New News 6/01/08
Since the last time I wrote, I managed to add a few
more bands to the schedule.
I recently had a great CD release party at
Threadgill’s with Cyril Neville and Tribe 13. The atmosphere was amazing
and what a great crowd. Everyone was so nice and gave us so many
compliments. It’s always fun playing there, and good food too.
I also have another project I have been working on;
a trio band called Boogaloo. We play soul/jazz with a little bit of some
funky stuff. Anthony Farrell plays key and sings & Mr. Swift holdin’
down the drums. This project has been particularly fun for me since I
usually play in much larger bands. I think having a smaller group is
giving everyone involved a great experience.
On the Senor Gato front things slowed for a bit due
to an unfortunate event. Our percussionist Dan Egger had a serious bike
accident. Thankfully he has made a complete recovery and will be
performing by late June.
Flyjack news update, we have been playing every
Monday evening for the past couple of months at Antone’s historic blues
club. Chef Boy Ari Catering has been providing free Red beans and rice
with jalapeño cornbread. Good food and great music, what more can you
ask for.
As if all that information was not enough I was
lucky enough to get to jazz fest in New Orleans to play with Cyril
Neville and Tribe 13 with Papa Mali this year. It was so good to see
city and people there while hearing some of the best Jazz musicians
around. Our show went off great the place was packed. My wife said
that the dance floor was shaking up and down. It was pretty intense.
What a great time.
Well that is it. Sorry it took so long to update
this but life just keeps happening. Thank you all for your support and
I hope to see you out at one of my shows soon.
Ari
New News 10/04/07
So much has happened since my last news update.
I recently got married and live in a new house, have a new job, and new
truck to get me there. After living here in Austin for the better part
of three years, I’ve realized the music scene is flourishing yet not
extremely lucrative. At this time in my life my schedule only allows me
to play in one band, with the occasion sit in.
For the past four months I’ve been rehearsing and
performing with Flyjack, playin’ straight up funk from the 60’s and
70’s. We have a weekly gig at TC’s, deep on the eastside. On
Monday nights they sell out for Blues night, we are hoping to build it
up to do the same. The horns in this band are FLY jack; it consists of a
trombone, trumpet and two saxes, with a smokin’ rhythm section. You’ve
got to come out and see us, we'll knock your socks off and make ya
dance!
See you there,
Ari
New News 3/06/07
I just had the great honor of
meeting Senator Barack Obama on Friday February 23rd at Auditorium
Shores. My friend Ian Davis, who is the Austin campaign manager,
contacted me about having Cyril Neville and tribe 13 open for the
campaign rally. Playing in front of 21,000 people is the most
amazing feeling for a musician. Tribe 13 will be playing some
showcases for SXSW, click on
upcoming gigs
for more info.
I also had the pleasure of
sitting in with Vallejo on Tuesday March 6th at a Tecate
Light party. We played “Oye Como Va”, one of my favorite songs of all
time. These guys really rock, I recommend checking them out.
They have a SXSW showcase at Symphony Square on Thursday March 15th,
10pm with Mingo Fishtrap opening at 9pm.
On the last Sunday of the SXSW
conference I am playing a Jazz brunch at Nueva Onda starting at 11am,
followed by a set with The Caesar Funk box Trio from 1-3pm.
Hope to see y’all during the
festivities,
Ari
New News: 01/20/07
Happy New Year!
I’m
coming up on year three here in Austin and loving it! I now have a
new weekly Wednesday night gig with Chicken Strutt. Bobby
Perkins, my bass player in The Lowdown leads this band of local talent
with members of TOPAZ as well as surprise guests popin’ in to spice up
the jam.
When
Hurricane Katrina hit many families were displaced and needing a new
place to call home. For Cyril and Gaynelle Neville, Austin is where they
feel safest and enjoy makin’ music when not on the road. I have had the
great pleasure of playing with Cyril Neville and Tribe 13 for the past
year and a half. Currently we are working on a new studio album
with big horns.
I’m
also in the studio with Stormin’ Norman Caesar, Cyril’s nephew. We
are working on a funky New Orleans sound spiced with Calypso on one
track, Reggae on another and a Meter's influenced tight rhythm section.
The Austin Wind
Symphony asked me to join them, playing principle flute and a little
piccolo. This winter we will be performing The Epics-The Titanic, Ben Hur, Lord of the Rings, and a bunch of big orchestral themes. The
Symphony performs a multimedia event with film clips, live actors, and
cool sound effects. It’s pretty exciting to play a small part in
something so big. Please visit
www.austinwindsymphony.com for the concert schedule.
Hope to see you soon,
Ari
New News: 04/06/06
Hi Everyone,
I have many
events happening in the near future. The first of these events is an
Earthday Celebration with music, food, art, and activities for
families. Click on
upcoming gigs
for more info.
