉ strikes up a crooked dance in their insane Boban Markovic-meets-the Meters style, it’s enough to make the peasants of the field and the peasants of the cubicle throw off the shackles of oppression and shake it!

MALABOMBA! beat-chefs DJ Jason Savvy and DJ Cat Hair will be on the decks all night, serving up their spicy blends of tasty international cuts for the dance floor. Balkan beats, Romany rock, Turkish garage, Soviet disco, Bollywood funk, and more... they've been slaving away in the backwater kitchens of the world cooking up mixes of the best music you've never heard and will be dishing it up it as hot as ever! In your face!"

Thursday September 23rd, 9 PM until last call

Bordello Bar, 901 E 1st St, LA 90012

$5 admission; FREE before 9:30 PM. *NEW* $5 drink specials until 10 PM!