10/15 - Friday :: Sex Mob

Sex Mob's Website

Sex mob was formed in October 1995 to play the "late nite hang" at the Knitting Factory, the now legendary mecca of downtown music. The band, (Steven Bernstein - slide trumpet; Briggan Krauss- alto sax; Tony Scherr- bass; and Kenny Wollesen- drums), starting off playing original compositions, but was soon drawing crowds to their all night partys with their inspired and unpredictable covers. Their first release "Din of Inequity" was released thru Columbia records and featured John Medeski on the organ. This led to years of touring in the US and Europe and the creation of a singular and unique musical language, and a powerhouse live band...combining the power of the Who with the subtelety of Ellington and a modern groove all their own.

Slowly this music has crept into the mainstream, with a Grammy nomination for the band’s 2006 cd "Sexotica" (Thirsty Ear), recordings with Bill Frisell, Rufus Wainright, Roswell Rudd and Shivaree, film (the Leonard Cohen documnentary "I’m Your Man"), music for dance (Ailey ll, the Donald Byrd Dance Company, and Body Vox), television (Saturday Night Live and MTV’s the Real World), theater (Mae West’s "Sex"), radio (Terry Gross/ Fresh Air ) and literature (the band is the subject of "The Boy Who Cried FreeBird"). Their latest cd, "Live at Willisau" captures the band at a creative peak, performing for a large festival audience with old friend John Medeski....a combination of wild intensity and careful listening....a language all ther own.....a continuation of the unique musical conversation they have been having for over a decade.

Wu Li's Website

"Wu Li embodies the diversity of the Brooklyn underground scene. They mix jazz, rock, funk, latin and reggae influences, adding a touch of the psychedelic to create a style of music all their own."

Wu Li, a Chinese word associated with quantum physics, means patterns of organic energy. Wu Li, as a band, attempts to capture the concepts referred to in their name through their music. As five seasoned musicians, they deliver both the reliability of the fixed and the movement of the unknown. Their distinctive instrumental music encompasses many styles without giving into cliché. It offers a blend of catchy melodies and danceable beats; the sound is genuine, however, and their flare for the unexpected—as musicians and as a band—offers something wholly innovative and unique to the Brooklyn music scene that seems to be bursting at its strings.

The rhythm section, Adam Strum on guitar, Benjamin Wright on bass, and Ziv Ravitz on drums, sets the space for trumpeter Mike Shobe and saxophonist Maxfield Gast to burst through like barrel-chested divas, then pull back to play behind trio. This effortless flow between instrumental voices makes everyone and no one a soloist. Such cohesion pays off and Wu Li is quick to defend their bond: music is more than notes - it is brotherhood.