On March 22-26,
I traveled to New Orleans for a friend’s wedding. We arrived a day early
to witness the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some areas of the city
looks as if the storm hit a couple weeks ago. The process of cleaning
and rebuilding is going to take years, but sprits were pretty high among
the locals. Listening to their stories and being in a place that
thrives on tourism, felt like I was helping. Since the disaster I have
the great pleasure of performing with Cyril Neville one of the Neville
Bros. We will be playing at Threadgill’s April 11, 8pm.
This was my
first SXSW experience, what a crazy time. My good friend, Michael
Wientrob stayed with us. He is a photographer for Rolling Stone
Magazine, Relix, and High Times. One night we went downtown to see John
Popper’s new band, and also saw Hot 8 Brass Band play in the middle of 6th
st. The Lowdown played at Red 7, with a band from the UK called Paris
Motel, as well as Woode Wood. Woode performs every morning by the water
coolers on the hike and bike trail at Auditorium Shores.
Goin’ out for a
little run, maybe I’ll see Woode.
Ari
New News: 01/10/06
Happy New Year
EVERYONE! This year is going to be an exciting, busy time for
The Lowdown and me. We have been in the
studio for the past few months working on our demo and putting together
a high energy, danceable show. Our full length CD will be
available this spring. I’m really pleased with the performance of
everyone who played on the album, which includes Bobby Perkins playing
bass, Ian Varley jammin’ on the keys, Ed Jurdi on guitar & vocals, Mike
Shields playing trumpet, and Joel Siegel holding it down on the drums.
We also had some special guests: Ray Arteaga playing Congas and singing
lead vocals on “Diosa del Mar”, Jackson Blacklock beatboxing on “C-tonin”,
Aaron Dembe playing a smoking guitar solo on “Pooty”, and audio engineer
Adam Whaley playing guitar on “Marchin’ in N’awlins”.
Make sure to
check
our upcoming gigs link and come and dance with us!
Ari
New News: 11/5/05
During my recent travels to Colorado,
Cabaret Diosa and I enjoyed a long fun filled weekend touring around the
Front Range. We performed at the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins, a sold
out show at The Boulder Theater, and Denver’s Mercury Café. Our theme
this year was “Somewhere Over The Mambo”, a parody of “The Wizard of
Oz”, with hints of “The Wiz”, along with a heavy dosage of Cabaret
Diosa’s tainted approach to theatrical events. I played the part of the
lovable Lion. If you haven’t experienced Cabaret Diosa, you are missing
an interesting and entertaining show.
While in
Boulder, I had the great pleasure of working with Mo Realms (a who’s who
of Boulder musicians), along with other outstanding musicians fusing
together for a super jam. Performing that night was Jans Ingber and
Janet Guenther on vocals, Mark Diamond, Garret Sayers, and Jim Prescot
(of G Love & Special Sauce) on bass, Aaron Holstein and Ross Martin on
guitar, Dominic Lalli and Chris Brown on tenor saxophone with myself
playing baritone saxophone, Jamie Janover and Ira Sweetwine on
percussion, and coordinator/drummer Dave Watts. It was an honor to be a
part of this super jam, where everyone played within their realm to
ensure a cohesive sound. I also sat in with La Candela, one of
Boulder’s top salsa groups that play every Wednesday night at Trilogy
Wine Bar.
I am now back Austin where I am producing my first CD along with my new
band The Lowdown. The Lowdown is Bobby Perkins (bass guitar), Ian Varley
(keyboards), Ed Jurdi (lead guitar), Mike Shields (trumpet), and Joel
Siegel (drums\percussion). The CD is scheduled to be released in mid
December and will feature performances by some very special guests.
Ari
New News: 9/5/05
It’s hard to know when to turn away from the
constant stream of devastating news and replenish one’s individual
positive energy reserves in order to have the emotional strength to help
others. The past week we have observed the travesty left from
hurricane Katrina and have the luxury to turn it all off and make it go
away while those directly involved don’t, even when they reach complete
emotional and physical exhaustion. I will be involved in a number
of benefit shows in the near future helping to raise funds for those
affected by the hurricane. Click on Upcoming Events for more info.
For quite some time now I have
been living in Austin, TX. I visit Boulder, CO several times a year to
play shows with Cabaret Diosa and The Masters of Zang Fu.
On July 18th, Cabaret Diosa released our 6th album titled
“Apacalypso”. You can hear some tracks if you click on Sound
Bytes. Cabaret Diosa will be playing Halloween weekend with a
“Somewhere Over the Mambo” theme, a take off of "The Wizard of Oz".
Cabaret Diosa will also be performing with The Boulder Philharmonic
Orchestra on January 27, 2006. Stay tuned for more info.
Ari
