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Breakdown of the Underground Sound concert series at the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek

By Nate Day
nday@vaildaily.com
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will play on Saturday, Sept. 22.
Special to the Daily

This year, the Underground Sound Concert Series at the Vilar Performing Arts Center (VAPC) is getting back to what it’s really all about.

“We want to get back to the roots of what Underground Sound really is,” says Duncan Horner, executive director of VPAC. “That’s discovering new music.”

With a lineup of artists that have never performed at VPAC before, the goal was to “bring in more diversity and worldliness.”



 

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Saturday, Sept. 22

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Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will play on Saturday, Sept. 22.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was created in 2004 after band members met in college and went viral online. After their first album was released, they started popping up on music blogs and in entertainment magazines, leading to them signing with Wichita Recordings.

Notable fans of the indie band include David Byrne of Talking Heads and, formerly, David Bowie. They’re released five studio albums and one featuring live songs from their performance at Lollapalooza in 2007, as well as two EP’s.

Think indie rock artists like Roadiohead lead singer Tom Yorke.

 

Trace Bundy

Thursday, Sept. 27

Trace “The Acoustic Ninja” Bundy will play on Thursday, Sept. 27.

Known as the “Acoustic Ninja” by his fans, Bundy is an acoustic guitar player known for his radically inventive playing techniques including playing with both hands on the fretboard (the long part of a guitar) and using multiple capos (the clips placed over select strings).

After working as an engineering professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Bundy made a career switch and become an online sensation via YouTube and Facebook.

Bundy has released six albums, the first being from 1999, one of them featuring Christmas songs.

Bundy is also known for his covers, including “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys, and for performing with mega-stars like David Wilcox and Olivia Newton-John.

 

Flamenco Quartet Project

Tuesday, Oct. 9

The Flamenco Quartet Project will play on Tuesday, Oct. 9.

Flamenco is a form of musical performance that originated in Southern Spain, often including singing, dancing, guitar playing, clapping and snapping.

The Flemenco Quartet Project incorporate improvisation into their performances, put on by dancer Wendy Clinard, violinist Steve Gibons, percussionist/singer Jose Moreno and vocalist and guitarist Marija Temo.

The group also seeks to incorporate contemporary elements, as shown by their affinity for improvisation and the incorporation of a violinist.

Group members have previously worked as composers, arrangers and choreographers, making for a diverse group with astoundingly eclectic influences.

 

Addi & Jacq

Addi & Jacq will play Wednesday, Oct. 17

Wednesday, Oct. 17

An incredibly unique act, Addi & Jacq is a two-woman-band featuring just a vocalist (Addi) and a harpist Jacq). Don’t be fooled, however, as some of their songs use electric harp and Addi’s “brass-plated” and “powerhouse” voice, as she was described by the Los Angeles Times.

Although they technically fall under pop, their music is widely recognized for bending and transcending genre, and the duo was crowned Best Emerging Band in New York City after performing at Battle of the Boroughs.

Addie & Jacq have performed at prestigious venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theater and The Metropolitan Opera House.

Horner noted that the duo offers music reminiscent of Joni Mitchell.

 

Flor De Toloache

Thursday, Oct. 25

Flor De Toloache will play Thursday, Oct. 25.

A traditional Mariachi group with a twist, Flor De Toloache is based in New York City, and is known as the city’s first and only all-female Mariachi group.

Originally featuring only three members (one on the harp, one on the violin and a final member playing a vihuela—a Spanish instrument similar to the guitar), the group now performs as a full Mariachi ensemble, and has even been nominated for Latin Grammy Awards.

The group features members from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Australia, Colombia, Germany, Italy and the United States, offering a richly diverse musical experience.

 

Lo Moon

Lo Moon will play Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Tuesday, Oct. 30

The indie rock group—signed with Columbia Records—has only released one single album, but has already made quite the splash in the music scene.

Heavily influenced by 1980s synth jams and stadium rock, the trio is based in Los Angeles, but members originally hail from Denver, Long Island and London.

They’ve already had quite the career, having played the Governor’s Ball in New York and Lollapalooza in Chicago and on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, the band has opened for a number of indie bands and was featured as one of NPR’s Slingshot Emerging Artists.

Playing songs from their debut album, a single from which peaked at number six on the Adult Alternative Songs chart earlier this year, it’s sure to be a great show.

When trying to describe their music, Horner compared them to Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes, popular American indie bands.

 

The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc

Monday, Nov. 5

The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc will play Monday, Nov. 5.

To close out Underground Sound, The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc will hit the stage to show off their fiddle skills, each member having been hailed as leaders in their traditions.

While they focus on traditional fiddle music, they’re also known for their use of harmonies, baselines and riffs, making it surprising that the fiddle is the only instrument being used.

With two studios and performances across the world under its belt, The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc is a unique and engaging finale for the Underground Sound Concert Series.


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