-- “Trapeze,” HuDost’s new Album available May 12, will continue to break any typical musical boundaries, including cultural and linguistic, instrumental and vocal, historical and present-day, with impressive ease and flowing concoctions of different instruments and powerful, yet beautiful vocals. Based in New York and Montreal, HuDost is on tour and set to release their new album. The album will be available online through iTunes, rhapsody, emusic.com, and most retail stores. “Trapeze” was produced by the Grammy award winner Malcolm Burn, who has worked with Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, and Peter Gabriel. Singles “Trespasser,” “Waiting,” and “Royal Mountain” are all easily accessible online via MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/hudost.
HuDost core members are Moksha Sommer on vocals, harmonium, piano and accordion, and Jemal Wade Hines on guitar, vocals, bouzouki and bendir. The new album also features Dan Walters on bass and piano, George Tortorelli on flutes and mandolin, Joshua Greenbaum on drums and vocals, Sarah Bowman on cello and vocals, Linda Worster on vocals, and Anit Ghosh on violin and oud. The songs on ‘Trapeze’ are sung primarily in English and are coupled with vivid western and eastern instrumentals.
Shortly before the recording process for ‘Trapeze’ began, Moksha was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The recording process occurred during the period of time between the diagnosis and surgery. None of the songs that were recorded directly reference her health but speak of the kind of yearning, darkness and raw vulnerability that we all experience at one time or another, and the consequent hope and love that we are granted access to when we are shocked out of our habitual patterns. They also speak, with subtlety, of what she had experienced during the mind-altering seizures that occurred randomly and daily due to the tumor. Moksha had no way of knowing whether she would die from undergoing surgery, so the songs on ‘Trapeze’ bear the language of “swan songs” or potential final works.
HuDost’s performances are sensory entertainment on every level, as Moksha moves with a fluidity that compliments her impressive vocal abilities, while Jemal, the other instrumentalists, and the percussionists creatively mix their worldly influences into a seamless tapestry. The musicians often enhance performances with the inclusion of dancers, video installations, and visual arts on stage. As an internationally inspired band, they have not only played around the US and Canada but have also toured throughout Europe and Turkey. They have performed numerous times with the psychedelic artist Alex Grey at CoSM in NYC, the Shakori Grassroots Festival, Omega Institute, Rumi Festival, The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and many others. HuDost has also opened for the California Guitar Trio and Jefferson Starship and have worked with Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Neko Case and Mercan Dede.
Though they are usually titled “indie,” most won’t classify HuDost into a category, and often compile elaborate descriptions in an attempt to categorize this eclectic group. Their original work has been described as ranging in style from “Alternative World Music” to “Country and Eastern” fusion, coupled with atmospheric, experimental sound. They synergize traditional Sufi music, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian and Balkan folk music, Georgian, Farsi, Turkish, Arabic, Folk, Pop, and Rock. Moksha has traveled the world and studied 12 distinct vocal styles with master vocalists.
Most listeners probably couldn’t recognize where HuDost is from, whether in location or time. They are not just yet another unique band, but an experience. The available songs on ‘Trapeze’ give a taste of their “Indie World Rock” that they will continue to perform on their current US tour. To view songs, information, tour dates or photographs, please visit HuDost’s official website: http://www.hudost.com/ or Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hudost.
For additional information, please contact Laurena M. Campos at Grit PR, gritpr@gmaiil.com or 503/887-2644.
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