“Saturday night at BAM Cafe, Bay Area gypsy music innovators Fishtank Ensemble brought the intensity to redline in seconds flat and kept it there for the duration of the show. Their CD Samurai Over Serbia (which received a rave review here and a spot on our 50 best albums of 2009 list) more than hinted that this would be the case, and the five-piece group didn’t disappoint.”

— Lucid Culture

 

“The whimsical name of the group belies the fact that these musicians play hard, fast, and serious.”

— Joel Okida, Folk Works

 

“Fishtank Ensemble, with opener Luminescent Orchestrii was one of the best shows of the year, hands down.  Fusion gypsy music, played with unbelievable virtuosity on odd acoustic instrumentation and the energy of punk and rockabilly — that’s the best I can muster in words.”

— The Daily Page, Madison, Wisconsin

“Fresh and flirty, clever and quirky, Fishtank Ensemble’s Woman In Sin is a veritable boatload of fabulous.”

— USAToday

 

“For those in need of having their dervish whirled, the Bay Area's Fishtank Ensemble are the rompin', stompin' leaders of cross-pollinated Gypsy music. French fiddler Fabrice Martinez paid dues gigging Europe in a mule-drawn caravan, including stints in Romani villages. El Douje is the master of 21st-century flamenco guitar. Audience eyes tend to focus on Ursula Knudson, not only for her virtuosic saw playing and a voice that sings in octaves not yet invented, but also for her sensual beauty. The mix includes a ... rock-bottom upright bassist, and we have a young band that is one of the most thrilling live acts on the planet.”

— Michael Simmons, LA Weekly

 

Album review by San Francisco Chronicle:

“On paper, Fishtank Ensemble sounds like a mess. Founded about five years ago by a French fiddler who trained with Romanian Gypsies, a vocalist who also plays the violin and saw, [and] a flamenco guitar ace ... the ensemble weaves together an unlikely blend of traditions at breakneck tempos.
The resulting sound is consistently captivating, as if Gypsy swing continued to swirl around the world, picking up new inflections at every turn.”

— Andrew Gilbert, SFGate.com

“You'll feel like you landed in a Gypsy camp, gathered around a crackling fire while otherworldly musicians pied piper you into signing away your soul. And you’ll do it willingly because this is music to roast in hell for!”

— Glen Starkey, New Times SLO (Feb 24, 2010)

“Fishtank Ensemble’s sound is extremely difficult to pin down—in the best way possible. The Los Angeles-based quartet pretty much does it all. Think Django Reinhardt gypsy jazz guitar backed by an opera soloist performing at a Greek wedding with flamenco dancers. And that’s only part of their sound.”

— Sacramento News & Review

“The Fishtankers prove most world musical genres can not only co-exist and give unbridled joy but also can get the world up and dancing.”

— Eric Feber, The Pilot

“The Fishtank Ensemble will take you on a musical odyssey that will leave your head spinning and your heart soaring.”

— Richard Marcus – Blogcritics.org

“Fishtank Ensemble was by far the most talented quartet of creative energy I have had the opportunity to experience.”

— Kim Hamilton

“You could spend a lot of time trying to figure out who Fishtank Ensemble might sound like, but in the end, you’ll come to the conclusion that it is a band like none you have ever heard.”

— Tammy Gemaehlich

 

“The third album by this amazing group from California is one of the best times to be found on disc so far this year. Don't underestimate the unadulterated joy of the group, which uses violin, violin trumpet, accordion, musical saw, banjolele, doumbek, cajón and some mean slap bass.”

— Gene Armstrong, Tucson Weekly