Saturday, November 3, 8:00PM
$15 members, $18 non-member, $10 student
Dance Concert
Limited Theater Seating – Standing room in front of the stage
“These underground heroes will soon be international superstars.\” – Associated Press
\”œGet set to rock out like your gypsy self.\” - Speakers in Code
\”œDiego\”™s Umbrella is yet another example of the great variety of music coming out of the San Francisco Bay Area right now.\” – Performer Magazine
“Part European gypsy troupe, part nouveau hipsters, blended with musicianship and a party atmosphere live show, Diego\”™s Umbrella hearkens to the best of the past while remaining firmly planted in the future.” – Modern Times Magazine
“Diego’s Umbrella has created a worldwide smorgasbord of fun music that ultimately plays like a cultured clown’s party mix.” – Performer Magazine
\”œWith guitars straight out of a Tarantino movie, the group seamlessly blends mariachi, gypsy, flamenco and ska into one beer-soaked fiesta, with song topics varying from heartache to revolution.\” – NewsReview.com
“…frenzied Eastern European-influenced flamenco guitar and fiddle, along with analog synth and \”œan army of tubas\” to create a mesmerizing landscape of sound, with images of twirling dancers in flowing red skirts and pirates with long swords held between their teeth spinning through the cliched mind.” - SF Bay Guardian
On a planet bombarded with every possible kind of entertainment, a Diego\”™s Umbrella show is a singular, ecstatic experience; one concert is all it takes to turn you into a believer. Night after night they effortlessly blend marching drums, harmonized shredding and gang choruses with showmanship that has all the fire and unpredictability of youth, coupled with the refinement of years of experience on the road. The group\”™s uncanny gift for pleasing crowds, from standard clubs to huge festivals such as High Sierra and Outside Lands, has earned them a breathless and ever expanding following across the United States and Europe, and that connection with other cultures continues to inform their aesthetic. In their music you will hear klezmer, flamenco and punk rock all blended to pop perfection.
These urban, gringo mariachis have performed more than 1,000 live shows at clubs and festivals across the U.S. and Europe. The band\”™s lively, unforgettable, heavy-hitting stage show has visually and aurally captivated diverse audiences from all walks of life. Influenced heavily by flamenco, klezmer, Eastern European and Latin sounds, Diego\”™s Umbrella has introduced the world to a new kind of popular music: Gypsy Rock. They possess a pop sensibility and punk rock energy with sounds reminiscent to that of Gogol Bordello, Devotchka and Muse.
Diego\”™s Umbrella\”™s fourth album, Proper Cowboy, released in July of 2012, marks a first time collaboration with San Francisco producers The Rondo Brothers (MC Lars, Foster the People). The union has resulted in a captivating new spin on the world that the band has created; the reverb-soaked guitars and gypsy fiddles have been augmented by an army of tubas, analog synths and soaring vocals in what they are calling a \”œfuturistic Spaghetti- Western soundtrack.\” D.U. attributes much of the album\”™s extraordinary character to their decision to cover a 1972 Sonny and Cher gem, A Cowboy\”™s Work is Never Done. The song\”™s soundscape of Ennio Morricone guitars, horns and percussion woven with modern electronic beats set the stage for the entire album. Among the other highlights, the single \”œBig Star\” finds the band picking up where they left off with their 2009 Double Panther favorite, Kings of Vibration, complete with a shared verse vocal and enhanced by a chorus that flies higher than anything they\”™ve done before. And the exuberant Bulletproof Shine finds the group joined by Angelo Moore, legendary leader of Fishbone, who adds his pipes (and his Theremin) to the festivities.
Proper Cowboy is Diego\”™s Umbrella\”™s most fully realized vision to date, the culmination of years of dedication to the craft of songwriting and to their audience. It tips its hat to the raucous dance parties the band played in their early days in Croatia, but is as quintessentially American as Rock and Roll itself, giving true meaning to the album\”™s namesake.
While the origins of Diego\”™s Umbrella date back to the 2001, with the collaboration of founding members Vaughn Lindstrom (acoustic guitar, vocals) and Tyson Maulhardt (electric guitar), they officially hit the scene in 2005 with the release of their first full-length album Kung Fu Palace. Violinist Jason Kleinberg and bassist Kevin Blair came on board early in the project, and the 6-some was rounded out by Ben Leon (vocals, guitar) and Jake Wood (drums) in early 2009.
The Group has released 3 albums including Viva la Juerga \”™07, Double Panther \”™09, and a host of independent recordings. They have been featured in major motion pictures, network television, and numerous documentaries, in addition to countless worldwide radio and print. Currently, they are in the studio working on a new EP to be released later this summer.
Viva la Juerga!!!
Don’t miss this show! The music is always excellent, and the energy level through the roof. Be prepared for an extremely lively, antimated performance.
Diego’s Umbrella has actually released five albums, the most recent of which is “Proper Cowboy,” which was released on July 17, 2012 You can download it from iTunes for $9.99. Three other albums are also available through iTunes.
In recent performances, the band has been playing seven or eight songs from “Proper Cowboy.” I suggest buying and enjoying at least that album before the show. That way, you will be familiar with much of the music they will play. After purchasing “Proper Couwboy,” you may feel compelled to purchse the other three from iTunes.
I will warn you about one thing: the drummer usually straps on a “party drum” and comes into the audience during the remake of Cher’s “A Cowboy’s Work is Never Done.” Don’t worry though. He’s a lot of fun, and I’ve never seen him strike anyone.