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monk for president
This trio is supernatural. These are the guys who can read minds. Glafkos Kontemeniotis (p), Vince "Kazi" McCoy (d) and I met in college. We originally got together to play GK's thesis jazz compositions but during rehearsals we all felt an intense connection bordering on the telepathic. It's the kind of thing other people comment on. We play our original tunes and our arrangements of standards and see how far we can go just listening to each other. First we were known as Trio Panna and then changed the name to Ear Soul Hand, which is the path music takes through each musician as a group improvises. However, due to our love for one of the greatest composers ever, we decided finally to call ourselves Monk for President.the prodigals
Proclaimed by the Village Voice as "the Jig-punk answer to the Pogues," the Prodigals are an Irish trad-rock band that redefines trad-rock. Beside coming up with traditional tune arrangements that are filled with the influence of world music, rock, jazz, punk, and funk, this band allows the bass to take the role of a lead melody instrument playing parts normally reserved for fiddle or flute or pipes, etc. Here the bass compliments the button accordion, trading leads and tunes. Of course there is plenty of the driving guitar-bass-drums rock typical of a high-energy, no holds barred group. Accordionist Gregory Grene and guitarist Eamon O'Tuama split vocal duties while drummer Chris Higginbottom and I explore the outer limits of rhythm-section-land.zipthunk!
This powerpop trio has been described as a rock band with an overdeveloped sense of fun, drama and guitar crunch. With Steve Lavner on guitar and vocals, Fred Berman on drums and vocals and yours truly on bass and vocals Zipthunk! plays music that comes from somewhere between a broadway show and a progressive rock concert.photos | monk for president: johnny rodriguez, prodigals: mark mindlin.