Charlevoix Office
Esther Moore
Toll Free (800) 748-0535
Email
This show is sponsored
by 
www.charlevoixstatebank.com
Don't
forget the island workshop!
From 2-5 p.m. before the show.
Worshop information
AUGUST 16 at 7
p.m.
Orpheum Bell
About Orpheum
Bell
Biography
From barroom
stomps to sultry lounge numbers, from country ballads to
gypsy waltzes, Orpheum Bell's unique "Country and Eastern"
sound enlists accordion, banjo, guitar, fiddle, clarinet,
saw, autoharp, and the double bass. The band's
members have been performing together in and around their
home town of Ann Arbor since early 2005 and, with the
release of their debut album, 'Pretty as You' ('07), are
expanding their touring presence throughout Michigan and
beyond. Currently a full-length recording is in the
works for release in fall of '08.
At the heart of Orpheum Bell's music lies Aaron Klein's
raspy vocals and lyrical storytelling, once described as
"downtrodden rural poetry," and Serge van der Voo's
percussive hand at the double bass, displaying an
articulate style influenced by Django Reinhardt's legendary
Quintet of the Hot Club of France.
The band formed when, by chance, the two former
Chicago-based bandmates met Vocalist Merrill Hodnefield,
who brought along penchants for musical saw, autoharp, and
the violin. The depth and tenor of her voice evokes
the 1940s, songs like "Rabbit Field" contrast with the
clear, sweet counterpoint she provides to Klein's rough
melodies on track's like "Something from Above."
Multi-instrumentalist Shaun Williams on accordion, clarinet
and banjo and violinist Annie Crawford complete Orpheum
Bell's musical persona. Williams' rare skill on the
accordion sets off songs like "Two Over Ten" with an
audience-quieting sense of old-world drama. His
rolling banjo plucking on pieces like "Lucinda's Lament"
draw the listener, as Klein's lyrics attest, into a
rhythmic "waltz in the street." Violinist Annie
Crawford's classical training together with years of
eastern European influence combine to form her inimitable
style, which allows the band's original songs to range from
fiery swing ballads to gentle instrumentals like
"Metropolitan Waltz," for which she pulls out a rare
(aluminum-horned) Tiebel Violine, that looks something like
a cross between a fiddle and an Edison-era phonograph.
Instrumentation
Merrill
Hodnefield - vocals, violin, autoharp, & saw
Annie Crawford - violin and vocals
Serge van der Voo - double bass, percussion
Aaron Klein- vocals, banjo, and guitar
Shaun Williams - accordion, clarinet, and banjo
With guest appearances by:
Drew Howard - pedal steel, mandolin, guitar
Meg Bedwell - vocals
Discography
'Pretty as You'
(debut release April '07) mixed by Jim Roll of Backseat
Productions in Ann Arbor, MI.
The (non-live) MP3's listed on this site were recorded on
'Pretty as You'.
Links
http://www.myspace.com/orpheumbell
"I do
wonder what to call your music - I grew up in Snyder,
Oklahoma, where my father played 'cowboy' music on the
radio loudspeaker each Saturday from dawn to midnight. I
heard hints of that - I went to school in Mississippi, near
New Orleans and loved visits to Beale Street. I grew up
dancing away every night every chance I got to big band
music. And I heard a little of each from you. As you can
see - the pleasure lingers on."
- Phyllis B. Wright (1916-2007)