Artists
The Langan Band
For nearly 15 years now, the three members of The Langan Band have been carving out their own lawlessly virtuosic path of sound; rampaging through the boundaries of conventional genre and cavorting into the territories of wild abandon, purest intimacy, and unconditional musical elation.
The trio were initially brought together by a deep respect of traditional song and music, yet they discovered a mutual love of the evisceration and regeneration of these pieces into provocative and fascinating new compositions, as was recognised by the band winning the prestigious Danny Kyle Award at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival at the start of their journey together. This sound and process went on to inform the band’s now mostly original repertoire, and has resulted in a musical experience quite unlike any other.
Ayrshire-born John Langan is found centre-stage, seated on an explosive foot percussion rig of his own devising and fronting the trio with intricate fiery guitar rhythms and witheringly sweet and scathing vocals. To his right stands Alastair Caplin, a classically trained violinist equally discerning in both the London Prog-Folk/Jazz scenes he occupied for years and also the blistering traditional reels and jigs of his native Outer Hebrides. Stage left is the domain of Angus-born Dave Tunstall and his double bass; from here emanates a seductive concoction of eerily-bowed soundscapes, heart-stopping bass lines, and in conjunction with Caplin’s blurred bowing a truly monumental wall of orchestral noise. The sound of the group reaches its zenith when all of these instruments are joined by the three voices singing together in razor-tight harmony to create an absolute cacophony of joy.
Whilst it is possible to see the evidence of influences the band have drawn on and enjoyed (Trad. Scots music, Eastern European Gypsy, Progressive Jazz and American Old-Time to name a few), the true nature of the sound from The Langan Band is best described as un-pigeon-holeable, yet utterly irresistible.
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Tuesday String Band
Tuesday String Band is made up of Western Oregon University (WOU) music students and alumni who are all dedicating their lives to careers in music. They love entertaining crowds with fast pickin’, witty banter, and string band versions of songs influenced by a wide variety of styles. The band plays upwards of 100 shows per year throughout the Pacific Northwest and they have performed at several major Bluegrass festivals, including the North Cascades Bluegrass Festival.In just under two years as a band, the group has already been featured in Go! Eastern Oregon, The Polk County Itemizer-Observer, and The Bluegrass Express. They've been recorded on KBOO, KMUZ, and Monmouth Monthly, and they represented WOU and the city of Monmouth on the KGW News segment "Rod on the Road." The group has grown a following of over 10K on their social media pages and can be heard playing every Tuesday night at Gilgamesh Brewing: The River in Independence, OR. They are on a mission to keep the string band tradition alive and to educate the next generation of pickers, and they're proud to be a contributing member band of the Oregon Bluegrass Association.
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