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“One more song, and make it snappy,” the sound guy snapped, clearly audible through the PA as the trio Blues in Space stared back, mystified. They’d had no more than 25 minutes onstage. Obviously the guy wasn’t a metal fan because if he was he would have been raising both hands high with devil’s horns: for half an hour, the band pummeled the audience with a metal show worthy of Ozzfest. Surprisingly, most of their ornate instrumental pyrotechnics were delivered by cellist Rubin Kodheli, also of hauntingly beautiful minimalist chamber rock band Edison Woods. This being his project to cut loose and wail, he made the absolute most of it. He’s been able to translate every metal guitar technique to the cello, other than tapping (cello strings don’t get enough resonance for that). And in case you were wondering, he did break a string, proving very adept at throwing on a new one (plenty of practice, no doubt). Jimmy Page-style vibrato, a million searing, supersonic blues licks, crunchy Pantera-style rhythm, he did it all. The drummer, who’d held a steady thump all night, finally got to cut loose on the (unexpectedly) last song of the set, where the guitarist also finally took a solo on his SG, proving as aggressively tasteful as his bandmates as he wailed through a flurry of lightning blues progressions. If metal is your thing you need to see this band, end of story. Blues in Space play Sat May 16 at the Rockwood (no joke!) at one in the morning, which seems to mean the wee hours of Sunday the 17th" - Lucid Cultue
.."Just when the night was hitting its stride, Blues In Space, a fuzzed out electric Jazz trio, set up and blasted their new genre of futuristic jazz. This Julliard infused trio threw their indie string-heavy beats into the crowd and got just what they were looking for. As the combination of cello, electric guitar and drum notes came alive the crowd among the rooftop took to the rhythmic wave. Blues in Space was perfect for creating a fun and intimate mood for the night" - Ins&Outs
Discography
Blues in Space E.P
Photos
Bio
Blues in Space was formed in 2005 by cellist/composer Rubin Kodheli and drummer Garrett Brown. The two had been introduced by a mutual friend, and immediately realized their influences and musical goals coincided.
After graduating from Juilliard, Rubin began making quite a name for himself performing and collaborating with a wide range of musicians. Everyone from Roberta Flack, Norah Jones and Wyclef Jean to pianist Makoto Ozone and avant-garde composer Henry Threadgill.
At the time, Garrett was studying jazz at William Paterson University when Rubin was introduced to him. Never one to limit himself to any particular genre, Garrett always had an appreciation for both hard rock and improvised music. He was looking for the perfect oppurtunity to utilize both and once hearing and reacting to Rubin's compositions, Garrett knew this was the oppurtunity he was looking for.
The two began rehearsing and performing with various different musicians and instrumentations: sometimes with bass and guitar and sometimes just as a trio. Eventually, they settled on the trio format and brought guitarist Justin Sabaj to the table to help record the music.
A name was always on the back burner for Rubin and Garrett. It was quite a daunting task to think of a word ( or words) to fully describe your endeavor as an artist. Rubin suggested Blues in Space, and somehow it remained the only suggestion. It just clicked....not so much because the music is blues..or even remotely related to blues..but more because blues and spaciousness lends one to think of the emotional connections to music..how a person feels after listening to a song. Having that type of connection to a listener is crucial.
Moving forward, after performances around New York City and elsewhere, the band decided to go into the studio to record a short E.P. Treefort Recording in Brooklyn was picked and producer/engineer Shane Stoneback was in line to bring it all together. Once the laborious task of recording was complete, Tony Gillis took care of the mastering at the Cutting Room. The debut recording is raw, brutal, elegant, spacious and dynamic. Each song weaves between all highs and lows of sound, always contrasting the previous, but never leaving you wishing for something more. The lush harmonies and counter melodies from the cello bring a new dynamic to rock music not heard often.
Once the recording was finished, Justin left the band and Brooklyn based guitarist Ben Zeff was asked to collaborate. It was the perfect contrast to what Rubin and Garrett had created musically. A student of jazz also, Ben had been immersing himself in harder heavy metal music and that put him in the perfect position to be the new anchor.
Currently, Blues in Space may be New York's fastest rising avant-rock group. They are creating a buzz all around the city performing at venues such as The Stone, Rockwood Music Hall, The Underscore, National Underground, Arlene's Grocery, and others.
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