Jazzpop Eurofolk, John Zorn, Tin Hat, Medeski Martin & Wood, Marvin Pontiac, Gypsy Jazz, Radiohead, Kronos Quartet, Secret Cheifs 3, Music To Your Ears
Formed in the late fall of 2006, Indianapolis-based trio Tonos Triad has continued to push beyond the boundaries of genre. The Triad is made up of upright bassist Aaron Ransdell, classical guitarist Yevgeny Baburin, and accordion / melodica player, Rod Schindler, who also plays a makeshift drum kit consisting of a suitcase, a license plate, a cardboard box, and brushes. Though primarily an acoustic band that centers their sound on complex and euphoric melodies, they can shock listeners by plunging into the intense realms of avant-garde ferocity before settling down into hard groove. If one were to try to compare Tonos Triad’s music to anyone else, Astor Piazzolla or John Zorn might come to mind, however, being that their sound is so diverse it is almost impossible to label them under the school of any one master. They seem to be an enigma that wanders on the outskirts of genre and classification yet, enters the listener to pluck their heartstrings with subtle notes weaved with pop nostalgia and the dark unknown. They will melt your face clean off!
The following is a very kind review from Mr. Tom Berich from Pan USA LLC.
Having attended 2 days of the Broadripple Arts Fair in Indianapolis, (1 day merely as an attendee and the second performing jazz steelpan with two ensembles) my weekend culminated with a most pleasant surprise.
Tonos Triad, performing on the Radio Now Cafe Stage (where I was with Jan Aldrich 6 hours earlier), had the uncanny and most deserved ability of stopping people in their tracks.
Truly the most unique ensemble of the weekend one must offer the obligatory description. i.e. "What do they sound like Tom? " Well, I'm glad you asked dear reader!
Let's see...
If modern Basque music was performed by Django Reinhart, then slowed down, you'd get Tonos Triad.
Wait...too esoteric?
OK...How about this?
The sound of a Parisian cafe as filtered through the brain of Mark Mothersbaugh.
No?
All right fine!
To say they are unique is an understatement. To say they are one of a kind in Indianapolis is scientific fact! Yevgeny(guitar), Aaron(bass), and Rod (accordian, percussion-by way of suitcase, and something called a Xaphoon) create an oddly syncopated yet melodic sound that will simultaneously have you tapping your feet, humming the tunes and thinking "what the hell are they doing?"
It takes a lot for a unique ensemble to be accessible. For an "artsy" group to not come across as indulgent.
These 3 lads clearly have an understanding of what this music is and if the listener takes a mere 10 seconds of their life they'll become hooked.
A tip about another interesting band brought me to Cognizant Coffee shop to listen to Tonos Triad www.myspace.com/tonostriad Their strong set included songs entitled "Ebbage" and "Abacadabacus". Fans demanded encores. I went home refreshed and encouraged by the diverse talent of Indy artists and the visible support and curiosity of local art lovers.
As you swim through the Sea of Uncertainty of Life…Remember
your angel is there to lift you above the waves. You have no need to struggle when you
surrender to that Divine assistance. May joy fill your spirit as you release
the fears that pull you under and allow your angel to support you above the
waves.
(For a more detailed story, see my blog titled “Archangel
Anael Channeling”)
YOUR UP FOR THE FIRST SHOW PIC!!!!,,,THE LAST DOMINO, TONOS TRIAD AND AVERO!!!! GET READY TO BOOK,,,IT'S GONNA BE A MONUMENTAL SHOW FOR ALL INVOLVED!!!!LOL,,,,(AND STREET TEAM PEOPLE!, GET READY TO REPRESENT THESE GUYS AND GET READY TO ROCK DOWN TOO!!!!) HATZ AUDIO/STUDIO DAVE
Friendly advice!!! You've been phished and spammed...change your password before Myspace deletes your account, yo!! Your profile is posting spam all over the place. :(
LOYAL EARTH MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL : APR 16 thru APR 20 - Old Rock House, Downtown St. Louis : Visit Loyalearth.com for tickets, full lineup, and more info!
Hey there TT! I'm sorry I missed the CD release:-( But congrats on the indy.com ad! Dont forget about me when your all famous and stuff. Good work fellas! luke
I suppose a singer could feel that way, but honestly your instruments are the "voice" of the band. Words, in music, are only a tool to the communication of feelings and if your music does that already then adding words would only be redundant.
At the same time, I'll bet you'd probably do some pretty brilliant covers. Do them "tonos triad style"...that would be a cool gig to do. Like if you were playing 80's night or something random like that and did a mixed set of original songs and covers. Then it would make sense to have a guest singer come in, if you don't already have a band member that moonlights as a singer.
Anyway I too will look forward to the next show! I'm staying posted.
I attended your cd release concert last night and just wanted to say that I was completely engrossed in your music. How did I love your performance? Let me count the ways:
1. Obvious music skillz (with a "z"). You made sure to highlight your ability to stay together, read each other, and execute perfect pauses (one of the most ironic examples of musicianship: the ability to play "silence" perfectly).
2. The vibe you gave off was unpretentious and inviting. Without taking yourselves too seriously, you write some seriously interesting music.
and lastly:
3. Your music is interesting and complex without sounding so, if that makes sense. It's like Mozart: so perfectly interwoven that the listener doesn't notice how challenging it is unless they listen really hard. I like that. Putting the listener before the theory. When the academic side of music is put first, the music has no connecting power. But yours certainly does. AND you maintain a beautiful contrast between visual simplicity and musical complexity. I mean, a person sees a bass, a guitar, and a three-piece make-shift drum-set and thinks, "oh this is going to be minimalism" but then you bust out this awesome, full sound and it just blew me away every time you started a song.
The End.
Thanks again for a wonderful concert and all the very best of luck.
