The Cat Empire,Sensational Australian Octet, Appears for One Night Only In Seattle, WA at Neumos, July 23rd, 2013

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By E. Joyce Glasgow, www.artsandculturescene.com

The Cat Empire, pop/jazz octet sensation will appear for one night only in Seattle, at Neumos, on July 23rd, 2013. This very popular, fifteen year old, Melbourne, Australian based band just came from the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, last weekend,in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, where they drew huge crowds of dancers, at every stage they played, energized by their vibrant horn section and wide range of eclectic, tight band arrangements covering jazz, salsa, reggae, Cuban, rock, ska and pop rhythms. See videos below. Included is the very theatrical video of my favorite tune of their's, "Brighter than Gold".  For more information about The Cat Empire, visit www.thecatempire.com. For more information about Neumos visit www.neumos.com

Hazmat Modine to Appear at Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA, July 23rd and 24th, 2013

By E. Joyce Glasgow, www.artsandculturescene.com Following on the heels of three highly successful performances at the 2013 Vancouver Folk Music Festival, New York octet, Hazmat Modine, will be appearing for two nights only at the Jazz Alley, in Seattle, WA, on July 23rd and 24th. Hazmat Modine uniquely blends sophisticated jazz, gritty blues, and a foot-stomping, down home feel, into a New Orleans meets Eastern European gumbo that is appealing and infectious and explores the musical roots of many cultures, embracing a world music feel, with tastes of Jamaican, Hawaii, Rhythm and Blues, old timey, Hokum Jugband and early twentieth century jazz. This will be their first appearance at the Jazz Alley. Wade Schuman, lead vocals/guitar/lute guitar/ diatonic harmonica, is joined by seasoned musicians, Rachelle Garniez, accordion/vocals/ claviola/composer; Richard Huntley,drums/percussion; Steve Elson, saxophones/clarinet/duduk/flute; Joseph Daley, Tuba; Pamela Fleming, trumpet/fleugelhorn; Michael Gomez, acoustic/electric guitars/steel guitar and Erik Della Penna, guitar/banjitar, vocals.They performed a rousing solo set at Vancouver, garnering an enthusiastic new fan base for their first appearance in Vancouver B.C. They followed with amazing jams with two other large ensembles at the festival, pop/jazz octet, The Cat Empire (also appearing in Seattle on July 23rd, at Neumos) of Melbourne, Australia and with the Debo Band, a large Ethiopian music band, based in Boston. Coincidentally, the Debo Band also features the tuba as one of their instruments.Hazmat Modine has a very large following in Europe and spends most of their performance time over there and in New York City. It is a special opportunity to welcome them to the Pacific Northwest for their first performances in this region. Don't miss them if you are in the Seattle area. Please see videos below to get a feel for their music. For more information about Hazmat Modine visit  www.hazmatmodine.com. For more information about Dimitrio's Jazz Alley, visit www.jazzalley.com

Preview: Thirty Sixth Annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival, July 19th, 20th and 21st, 2013, Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The 2013 Vancouver Folk Music Festival will feature sixty five acts, over three nights and two full days, at beautiful Jericho Beach Park, July 19th, 20th and 21st, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 

By E. Joyce Glasgow, www.artsandculturescene.com
Photo Credit/Copyright: E. Joyce Glasgow

Some of this year's international artists scheduled to perform at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival that I find particularly interesting are; beloved, reflective, American, folk singer/songwriter, Loudon Wainwright III; funky,blues, jazz, New Orleans meets Eastern Europe, New York band, Hazmat Modine; rip- roaring, foot stomping powerhouse Louisiana, Zydeco accordionist, Jeffrey Boussard and The Creole Cowboys; lioness Canadian blues vocalist, Dalannah Gail Bowen;  Lush, Boston based, Ethiopian music group, Debo Band; "New Country" Texas musicians, Steve Earle and the Dukes; Danish traditional, jazzy, raucous, joyful, party dance band, Habadekuk; atmospheric, indie, Colorado based quartet, DeVotchKa; Hanggai Band, Mongolian Throat singing with an electric rock edge, from China; jazzy pop sensation large band, from Australia,  The Cat Empire; haunting music of the Mediterranean sung in the "Sabir" language by Italian group, Stefano Saletti and Piccola Banda Ikona;  Los Angeles based all women accapella vocal quartet, Moira Smiley and VOCO, and Canadian, Danny Michel with the Garifuna Collective, from Belize. Please see videos by some of these diverse artists below.

The festival features a variety of food booths, handmade artists' goods and two full days of music on seven stages and three evening concerts on the main stage. Jericho Beach Park is a stunning location for the Festival, overlooking dramatic mountain peaks, Vancouver's downtown skyscraper skyline and is situated on English Bay, where sailboats, swimmers and festival goers enjoy the beach and glistening waters. This festival is worth the trip to Vancouver B.C., for a day or the weekend and accommodations can be found at the University of British Columbia campus, local Hostelling International Hostels or at Vancouver's numerous hotels.

 Visit the festival.bc.ca for a complete line up of artists and ticketing information.