Founded by Martin "Greywolf" Murphy in 2000, Original members: Bhrigha Murphy, Thobos LuBamba, Lee Towles, Rhett Johnson, Cheri Shanti, Spicman, Joe. 2005-2006 additional members: Jenny & Ernesto Caballero, "Selket" Sandra Mistretta, C-Los Hernandez, ZeNubia/Ericka Cotton, Kasa Panzu.
Special guests in live shows and on recordings include: Abdel Tahour, Tobias Roberson, and Cammi Vance/Darshan, and Doug Shafer.
Martin "Greywolf" Murphy co-founded Orlando's UMOJA with Eugene Snowden back in 1995, and Bhrigha was UMOJA'S first female drummer and one of the 4 original members. Together, they played with UMOJA for 2-3 years, then moved to DeLand, where they founded ENTRAINNOW! in approximately 1998, facilitated drum circles locally and around the state, played the pagan festival circuit and taught Jammin' workshops and a Drums-Not-Drugs program. Greywolf later became the lead drummer for a local bellydance troupe, A Magi, while Bhrigha focused on dancing. Greywolf later joined Red Shift Mantra, played many gigs and was featured on one of their cd's. He also played on the Sambadromo live recordings with Thobos LuBamba, before developing his concept for Shredd!
Influences
DRUMS!!!!! World rhythm & dance, folkloric traditions, drum circles, African culture, Middle Eastern culture, Celtic culture, story-telling, theatre... "Music is the universal language that can transcend all boundaries!" ~Greywolf & Bhrigha
Sounds Like
Nothing you've ever experienced before! This Is Your Brain On Drums! Imagine the best drum circle you ever experienced, add master African drummers, fabulous fusion dancers, and storytelling and what do you get?
Quotes from Diane Hubbard-Burns, Orlando Sentinel Theatrical reviews:
"The fabulous Fila folks -– the Orlando-based Shredd Ensemble -- are back! . . .
costumes that artfully use more sequins, shells, bells, feathers, fringes and fabulous masks than anything this side of a Monte Carlo masquerade . . . Extraordinary indeed!"
"a cross-cultural block party-cum-performance art."
Quotes by Rick de Yampert, Daytona Beach News-Journal, first CD review:
"But Murphy, his wife Bhrigha
and the other Shredders are masters at coaxing their djembes, ditumbas,
tars, bendirs, ngoma, tablas and other hand drums to . . . well, sing —
in an alien but beautiful, ecstatic language of wood, animal skins and metal rattles."
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
The idea of Shredd! was born in the brain of Martin "Greywolf" Murphy sometime in 1999 and saw its fruition in 2000, with his first recording project, "This is Your Brain on Drums" CD. From that humble beginning, Greywolf added more awesome percussionists and then combined the dance talents of his wife, Bhrigha, and some of her colleagues in the GypsiKelts Dance Clan, to present beautifully and artfully staged vignettes accompanied by world percussion. Shredd! has performed and closed the Friday and Saturday night shows with a bang at Maja's Spirit of the Tribes 5 & 6 in Ft. Lauderdale to audiences of over 1200 people. A favorite entertainment group at many private and corporate events in the Central Florida area for many years, Shredd! has won audiences over with their family-friendly, educational, theatrical style. Shredd! has also taught numerous drum fusion workshops around Florida, including at Spirit of the Tribes 6 and the Paralounge, as well as Tribal Quest North West 6 in Portland, OR.
Intrigued by their theatrical developments, Murfeus Productions decided to produce a theatre show called "The Extraordinary Fila," based on a traditional African teaching story, integrating world drum, dance, and also storytelling for the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival in 2005, winning several awards: the Newbie award, Orlando Sentinel's Best Bets and Patron's Pick. This was the first full-length theatrical, story-telling, narrative featuring bellydance ever in Orlando and it wowed audiences. Shredd! was then invited to do their show at Orlando's Theatre Downtown in their "5 from the Fringe" showcase of the best shows from the Fringe Festival. In 2006, Shredd! was back in the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival bigger, better, and badder than ever in a larger theatre with a larger cast, and once again achieved rave reviews and the Orlando Sentinel's Best Bet for their original retellling of the Greek myth of Persephone, entitled "The Extraordinary Fila Goes to Hell." From this production, Shredd!'s first DVD was born with a 3 camera shoot during the live shows.
Future plans include more CD's - "Tribical" will be released in late 2007, with super special guests Tobias Roberson and Cammi Vance/Darshan and another staged production of Shredd's first show, "The Extraordinary Fila" so that it may be captured on camera.
Shredd! Percussion Ensemble/Theatre Troupe's Friend Space (Top 10)
Shredd! Percussion Ensemble/Theatre Troupe has 140 friends.
YES! I was listening to Brain on Drums today, a most excellent recording. So I have like 2 months off this summer and my girl, Lisa and I will come up and visit, yes!
Had my path taken a different turn and moved to Oregon,...I would love to have been a part of the "Shredd". As for now, a recording artist in florida is what I be. Hope all is well. Much love and respect - James
