at some time or another..the fishes are:
ed "master" baskerville: cello, voice
marcus "the tone" cohen: trumpet
isabel "iz" douglass: accordion, voice
adrian "el tanguero" jost: bayan/bandoneon
aaron "rhone-ditty-rhone" kierbel: percussion, contraptions, fish
safa "jazz spy" shokrai: upright bass
pawel "panowie" walerowski: cello, voice
rupa: watery songs, voice, guitar
management
spire artist management
chris cuevas
(510) 379-7617 www.spireartists.com
monster loads of good times combined with the subtle knowledge that we know nothing and still can have a good time knowing that in knowing nothing we can have a good time.
If local singer Rupa were a movie, she would be Amélie meets Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown meets Latcho Drom meets Do the Right Thing. She'd be set in India and Berkeley...She would be (and, in fact, is) an instant cult classic among the smart, idealistic, international set. --Hiya Swanhuyser, SF Weekly
While the music of Rupa & the April Fishes defies categorization,
their intimate sound combined with a broad appeal has earned
them comparisons to everyone from Manu Chao, Pink Martini and Lhasa
to Beirut, Dengue Fever, Gogol Bordello and Keren
Ann. Rupa’s nomadic upbringing has led her to write songs in a
multitude of languages, including French, Spanish, Hindi and
English. With themes ranging from love and death to politics and
philosophy, the songs offer a magic carpet ride through time
and place and embody Rupa’s goal of breaking down borders both real
and imagined, arranged for cello, accordion, guitar, trumpet, upright bass and drums.
Besides being a songwriter and band leader, Rupa is also a
doctor, splitting her time between her music career and
caring for patients, whom she often finds inspiration from. “A lot of my music feels like it derives its heart
from these vulnerable encounters with people,” says Rupa. “Taking
care of people is such a deep inspiration for so many things,
but especially music.”
The band is based in the lotus-eaters land of San Francisco and has toured on the West Coast, Mexico, NYC and Europe. They have traveled to Tijuana where they stayed with deported migrants and learned more about the humanistic impact of the US-Mexico border. In San Francisco, they have orchestrated spectacular sold out shows at the Great American Music Hall and the Independent, working with local musicians, performance and visual artists to create transportive events, removing the audience from ordinary experience to create fresh perspective. Rupa & the April Fishes have had the honor of working with Marcus Shelby, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Aterciopelados, Susana Baca, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Richard Dawkins. They play in concert halls and on streetcars, inviting people from different backgrounds to get together across supposed divides for a shared moment.
"these folks are the shining embodiment of globalization-gone-good...As someone who has very fond memories of drunken trots through impromptu street parties during last year's World Cup, let me just say that Rupa and the April Fishes remind me of those festive convergences in which folks from all over the world would get together to kick it up, regardless of language barrier."--Todd Lavoie, SF Bay Guardian
++New music video by filmmaker Dugan ONeal++
++rupa's dual passions as doctor/musician on current tv++
"[Rupa's] music sounds like that dream: romantic and pulling from many worlds -- Indian ragas and sultry tangos, Gypsy waltzes and bossa nova. And all of it shares the soothing quality of lullabies, with deeply poetic imagery, which [she] sings in sweet, lilting French."--Lisa Hix, SF Chronicle
++DEBUT CD EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION TO BE RELEASED APRIL 22ND 2008 ON CUMBANCHA++
"They sing and play together with such wonderful ease and gusto, it's as if they've been playing together for years. Their multilingual music draws from cross-cultural influences and source material -- Indian ragas, tango, French chanson, bossa nova, jazz, not to mention numerous forms of folk music from around the world -- which conjures words like slinky, fevered, hypnotic and intoxicating."--Aquarius Records Review
Featuring dreamy artwork by muralist Mona Caron who has followed the songs through to create a breathtaking visual world, smooth basslines by jazz master Marcus Shelby, rich songwriting by Rupa, found sounds from our adventures and electric performances by the band, the album is an exhilerating ride through sound and space.
"extraordinary rendition" is the euphemism to define our times, an example of the horrific language play that pushed me to start writing in several languages in an attempt to show that what is true is communicated between the syllables, under the words. "extraordinary rendition" is the term used by the us government to describe the practice of moving folks in captive to other nations where torture is allowed in order to interrogate them with impunity.
we must shed a bright light in the dark places in order that things can get better.
paz y amor
rupa
"Extraordinary Rendition truly is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s a romantic, whimsical, surreal escape. It’s also a passionate and heartfelt assemblage of songs that reflect many facets of what truly makes us human. Love, loss, mourning, and happiness are all explored with an undeniable authenticity."--Matt Forsman, sfstation
"Honestly, a listen to...Extraordinary Rendition is a perfect way to spend 52 minutes away from the day's stresses and grumbles to indulge in a bit of much-needed magic realism."--Todd Lavoie, SF Bay Guardian
Hey all fans of Rupa & the April Fishes!! Rupa & the April Fishes is being featured on this week's SoupyGato Show #165, playing now!
There are several ways to listen to the SoupyGato Show – the easiest is to visit our website: www. soupygato. com – or subscribe to the show by visiting http://www. gcast. com/u/soupygato/main -- and it will download to your Itunes, Ipod, etc.
SoupyGato Show #165
Rupa & the April Fishes -- C'est Par D'I'amour The Blind Hearts -- Before We Fall Eric Landes -- While I Change Fabric -- Choking Jay Green -- Speed Bump
Gene-Manuel -- Sophisticated Kink Ideamen -- Straight Shooter Bastard Groove Orchestra -- The Girl I Once Knew Readysuits -- Other Side Pilgrim Speakeasy -- Vibrations Richard Cox -- Where Did You Learn To Hate
Jay Green -- Cycle Rupa & The April Fishes -- Not So Easy The Blind Hearts -- Up On The Line Ruby Jane -- Cripple Creek Twelve Modern -- Terrain
Vote for MORE of your favorite band: please vote/comment at: http://www. podcastalley. com/one_vote2. php?pod_id=21268 -- You can also hear the show by clicking on my profile -- and find out how to submit your own music as well!
hi rupa !! i'm really excited with your show in barcelona !! i'll try to speak with a big place for play is awesome !! in barcelona 7th june it's posible or its probably that you and the group will be fliying to paris ?? kisses !!!
Frogs have so much fun on the first day of May....WISH I was a frog...Do you want to be a frog with me and play in the pond? Yes? No? Maybe so? Have great MAY DAY!! Peace, Jackie p.s. It's not easy being green though... Imapix Photograph – Gaetan Bourque
Amigos y Amigas ! I am hosting an informal reception for a photo installation of images from the No Borders Camp this Thursday, May 1st at 8pm at the Revolution Cafe in San Francisco Please forward, post and/or otherwise share this invitation with anyone interested in documentary photography or issues of immigration in the SF Bay Area. The exhibition will continue through the first half of May and is open to the public seven days a week during normal Revolution hours.. . Nos Vemos ?El Fotografo
+ No Borders Camp // Campamento Contra las Fronteras +
An Exhibition of the Artists and Activists Encampment on Both Sides of the Border
Documented by El Fotografo Clandestino in Calexico & Mexicali // November 2007
