Tag Archive for: storm large

ALL ACCESS LIVE with MARTIN ZARZAR

The conversation I had with Martin will undoubtedly leave you feeling as I did… this man’s love for life and creativity is not only refreshing, but inspiring. Performing the debut of his recent single “The Storyteller” was just icing on the cake. Dig into this broadcast and learn more about a master of love song crafters.

“My life is a story of many languages and cultures, of searching for common ground, of learning new things. I found this through music. My family moved to the UK when I was two years old. That’s when I discovered music as my calling. I was inspired and encouraged by the musicians of the South African community there, including Eugene Skeef and members of the group District Six. I enjoy playing several instruments, and my interest in literature has been a driving force in my pursuit as a songwriter. As a child, I studied piano on and off for a few years and then I fell in love with the guitar and percussion. I spent much of my childhood between Europe and Lima, Peru, where I was born, and I believe all that traveling deeply influenced my outlook on life and music. As a teenager in the USA I toured with the band Al Andalus, an ensemble of musicians from many parts of the world which celebrated the music of Andalusian Spain. After attending Berklee College of music on a scholarship and graduating with honors I moved to Portland, Oregon to join the band Pink Martini.”

2013-Independent Music Award for Best Song – Story Song
2013-Independent Music Award for Best Song – Children’s Music
2013-Independent Music Award for Best Song – Vox Pop Award
2014- Independent Music Award for Best Song – World Beat
2014-Independent Music Award for Best Song – Love Song
2019-Independent Music Award for Best Song – Acoustic Song
2019-Independent Music Award for Best Song – Reggae/Ska/Dancehall
Sponsored by Music Millennium, Rhythm Traders and Five Star Guitars

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PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT JOINS ALL ACCESS LIVE

Director Douglas Jenkins and cellist Skip vonKuske join All Access Live to discuss the diversely talented ensemble that has taken the Northwest to a new cultural realm.

In the fall of 2006 a group of 9 cellists got on stage at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge to perform western classical music in an informal setting.

Many of the cellists that night thought it would only happen once.

But slowly that one-off event became a second, and a third, cellists joined and left and rejoined the group again, to perform in Portland’s most popular clubs. By 2009 the group had evolved into a nationally-recognized performing, recording and educational group with a revolving cast of cellists. Cello Project (or PCP as their fans affectionately call them) were quickly appearing anywhere and everywhere in North America, from punk rock clubs to symphony halls, from street parties to exclusive private events. By 2010 this self-described horde of cellos were spending more than a quarter of the year touring, featuring a diverse repertoire that quickly ballooned to over 1,000 pieces of music.

Under the artistic direction of Douglas Jenkins, the group grew and evolved, working with an all-star group of cellists in the Pacific Northwest (Skip vonKuske, Diane Chaplin, Nancy Ives, Gideon Freudmann, Kevin Jackson, to name just a few…). The group developed a three-part philosophy that has mostly remained unchanged over the years:

  • To bring the cello places you wouldn’t normally see it (from wild dance parties, to formal symphony halls, to street parties, to Millennium Park in Chicago…).
  • To perform music on the cello you wouldn’t normally associate with the instrument alongside music from the Western Classical Tradition (from Pantera to Taylor Swift to Kanye West to Elliott Smith, alongside Bach, Rossini, and Saint-Saens, to name just a few…).
  • To build bridges between different musical communities through educational, community outreach, and through collaboration with myriad artists, from The Dandy Warhols to Garrison Keillor to Ural Thomas to Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney) to Jolie Holland to Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul and Mary), among many others, and cellists such as Ben Sollee, Maya Beiser and Zoe Keating.

Sponsored by Five Star Guitars and Rhythm Traders

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ALL ACCESS LIVE with GREG EKLUND (EVERCLEAR / STORM LARGE / SOLO)

From 1994-2003, Eklund was the drummer for Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum selling Capitol Records recording artists Everclear. He played on the band’s most successful albums, including Sparkle and Fade and So Much for the Afterglow, including their MTV and radio hits Santa Monica, Father of Mine, Everything to Everyone, Wonderful, and AM Radio.

After leaving Everclear in 2003, emotionally and physically exhausted and burnt out from playing drums, Eklund suffered from public anxiety after being in the public eye. He went into therapy for panic attacks and his inability to leave his house. While at home, Eklund says, “I was tired of playing drums. I wanted to try something new, and I wanted a new challenge, so I picked up a guitar. I taught myself to play in a straightforward style and started to write songs.”

With his younger brother Mark Eklund and Olivia Stone, Greg formed The Oohlas in 2004 and released their debut record Best Stop Pop on Stolen Transmission Records (an imprint on Island/Def Jam Records) in 2005. When the music industry imploded in 2008, The Oohlas left their label and went on an indefinite hiatus.

Greg released his solo debut album entitled “Muffled Tears,” on August 1st on all digital platforms (iTunes, Spotify etc) with limited edition clear vinyl available at gregeklund.bandcamp.com.

Greg’s fortune revealed:

Sponsored by Five Star Guitars

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