Derek Gripper and Hiroya Tsukamoto
Get ready for a special double bill of international guitar rhythms on the Village Green. It all starts this Sunday, July 9 at 6 p.m. as part of the FREE Summer Concert Series presented by Orcas Center, OrcaSong Farm, Country Corner, and The Outlook Inn.
In this world of many guitarists and many musicians, Cape Town guitarist Derek Gripper stands apart, as the only guitarist in the world to have mastered the technique of the West African 21 string harp, the kora, on a classical guitar. This would have been a big achievement, but Derek’s musical influences and musical loves extend beyond the realm of translation, into another vision: to create a language of improvisation rooted in the philosophy of African music, drawing on music from beyond Africa, a global music reflecting the global nature of musical dissemination in the twenty-first century.
Hiroya Tsukamoto is an innovative guitarist and composer who fuses folk, jazz, and world music. Tsukamoto’s instrumental abilities are indeed breathtaking and astounding, but his performances are so much more than that. He has the unique capability of engaging an audience thru a personable and genuine approach that transfixes his audience and almost transcends his capabilities as a guitarist. Audience members will be mesmerized as Tsukamoto plays with effortless skill.
The RT’s with Derek Eisel
The RT’s play the Village Green stage with special guest Derek Eisel on Thursday, July 13 at 6 p.m.
In the modern musical landscape, it’s rare to find a band that stays together, committed to a collective vision. Conservatory-trained musicians (the five musicians met in college studying jazz performance), the RT’s cut their teeth holding residencies at peanut shell-strewn bars across New York City and touring international jazz circuits. They built their reputation on delivering high-energy performances and recorded studio albums in pursuit of faithfulness to the endorphin rush of their live show.
Imperfectionism, the RT’s latest album released on May 26, marks a transformation. Driven by a pop-forward, synth-infused sound, the eleven tracks showcase The RT’s songwriting at its most intimate and eclectic, unfettered and experimental. Always genre-bending, the fuzzy-toned guitar and hip hop-inspired percussion spur a psychedelic undercurrent, while restrained horns gesture toward their jazz-inspired past. It’s a dancefloor record with an eye toward introspection. The resulting sound is a little new wave, a little retro, and undeniably groovy.
Derek Eisel is a farmer and musician on Lopez Island. He plays a one man show of songs and poems/storytelling broken into short sets where the audience can guess the theme to win a dozen eggs from Watmough Bay Farm, the farm he shares with his husband. You can find Derek’s book, What Kind of Man, at the Lopez Book Shop and at Elliott Bay Books in Seattle.
Glide Magazine said “Eisel explores relationships with a charming and earnest folk sensibility. With a vocal tone and cadence that at times brings to mind contemporaries like Father John Misty”.
Orcas Center’s Summer Concert Series on the Village Green is FREE thanks to donations from local businesses including Island Tax Service and Kabloom Landscape Design. More information and a full concert lineup can be found at www.OrcasCenter.org.
