PULLMAN, Wash. — Hailed as “one of America’s most inventive string bands” by the Boston Herald, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem will showcase their bracing fusion of rootsy genres Friday, Feb. 6, in WSU’s Jones Theatre in Daggy Hall. The concert, presented by WSU Performing Arts, will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Known for their infectious energy, virtuoso playing and warm stage presence, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem draw from the deep well of American roots music and have an adventurous way of mixing things up. They’ll hang a 200-year-old Georgia Sea Islands song over a New Orleans groove, or set original lyrics to an Irish fiddle tune and layer it with a South American box drum. A Leonard Cohen cover gets a clawhammer banjo; Springsteen gets high-octane, bluegrass-style harmonies; and the band’s originals range from Unitarian funk gospel tunes to 1950s swing.
Led by vocalist and fiddler Rani Arbo, whose voice has been described as “light and sultry, with a hint of tremolo and smoke” by Acoustic Guitar magazine, the ensemble includes Andrew Kinsey, Anand Nayak and Scott Kessel, all skilled lead singers as well.
Arbo’s gutsy fiddle-playing is sweet and sinewy, while Nayak’s acoustic and electric guitar work tastefully using a wide palette of tone and style.
Kinsey’s bass, banjo and ukulele anchor the band’s imaginative arrangements along with Kessel’s playful percussion rig, which is 95% recycled and features a cardboard box, tin cans, caulk tubes and a sonorous vinyl suitcase bass drum.
Atop all this, the group’s signature four-part harmonies can shake the rafters or hush the room.
These are four musicians who pick up what’s lying around, from tin cans to old songs to human stories, and create something new, tackling the human condition with playfulness, courage and heart.
Music preceding the concert and during intermission will be performed live by harpist Daniella Clark and the Threshold Choir of the Palouse.
Reserved seating tickets are available at all TicketsWest outlets, including online at TicketsWest.com, by phone at 800-325-SEAT (7328), and in person at Beasley Coliseum (open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday) and the Lewiston Rosauers. Same-day tickets will be available at the Daggy Hall box office beginning two hours before the performance.
Tickets cost $16 for adults, $13 for seniors (ages 60 and up), and $8 for non-WSU students and youth. Tickets are free for WSU students and are available in advance only at the Beasley Coliseum ticket office with valid WSU ID. WSU Alumni Association member and group discounts are also available.
This concert is the first performance in WSU Performing Arts’ Spring Series. Subscribers save 20 percent on regular ticket prices by buying the five series performances as a package. In addition to Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, the series includes improv comedy from the acclaimed Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company; two dramatic productions, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and a stage presentation based on “The Kite Runner”; and the Grammy-winning Mariachi Divas. The Spring Series may be purchased through TicketsWest.
This project received support from ArtsWA, the Washington State Arts Commission; WESTAF, the Western States Arts Federation; and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by the WSU Office of Student Affairs, Pullman Regional Hospital and the Hilltop.
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem: http://www.raniarbo.com/
Online Ticket Sales: http://www.ticketswest.com/events/wsu-performing-arts/10391/
WSU Performing Arts: http://performingarts.wsu.edu/
Contact:
Gail Siegel, WSU Performing Arts, 509-335-8522, gsiegel@wsu.edu