Somerville Symphony Orkestar

Every once in a while, I like to run some of these selections by the cats. While I can’t get anyone else’s opinion, I can tell you that one of the cats (Lucy Furr – now pictured on our Facebook page that you should join) was quite taken with this track almost the second it started playing. You can’t really blame her; the exotic, heady Gypsy melodies actually waft out of the speakers like some weird sort of incense, their hypnotic, heavily accented lilt hitting the intrigue centers of your brain almost immediately upon entry into your ears.

As with most Gypsy Circuses (“circii?”), things start to ramp up as they go along, adding a little teaspoon of madness every few measures until you, too, are under the spell of these pied pipers and harried horn-blowers and frisky fiddlers. And you might follow them anywhere, just hopefully not where the title implies. The SSO spans the old-new ages of instrumentation in style as well, with a rather slick electric guitar solo that makes it sound like electric guitar was always part of this time-tinted genre’s mix.

The mad sway of “Into The Wood Chipper” proves itself in several different speeds and power levels, withstanding the all-important test-of-dynamics. The mix and arrangement also shows a good grip on musical dynamics, as different parts of the family appear from somewhere behind you, take you by the arm and usher you off into some other curtained area of the tent. A jar of Gypsy tears may not be enough to protect your ears from the spell, but maybe you don’t want to. - Boston Band Crush

Somerville Symphony Orkestar is the essence of borcht on the rocks. It’s only after shooting back the vodka does the orchestra slur into orkestar, for some feisty Kelezmer-esque jazz. Jonathan Cannon unleashes the fiddle on “Clap for My Birthday,” a truly festive anthem that hurls the shy birthday boy above everyone for some controlled chair-surfing action, otherwise known as the Hora.

Each ballad tells a folktale. The tuba grunts away like a wise prophet on “Into the Wood Chipper.” The saxophone blares on “Blagojevich!” with a rejoicing melody that sounds off a victory for the motherland.

Vodka aside, the Somerville Symphony Orkestar knows how to party. You might just be lucky enough to experience a Penelope the elephant sighting, a plushed-out elephant whose fallen off the wagon so many times you might see her make an unannounced appearance at a gig— the jacket sleeve does credit Penelope for being the token elephant of the gang. SSO’s self-titled debut record takes music from the motherland of yesteryear and injects everything from Django Reinhardt’s gypsy guitar, to subtle tuba ska musical interludes. So try Cossak dancing with SSO in the background, or party hard with the tribe. Joel, Jon, Rowen, Max, Regan—and who could leave out Penelope—are rebel rousing gypsies that kick out the jams, along with your teeth, with no hard feelings because a black eye only means you partied right last night. (Justin Korn) - The Noise: Boston

The local band, the Somerville Symphony Orkestar is comprised of Joel Edinberg (saxophone), David Roth (trombone, trumpet) Jonathon Cannon (violin, mandolin), Andy Taylor (guitar), Max Prior (bass), Regan Gibson (drums), and Penelope, an elephant rumored to make appearances at the Somerville Symphony Orkestar shows. Together the Somerville Symphony Orkestar aims to blend, "Balkan, Klezmer and traditional Russian music into a funky-punk pulp sure to beef up and beautify your life." Their debut, self-titled album was released on April 23rd of this year. The music relies heavily on the eastern European backgrounds of the musicians and its influence can be seen in their fuzzy hats during performances as well as felt throughout each and every one of their songs.

Their track "Into The Wood Chipper" is a perfect example of this. This song draws the listener in the second it begins playing. The lilts in the melody are accented in a distinctly Eastern European way teleporting the listener to the land from whence it came. Well, it actually came from Somerville so not there, but to the land from whence it wishes one to believe it came. This song has a fantastic build up and the listeners excitement builds along with it until there is nothing else to do but to get up and perform a jig.

The same can be said for their songs "Clap For My Birthday" and "Cheswick's Cigarettes". The Somerville Symphony Orkestar blends their Eastern European sound with the music of modern times in order to create something new and fresh. It is impossible to listen to their music without being reminded of the old country--whichever country that may be--but at the same time realizing that the sound is something unprecedented.

Their songs "What A Bad Goat" and "Into The Wood Chipper" are available for free download at their website www.somervillesymphonyorkestar.com. The entire album is currently only available at their live performances but luckily they have a few coming up. Go to their website for more details, and expect to hear these guys adding some spice to the Chagigah playlist very soon! - WERS

The local band, the Somerville Symphony Orkestar is comprised of Joel Edinberg (saxophone), David Roth (trombone, trumpet) Jonathon Cannon (violin, mandolin), Andy Taylor (guitar), Max Prior (bass), Regan Gibson (drums), and Penelope, an elephant rumored to make appearances at the Somerville Symphony Orkestar shows. Together the Somerville Symphony Orkestar aims to blend, "Balkan, Klezmer and traditional Russian music into a funky-punk pulp sure to beef up and beautify your life." Their debut, self-titled album was released on April 23rd of this year. The music relies heavily on the eastern European backgrounds of the musicians and its influence can be seen in their fuzzy hats during performances as well as felt throughout each and every one of their songs.

Their track "Into The Wood Chipper" is a perfect example of this. This song draws the listener in the second it begins playing. The lilts in the melody are accented in a distinctly Eastern European way teleporting the listener to the land from whence it came. Well, it actually came from Somerville so not there, but to the land from whence it wishes one to believe it came. This song has a fantastic build up and the listeners excitement builds along with it until there is nothing else to do but to get up and perform a jig.

The same can be said for their songs "Clap For My Birthday" and "Cheswick's Cigarettes". The Somerville Symphony Orkestar blends their Eastern European sound with the music of modern times in order to create something new and fresh. It is impossible to listen to their music without being reminded of the old country--whichever country that may be--but at the same time realizing that the sound is something unprecedented.

Their songs "What A Bad Goat" and "Into The Wood Chipper" are available for free download at their website www.somervillesymphonyorkestar.com. The entire album is currently only available at their live performances but luckily they have a few coming up. Go to their website for more details, and expect to hear these guys adding some spice to the Chagigah playlist very soon! - WERS

“Making over Slavic folk with a jazz-funk infusion”

The Eastern European influence isn’t news in contemporary music. Somerville Symphony Orkestar, however, provides a more Slavic twist than marching band-centric Mucca Pazza or west-meets-east Balkan-tinged Beirut. Self-proclaimed “Jewfro beat” is pretty accurate, as SSO proves to be more Fiddler on the Roof than a Jacques Brel soundtrack. Weaving polka and funk components throughout the album with a gypsy-like element that takes cues from free jazz improvisation, SSO successfully crafts a collection that extends beyond a tribute to Slavic folk tunes by layering effects from a multitude of other genres. All that and the record still retains the authenticity of its influences.

“Cheswick Cigarettes” is indicative of such concoctions, as a funky bass line starts off the track, while a saxophone and strings riff on top in wonderfully bohemian twirls. SSO then crosses more boundaries by breaking into a jazz-inspired improvisational block within Slavic tonalities. Opener “Clap For My Birthday” is a peppy testament of SSO’s ability to dole out these Slavic influences in a more traditional manner.

Regardless of whether SSO blends together several styles or conjures up a seemingly traditional folk tune, every track is extremely upbeat and danceable (in a kick-your-legs-in-the-air sort of way). (Self-released) - Performer Magazine