At its
core, the music Michael Bellar & the AS-IS Ensemble creates is ecstatic.
It's wide-open improvisation with earthy, percussion-fueled grooves. It's funky
and weird. It's expansive and arresting. It will always be in the moment and
without apology.
From the
opening moment of their latest recording Oh No Oh Wow, you hear the band in
mid-laughter, which turns out to be a sure sign that the album got it's title
for a reason. It's the very best of everything this band has to offer with
grinding vintage keyboards, funky drums, exotic percussion and thumping bass.
The musical environs that Bellar takes the band through on the new record are
many but never are they disparate. "I'm interested in creating the largest
palette I can with a small group so I'm bringing as many sonic colors and
different grooves to the table as possible," states Bellar.
The
AS-IS Ensemble is the musical home of keyboardist/composer/producer Michael
Bellar. As a sideman, Bellar has recorded and toured the world with some of the
greatest voices in music today - Amos Lee, Art Garfunkel, Oliver Wood (of the
Wood Brothers), Jay Clifford's Rosebud, Jump Little Children, Ryan Montbleau,
Wheatus, Howie Day and Euro pop star Giorgia. Oh No Oh Wow features the talents
of Bellar's longtime group, which features drummer Brad Wentworth (Melissa
Ferrick, Aretha Franklin, Howie Day), bassist Rob Jost (Bjork, Imogen Heap,
Tony Scherr), and percussionist Brook Martinez (Brooklyn Qawwali Party, Slavic
Soul Party).
Hailed
as "GENERATION NEXT" by Billboard Magazine following their first ever
New York City show, Michael Bellar & AS-IS Ensemble are known for their
joyous, never-the-same-way-twice live musical experiences. Even if they did use
a set list, which they don't, the music and flow of their shows would never be
the same. "I love bringing a room full of people along for the ride with
us and the greatest shows are always the ones when the band and the crowd
become a complete circuit. The most common comment I get from people after
shows is, 'It's so obvious you really love what you do!' And I say at this
point if I didn't love what I do, I would truly be insane.'"
"My
life would be a whole lot easier if I could rattle off some cool buzz words
that describe this music but on the other hand I'm really glad that I can't. It
doesn't fit into any clear genre but I guess that's just a product of who I am
as a person and musician - a rock kid who fell in love with
improvisation," admits the keyboardist. It's just Bellar - he does things
a little different.
For a
group that you've never heard of before, Michael Bellar & the AS-IS
Ensemble have performed at a wide range of diverse festivals and venues across
the country including the NYC Winter Jazz Festival, Brooklyn Bowl, Telluride
Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, SXSW, A Bear's Picnic, Blue Note Jazz
Festival NYC, Avery Fischer Hall (for Habitat for Humanity), San Jose Jazz
Festival, Evolve Fest, JVC Jazz Festival, Rockwood Music Hall and spent a
summer as the house band at the world famous Blue Note jazz club in New York
City. The group has also opened for artists diverse as Robert Randolph &
the Family Band, John Scofield, Oliver Wood (of the Wood Brothers), the
Everyone Orchestra, Medeski Martin & Wood, Tea Leaf Green, Howie Day, Grant
Green Jr. and the Ryan Montbleau Band.
Upcoming
Michael Bellar & the AS-IS Ensemble Performances:
June 25
/ BB King - Lucille's, Blue Note Jazz Festival / New York, NY
July 6 /
BRYAC / Bridgeport, CT
July 12
/ The Jazz Estate / Milwaukee, WI
July 13
/ The Cabooze / Minneapolis, MN
July 14
/ Rockwood Music Hall Stage II / New York, NY
July 20
/ Sixth and I (solo) opening for Carsie Blanton and Milton / Washington, DC
July 28
/ Rockwood Music Hall Stage II / New York, NY
August 1
/ Telluride Jazz Festival / Telluride, CO
August 2
/ Vine Street Brewery / Denver, CO
August 3
/ Mountain Sun / Boulder, CO
August 5
/ TBD / San Diego, CA
August 7
/ Duende / Oakland, CA
August 9
/ Blackbird Cafe, San Jose Jazz Festival / San Jose, CA
August
11 / Rockwood Music Hall Stage I (w/
special guest Shaun Pelton) / New York, NY
August
25 / Rockwood Music Hall Stage I (w/ special guest Melissa Reaves) / New York,
NY
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