SoNGS FRoM A RANDoM HoUSE SONGS FROM A RANDOM HOUSE is surely New York's leading electric- ukulele/viola/upright bass/percussion/and voice combo. Described as “inventive” (The New Yorker) and “humorously surreal” ( New York Times Magazine ), SONGS FROM A RANDOM HOUSE matches its unusual instrumentation with superlative songcraft and an exciting live show. SoFARH was formed in the mid-eighties by singer/composer/baritone uke player Steven Swartz and ukulele hero/multi-instrumentalist Alan Drogin. Gradually, the group expanded to a quintet; by 1997 it attained its current lineup of Swartz, Drogin, violist Gregor Kitzis, string bassist Jason DiMatteo, and drummer John Bollinger. The band's newest album, ‘gListen,' was released August 24, 2004 on Bar/None Records, and has already earned glowing reviews from Billboard, The Boston Globe, The New Yorker, and other leading publications. SoFARH's members bear impressive credentials: Kitzis has performed and recorded with David Bowie, David Byrne, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, among many others. DiMatteo's numerous credits include Burnt Sugar, Chocolate Genius, and Carl Hancock Rux; Bollinger has collaborated with Susan Werner, Boy George, and Antony & the Johnsons. Swartz's principal composition teacher was Morton Feldman; Drogin studied with Joan Tower. The band's songs – composed by Swartz and arranged by the group – are by turns passionate and cool, mysterious and funny. Swartz's light but rangy baritone floats over an intricate fabric of plucked and bowed strings, anchored by fierce grooves from SoFARH's rhythm section. These resonant timbres of wood, wire, & skin – sometimes seasoned with electronic effects – combine to form a sound that is genuinely unique. Produced by Ned Wharton, the eleven songs on “gListen” range from the loose-limbed funk of ‘Stretch' to the ukelectronica of ‘Levitate,' culminating in an acoustic version of the Summer/Moroder hit ‘I Feel Love.' Says the Contra Costa Times , “The songs are an accessible blend of everything from pop and swing to Americana, but the sound is otherworldly.” The name SONGS FROM A RANDOM HOUSE implies that the events portrayed in the group's songs could happen in anyone's life, in a house chosen at random. The lyrics are filled with puns, peripheral visions, late-night thoughts, and unexpected insights; many of them deal with those moments in daily life when the familiar becomes strange, and the strange becomes familiar. SONGS FROM A RANDOM HOUSE has appeared on Japanese television, the soundtrack album to “Raising Arizona,” nationally syndicated radio programs such as Weekend Edition, Performance Today, and Mountain Stage, and at top NYC venues including The Bottom Line, Fez, Joe's Pub, the Knitting Factory, Pianos, Sin-é, Tonic, and many others. SoFARH's first album, “Random Numbers,” was recorded at Adrian Sherwood's renowned On-U Sound studio in London's East End, and released by the London-based label Sargasso. Wrote RollingStone.com , “These light folkish songs hide a deeper meaning… Recommended.” SoFARH features prominently in “Rock That Uke,” a new documentary video film by William Preston Robertson and Sean Anderson. April 2004 brought the group's first West Coast tour, highlighted by performances in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Berkeley; further tours are planned for 2005. |
