Michael Roderick founded Mood Area 52 in 1998 as a Piazzola inspired neo-tango ensemble. Since then the group has incorporated Golden Age Tango material, lounge, electronica, Eastern European influences, polyglot vocal material, Waitsian cabaret tunes, chanson, and original compositions about love, loss, genetic mutations, daring women in petticoats, and the ill-hatched crimes of ambitious charlatans into their self-styled Chamber Americana repertoire.
The Band performs acoustically as a duo with Michael Roderick and cellist Amy Danziger, and expands into a sextet, combining the talents of accordionist and vocalist Michael Roderick, cellist Amy Danziger, guitarist Billy Barnett, vocalist Marietta Bonaventure, bassists Dorian Crow and Jeremiah Harris, and drummer James West. Mood Area 52 also features various Oregon musicians including Dustin Lanker, Mckenzie Stubbert, Dan Schmidt, Dylan DeRobertis, Anthony Dyer, Derek Trost, Kee Zublin, Cosmos Corbin, Sylvain Duplant, Kelly Leguizamon, and Richard Johnson, adding horns, strings, drums, and additional vocals.
Mood Area 52 has performed with Naim Amor, Chuck Palhnuik, The Damo Suzuki Network, Rasputina, The Tin Hat Trio, Slowpoke, Amy Denio, Devotchka, David Lindley, and many other national acts. They perform in venues ranging from clubs to festival stages to old folks homes, accopanying burlesque troops and providing original soundtracks to golden age films.
Mood Area 52 has written and performed original soundtracks to F.W. Murnau\'s \"Nosferatu\", Marks\' distopian sci-fi classic \"La Jette\", Sunset Boulevard, numerous Buster Keaton shorts, and several independent films.
Mood Area 52\'s composition \"Furniture Migration\" will be used in an upcoming animated short by acclaimed Spanish animated film director Ricard Gras, and Music from their most recent album \"Guevara\'s Ghost\" will be used in an upcoming documentary on the life of Che Guevara called \"Imagen del Hombre Nuevo.\" \"Occluded Pets\" was recently purchased for use in an Argentine television program thanks to Rumblefish, who has helped market many of Mood Area 52\'s songs.
For commercial licensing, please contact Whitney Jones at Rumblefish whitney@rumblefish.com
Send booking questions and any other questions to Michael Roderick through this website.
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