As much as Maya and I (Hannah) like rehearsing and playing together, this year we decided to branch out into more collaborations with other groups and musicians. After sharing a bill on the Contagious Sounds series last year, we thought that it would be great to make some music with the incredible Concert Black (Lisa Dowling, Domenica Fossati, Owen Weaver). Their super groovy bass, flute, percussion, and vocal jams are probably as hip as andPlay can ever strive to be, so this is a really fun opportunity for us.
Last night we got together to play for a while and the result was better than expected (not that our expectations were low!). Adding our two string instruments to their texture adds another level of lushness to their sound -- it's pretty amazing how well the 5 instruments (8 if you include their vocals) work together! If you are at the New Music Gathering this weekend, check out the andPlay + Concert Black set at 8 PM on Friday the 8th.
Attempting to take a super-band selfie!
As andPlay is a snack-first ensemble, we were curious about how other groups approach travel. Concert Black's favorite road trip snacks: Chocolate covered espresso beans (so you don't have to stop to buy coffee), combos, blue doritos, and coconut water.
Special shout-out to Owen, who religiously reads our blog! Here he is trying to knock the Michiko Studios' cat off its balance beam.