|
The Valley Reporter, Waitsfield VT, April 2005 Musical Mayhem!
How to describe the music of Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem? Here's one way: Start with a fiddle (Rani), a guitar (Anand Nayak), and a standup bass (Andrew Kinsey). Add a cardboard box with a suitcase bass drum and tin can cymbals (seriously!), played by an ex-rock and zydeco drummer (Scott Kessel). Over that fine groove, hang Rani Arbo's expressive alto, seamless four-part harmonies (yep, all four band members sing, and sing really well), a splash of banjo and ukulele, and voila! Can you classify the sounds of Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem? Not really, but rest assured that you are listening to a unique blend, a mix of musical mojo that will stay with you long after your ears first attempt to capture it. The "Boston Globe" refers to Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem's music as "neo old-timey with cosmopolitan splashes of contemporary pop and jazz." I guess that is as good an attempt as any. As a fellow musician from greater New England, I've been following Rani's musical arc for years. I remember hearing her play with her first bluegrass band, Salamander Crossing, back in the mid-1990s. Their version of "Tear My Still House Down" still remains in my memory all these years later, due largely to Rani's beautifully earthy vocalizing and capable fiddle work. Her more recent work with daisy mayhem has proved even more compelling. Their first two albums - "Cocktail Swing" and "Gambling Eden" - are about as different as two musical projects can be. The first is all about fun - a collection of Mayhem-infused ukelele numbers and old timey standards (I know, it sounds crazy, but it works) - while their second possesses a more contemplative Americana-focused vision and a philosophical depth that might intimidate the Buddha himself. I caught up with Rani to ask her about music, life, marriage (she and drummer Kessel recently tied the knot), kids, and the future. Q. You've been performing for years, but have experienced some big changes in your life of late - the first two being marriage and now, a new baby. How has this affected your relationship to your music? A. It makes for a deeper well, certainly. My highs are higher and the tough stuff is tougher, and of course I never have quite enough time to process it all. My music has gone through the same change -- I have more to give on stage, more life and emotion to draw from, and a deeper appreciation for the chance to make music at all. Not to mention the chance to have my partner in the band and our son on the road with us. (I can now get from poopy diaper to sound check in 60 seconds flat.) But I don't have the same time for songwriting, practicing, or learning new music. It gets squeezed in around the edges. Q. You've also recently been diagnosed with cancer... A. Yes. I recently finished treatment for breast cancer, and before I say anything else, I will say: Ladies, Get Your Mammograms! It has been a marathon. But it also has been positive, not unlike getting married or having a child. I've met some very elemental parts of myself, and I hope I can keep them nearby. Q. Whose music or artistic work do you draw sustenance from beyond your own composing? A. This is going to sound a bit mushy, but I get most of my sustenance and inspiration from my band mates. There are lots of artists I swoon over, musically, but my immediate inspiration comes from the people I'm making music with, live -- at home, on stage, or in the studio. For example, Scott and I just finished a week of recording with John McCutcheon down in Virginia. The musicians and songs were amazing -- the piano player alone gave me inspiration for months. For me, it's more about how a musician plays than what he or she plays. I'm moved by anyone who is fully in what he or she is doing. I go for soul over skill -- and my favorite musicians have lots of both. Q. When you look into your crystal ball, what do you see for "daisy mayhem" in the future? A. Ahhh, sorry, my crystal ball is in the closet. Life is too short for predictions. Don't miss Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem this Saturday night, April 23, at 8:00 at UVM Recital Hall. |