Event

Janam & the Skinny

Janam soulful world roots music;
& the Skinny new Americana
Saturday March 19, 2011, 8:30 pm
$10-20 suggested donation; no one turned away for lack of funds

Janam ("my soul") creates a compelling, eclectic mix of Balkan, Romani, Sephardic and American roots music, plus inspired originals. These sultry rhythms and soul-stirring melodies deliver a dance- and trance-inducing groove that carries the listener from the shores of the Black Sea to the foothills of the Appalachians. Founded by extraordinary vocalist and former music director of Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble, Juliana Graffagna, Janam features several of the Bay Area's most innovative interpreters of Southern Balkan and Near Eastern traditional music. Janam's collective experience includes decades of national and international touring, participation in local super groups Brass Menažeri, Stellamara, Edessa, and Gamelan X, and performances with Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Madonna and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Janam features:
Juliana Graffagna: vocals, percussion
Dan Auvil: percussion
Tom Farris: laouto, guitar, accordion
Gari Hegedus: oud, violin, mandocello
Peter Jaques: clarinet, vocals

There's no band quite like The Skinny. Not quite bluegrass, and hardly strictly folk, they play a mean mix of crooning tunes and catchy covers that keeps fans on their toes, swaying, and stomping the whole time. At one performance, someone in the crowd proclaimed, "I never knew bluegrass could be so sexy!" Known to move the mood by juggling instruments and vocalists, they sing up to four-part harmonies with original tunes and old favorites alike.

The Skinny features:
Mike McGaraghan: guitar and dobro
Tanya Brown: banjo and ukelele
Koralie Hill: fiddle and accordion
special guest Ryan Keeley on bass