Tag Archives: amp concerts

Enginergy: The Trio Engine Channels a Magical Energy (Updated)

Engine: Robin Gentien, Pierre Lauth-Karson, Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez. Photo by Ian Rivera. Courtesy of Engine.

On Wednesday evenings through May 2, in a funky back room at Dialogue Brewery, with its rebar-protected windows and its mismatched collection of office chairs, stools, folding chairs, and legless sofa, a series of Encuentros Íntimos—Intimate Encounters—offers an exciting musical experience with the trio Engine. The group, comprising Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez (vocals, acoustic guitar) from Argentina, and Robin Gentien (vocals, electric guitar, percussion) and Pierre Lauth-Karson (vocals, harmonica, percussion) from France, plays an unclassifiable genre of music that includes original and ancient songs delivered with irresistible rhythms, theatrical savvy, and transformative intention.

Update: Given the enthusiastic reception they’ve had in Albuquerque, Engine has decided to record their new album here, and they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the project. Please visit their Kickstarter page to learn more and to contribute. Continue reading →

Roaming the Collective Unconscious in Songs Centuries Old

The Wandering Ballad CD Release PartyCD Cover The Wandering Ballad

The repertoire of Johanna Hongell-Darsee and Scott Darsee includes the most popular songs of all time, though few of them have ever appeared on a Billboard chart. Their longevity and their near universal presence around the globe, however, attest to their
appeal. On The Wandering Ballad, available via iTunes, CD Baby, and Amazon, the duo presents ballads that have formed the heart of their last three live productions. Some of the tunes were first written down in the 12th
century, by which time some of them had already traveled halfway around the world, accreting scores of verses from different cultures and attaching local melodies along the way.

The album presents songs in English, French, Finnish, and Swedish, in spare and beautiful arrangements that conjure a medieval atmosphere. Modern and ancient instruments weave the spell, with Hongell-Darsee on vocals, flute, clarinet, härjedalspipa (Scandinavian wooden
whistle) and Darsee on acoustic and electric guitars and bass, with assistance from Christopher A. Carlson on violin and octave violin, Sharon Berman on recorders, and Juan Wijngaard on
hurdy-gurdy. At the CD release party, presented by AMP Concerts at the Outpost this Friday, these artists will be joined by Larry Otis on guitar and saxophone and Tej Bhavsar on sitar.

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