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| Description |
"A friend of mine asked me, "Are you sure you want Special Ed to play? Have you heard them?" Yes, I have. Multiple times. Special Ed and the Shortbus is a stringband that may seem a little hard to swallow for some. Much like the Fugs and Holy Modal Rounders before them, their shows are veritable litmus tests for a crowd's sense of humor. If you've ever answered yes to Frank Zappa's question "Does humor belong in music?" then The Shortbus is for you. They're straight-up nuts when they pick and sing, and if you can get past the lovely freakishness of their stage act, you'll find some real talent backing up the zaniness." - Haymaker Productions (www.haymaker.com)
"Special Ed and the Shortbus - what a great and politically incorrect name for a band. And Ed and cohorts are special indeed. This group of acoustic musicians from Richmond play a type of music that has been described as acoustic mayhem - a good thing, in this case. The group is a stylistic mixed bag, incorporating elements of vaudeville, jug-band music, bluegrass, old-time string-band music - and, naturally, various Eastern European musical traditions. It's careening, high- energy entertainment that is off the rails - but expertly performed. " - Relish - Triangle Area, NC
"Slightly disturbing dada-esque Va.-based string band thats one part Beefheart freakout and two parts trad jug-band. Too bad that off-putting name will likely hold them back (pun intended)." - Connect Savannah, Savannah, GA
Special Ed and the Shortbus is a band that has fun, makes you have fun and sends giant fun bubbles wafting throughout the universe.
Bluegrass meets ragtime. Lots of stomp and swagger. Ridiculously funny lyrics. -- The Garage, Winston Salem, NC
Special Ed & the Shortbus specializes in unearthing and inventing traditional music and twisting it into new concoctions. Full of virtuosity and reverent irreverence, they are a sight to behold. - Relix Magazine
The Story thus far:
Special Ed and the Shortbus is a sight to behold. Jug band, Bluegrass, Old-Timey, String Band, Vaudevillian, call it what you will, it's just American music (except when it's Eastern European). The primary objective is to play the music that they would like to hear, using two banjos, two guitars, a mandolin, a fiddle, a trap set, a doghouse bass, many kazoos, and a whole host of other toys.
Special Ed and the Shortbus have been playing music since the Spring of 2002. Based in Richmond, VA, they have traveled far and wide through the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, New England and Midwest. As they've been playing, the music has moved in many directions as individual characters have come together and morphed with each other's playing. They have gained a reputation both near and far for high energy and sometimes bizarre live acts, stream of consciousness stage banter and a tight looseness that only comes from years of performing and practice. This on stage style recently paid off with a win at the South Eastern Independent Music World Series, put on by Discmakers and Billboard Magazine.
While striving to push traditional music into new and unusual positions, Special Ed and the Shortbus has also gained notoriety as solid executioners of various traditional styles winning individual instrument competitions at a variety of fiddlers conventions and performing for folklife festivals and workshops. Whether theyre playing bluegrass, old-time, ragtime, klezmer, or some bizarre hybrid excavated from the depths of their brains, the ultimate goals of Special Ed & the Shortbus are entertainment and creation. |
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