The LA Weekly calls them “cross pollinated gypsy music….one of the most thrilling young acts on the planet.” Formed in 2005 and playing everywhere from the hippest LA clubs to festivals, cultural centers, museums, parades, and even on the street, the band includes two explosive violins, the world's best slap bass player, musical saw, flamenco and gypsy jazz guitar, trombone, opera, jazz and gypsy vocals, accordion and one little banjolele. Tackling everything from French hot jazz to wild Serbian and Transylvanian gypsy anthems, Flamenco, and oddball originals, the band is a not to be missed event for world music lovers...and everyone will love this intoxicating mix of music!!
Myspace:
We have a page on Myspace.com!
The Musicians:
Fabrice Martinez (Violin and Violintromba)
Fabrice is a gifted fiddler who travels Europe in a mule-drawn caravan collecting and playing folk music with the group Croque Mule. Originally from France before living in the caravan, his special love is Romanian folk music. He also plays Gypsy, Hungarian, Swedish, and many other kinds of music.
Ursula Knudson (Saw, Voice, and Violin)
Also traveling with the Croque Mule caravan, she is classically trained in voice and violin. Self-taught on the saw, she won 2nd place in the 2004 International Saw Festival. She sings beautifully in Romanian, French, Japanese, and sometimes even in English, her native tongue.
Douglas Smolens (Guitar)
Doug is an accomplished Flamenco guitarist, producer and composer. Performing as "el douje," his album Worlds Collide is a unique and bold mixture of traditional and modern styles, from 'jondo' flamenco to modern day world fusion/drum and bass/techno.
[website]Djordje Stijepovic (Bass)
Djordje was a member of leading world music bands in Serbia like Shira Utfila (Sephardic), Kal (Balkan gypsy) and Marsya (Balkan). He finished classical music conservatory and department for jazz arrangement and bass. Djordje performs solo (world music/jazz), provides his signature slap for rockabilly band Atomic Sunset, Deke Dickerson, Slim Jim Phantom (from Stray Cats), Lemmy (from Motorhead) etc and plays with other bluegrass, cajun, jazz, blues and other type of bands.
Past members include: Kevin Kmetz (Shamisen)
Raised in Northern Japan, Kevin became the first foreigner to win the prestigious Hirosaki Shamisen Championship tournament in May, 2005. In addition to his award-winning Tsuguru-style shamisen music, Kevin has pioneered playing Gypsy, Romanian and rock styles on the shamisen. Currently he leads the progressive rock quartet God of Shamisen, and plays in Estradasphere, Secret Chiefs 3, and the Watsonville Taiko Dojo. As a guitarist, Kevin was a founding member of the J.S. Bach Experience (which played Bach compositions in note-for-note renditions), and was featured in the December 1991 issue of Guitar Player magazine.
Mike Penny (Shamisen)
Mike Penny is the second foreigner ever to have been awarded for his performance in the national Tsugaru Shamisen Tournament held annually in Kanagi, Japan. There, he won 3rd place out of over 200 competitors in the Spring of 2006. In Nov. 2006, Mike won Global Rhythm Magazine's songwriting contest with a bluegrass-tinged shamisen tune titled "Cruzian Grass." In addition to the Fishtank Ensemble, Mike performs regularly with his primary shamisen teacher Kevin Kmetz in their duet called the Great Masters of Modern Shamisen, and Tom Kurai's Taiko Center of Los Angeles.
Andy Zacharias (Bass)
Andy is a very accomplished acoustic bassist who, in addition to Fishtank Ensemble, has performed with Dead Man's Party (An Oingo Boingo tribute band), Coto Normal, James Sudakow, Mermer, Sara Haze, Chelsea Lena, Soca Motion and Mark Dawson. He is also a faculty member of Cypress and Santa Ana College teaching bass, guitar and electronic music theory.
Tim Smolens (Double Bass)
Producer and bass player for the bands Estradasphere and ISS, has lent his amazing talent to the low end. As Fabrice says, “Double Bass, triple money!”
Aaron Seeman (Accordion)
Also plays solo as Duckmandu and is a founding member, arranger, and vocalist for the Punk Rock Orchestra. On accordion he plays Klezmer, Punk Rock, 70's Rock, classical, Broadway songs, and sometimes even a polka or two. In 2005 he completed the solo accordion Punk Rock album Fresh Duck for Rotting Accordionists.
Adam Stacey (Percussion)
Adam Stacey has tackled Fishtank Ensemble’s rhythm needs with his hand percussion skills. Stacey also plays keyboard and accordian (e.g., in Estradasphere). In Fishtank Ensemble, his versatile beat is like the paprika in the goulosh — not loud but hot!
Glenn Allen (Double bass and other strings)
Multi-instrumentalist, Circus Performer, (juggler, stilt walker, fire eater, sideshow attraction, puppeteer clown). In addition to bass, Allen plays mandolin, harp, guitar, banjo, and sings.
For more detailed information about Fishtank Ensemble, be sure to check out the FAQ.
©2007 Fishtank Ensemble
Portions © 2004-2006 Mark G. Ryan
Watercolor art by Dax Tran-Caffee
