E.S.L. call themselves ‘a band of gypsies’, performing uniquely orchestrated songs inspired by everything from polish cabaret to Neil Young to the Beastie Boys and Velvet Underground, to name a few. Their chemistry translates into magical live performances that range from roaring gypsy dance numbers to heartbreaking ballads.
The Vancouver-based group was formed in 2005 when Marta Jaciubek- McKeever (Polish-born pianist and singer of Girl Nobody fame) and Cris Derksen (half-Cree cello superstar) found musical kinship in each other; Joy Mullen joined on drums (The People Verses) soon after and fiddleplaying gypsy heartthrob Diona Davies (Po’ Girl, Carolyn Mark) eventually rounded out the quartet. E.S.L.’s music takes listeners all over the emotional map, from the whimsical silent-movie-esque “Prove Me Wrong” to the lush cello sounds and vocal ache of “Side By Side” to the traditional Polish stylings of “Czarne Oczy” (which translates into Black Eyes) The group combines a playful songwriting style with the incredible chops and melodies to keep the music unique and interesting, both for themselves and their listeners.
As far as the credentials are concerned E.S.L. is one of those rare projects when respected musicians come together to challenge each other in brand new ways: both Marta J-McK and Diona Davies have been classically trained on their instruments since the age of four, as was Joy Mullen, who studied performance and jazz drumming. Cris Derksen recently graduated from UBC with a Performance Degree in Cello and has been a session musician for such established acts as Kanye West and Tanya Tagaq. In February of 2006, E.S.L. released limited edition EP Hawks House to much critical acclaim. Since then the band has been featured on APTN’s “Beyond Words” showcase and on full rotation on CiTR. The group was also honoured by being invited to perform at this year’s Dawson City Music Festival. With plans to record a full-length album in the January of 2008, the girls are keeping busy with their other musical projects and are looking forward to working with Jericho Beach Records later this year.
Upcoming shows:
1 Aug 2008 7:30 Pride Concert Series @ The Chapel Arts Vancouver, British Columbia
3 Aug 2008 11:30 Mainstage - Pride Parade Vancouver, British Columbia
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