Sirius.B (band)
Sirius.B | |
---|---|
Sirius.B | |
Background information | |
Origin | Asheville, North Carolina, United States |
Genres |
Gypsy punk World music Indie rock |
Years active | 2006–present |
Website | www.siriusbmusic.com |
Members |
Pancho Romero Bond Xavier Ferdón Imhotep Franklin Keel Mattick Frick Brian Hermanson Lee Stanford Ryan Kijanka Mike Oliver |
Past members |
Lauren Baker Bryshen Brothwell Rachael Kistler Amy Lovinger Mike Morel Branco Cotes Jamie Davis Laura Baskervill Hannah Furgiuele Bruce Comings |
Sirius.B is an eight-piece musical group from Asheville, NC. It was formed in late 2006 by Xavier Ferdón, Pancho Romero Bond, and Imhotep and takes its name from the white dwarf star, Sirius B. The band describes itself as "Absurdist Gypsy Folk Funk Punk". Sirius.B combines accordion, volin, cello, acoustic guitar, flamenco and electric guitar, charango, banjo, African drums, marching band percussion, snare drum, upright bass, melodica, clarinet, and multi-lingual vocals to create a sound that has a gypsy feel, but with elements from other modern genres.[1][2]
In the Mountain Xpress's Best of Western North Carolina for 2014, Sirius.B was voted:
- No. 1 Favorite All-Around Band
- No. 1 Acoustic/Folk Band (tie)
- No. 1 Rock Band
In the Mountain Xpress's Best of Western North Carolina for 2013, Sirius.B was voted:
- No. 1 Favorite All-Around Band
- No. 1 Acoustic/Folk Band
- No. 1 Rock Band
- No. 3 World Music Band
In the Mountain Xpress's Best of Western North Carolina for 2012, Sirius.B was voted:
- No. 1 Favorite Local Band
- No. 1 Local Gypsy Absurdist Punk Rock Band
- No. 3 Local Band: Acoustic / Folk
In the Mountain Xpress's Best of Western North Carolina for 2011, Sirius.B was voted:
- No. 1 Next Big Thing
- No. 1 Local Band: Rock
- No. 2 Favorite Local Band
- No. 2 Local Band: Acoustic/Folk
In the Mountain Xpress's Best of Western North Carolina for 2010, Sirius.B was voted:
- No. 1 Next Big Thing
- No. 2 Experimental Band
- No. 2 Rock Band
In the Mountain Xpress's Best of Western North Carolina for 2009, Sirius.B was voted:
- No. 1 Rock Band
- No. 1 Experimental Band (tie)
- No. 2 Indie Band
- No. 3 Live Show of 2009 - (Beating Sirius.B for Best Live Show were the Beastie Boys and Phish.)[3]
In addition, Sirius.B also won awards in the Best of WNC 2007[4] and Best of WNC 2008. Mountain Xpress writes, "folk-punk artists Sirius B are, according to Xpress readers, the ones to watch."
Sirius.B's songs can be heard on regional radio stations such as 88.7FM WNCW, 105.9FM The Mountain, 98.1FM The River, 880AM The Revolution,[5] and Power 90.5FM.[6] They have also made a live appearance on the WDVX Knoxville Blue Plate Special, which has hosted other artists such as Bela Fleck and The Avett Brothers.
In addition to the Asheville area, they tour regionally to venues in Atlanta and Athens, GA; Columbia and Charleston, SC; and Knoxville and Johnson City, TN. They often host ticket sales on their main website. The Mountain Xpress states that "The excitement of a Sirius.B show has been compared by the press to what 'one would imagine Athens’s 40 Watt Club to have been like in the early days of R.E.M."[7][8]
Their original album, "Dazzling Urbanites" was released on May 3, 2008.[9]
Their second album, "Monkey Robot Soldier" was released on March 27, 2010.[10]
Their third album, "The Triumphant Return of Black-Eyed Norman" was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studio[11] and released on September 28, 2012, after raising $9,150 through their Kickstarter campaign.
Line-up
Current members
- Pancho Romero Bond - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Kazoo
- Xavier Ferdón – Guitar, Chromatic Button Accordion, Charango, Banjo, Vocals
- Imhotep - Percussion
- Franklin Keel - Cello, Vocals
- Mattick Frick - Percussion, Vocals
- Brian Hermanson - Clarinet
- Lee Stanford - Violin, Vocals
- Ryan Kijanka - Upright Bass, Vocals
- Mike Oliver - Percussion
In the Asheville Symphony Orchestra Franklin Keel is the Assistant Principal Cellist.[13]
Lovinger and Keel also are members of the Opal String Quartet.[14]
Former members
- Lauren Baker - Vocals, Melodica, Musical Saw
- Bryshen Brothwell - Accordion, Upright Bass, Piano
- Rachael Kistler - Violin
- Amy Lovinger - Violin
- Mike Morel - Percussion
- Branco Cotes - Percussion
- Jamie Davis - Bass Guitar
- Laura Baskervill - Violin
- Hannah Furgiuele - Violin, Viola
- Bruce Comings - Bass Guitar[15]
Frick and Brothwell are also members of The Bloodroot Orkaestarr.[16]
Special guests
Discography
- Monkey Robot Soldier (2010)[10]
- Dazzling Urbanites (2008)[18]
- The Triumphant Return of Black-Eyed Norman (2012)[18][19]
References
- ↑ Elliott, Joe. "Arts | Mountain Xpress". Mountainx.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Sirius.B". Siriusbmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ↑ 6 years ago (2010-03-02). "Sirius B on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "BlogAsheville: Sirius.B". Blogasheville.blogspot.com. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ Elliott, Joe. "Arts | Mountain Xpress". Mountainx.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Sirius.B". Siriusbmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ↑ "Clients - Echo Mountain Recording Studio - Asheville, NC". Echomountain.net. 1990-05-17. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Sirius.B". Siriusbmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Musicians — Asheville Symphony Orchestra". Ashevillesymphony.org. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Opal String Quartet | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Sirius.B". Siriusbmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "The bloodroot Orkaestarr | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Alhambra Classical Guitars, Flamenco Guitars, Strings, & Accessories from". XGuitars. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- 1 2 "Sirius.B". Siriusbmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
- ↑ "Sirius.B | CD Baby Music Store". Cdbaby.com. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
External links
- Sirius.B Official Website
- Sirius.B EPK on SonicBids.com
- Video from MonkeyWhale.com - interview with and music from Sirius.B
- Sirius.B ReverbNation Page
Press
- Feature Article in The Blue Banner on 9/26/2013
- CD Review "A Night Out with Sirius.B" in Steampunk Chronicle by Doctor Q on 5/26/2012
- Article "Are you Sirius?" in Bold Life Magazine on 11/29/2010
- Review of "Monkey Robot Soldier" in Mountain Xpress Magazine on 06/12/2010
- Review of "Monkey Robot Soldier" in Bold Life Magazine on 05/10/2010
- Video of Sirius.B's appearance on radio station 880 The Revolution on 3/15/2010
- Article in Mountain XPress Vol. 16 / Iss. 28 on 02/03/2010
- Citizen Times Article 09/29/2008
- Video posted on Blog Asheville of Sirius.B and their performance on WWCU 90.5FM
- Article from The Knoxville News Sentinel on 12/14/2007
- Article in Mountain XPress Vol. 14 / Iss. 18 on 11/28/2007
- Mountain XPress Band Description