We are a big community of musicians, including: Gregg Mervine (snare drum, percussion, composer/arranger), Jack Ohly (accoustic bass, tapan, voice, composer), Ashley Deekus (percussion), Maura Diberardinis and Janos Perge (violins, voices), Jacob Mitas (viola), Patrick Hughes, Adam Hershberger, Dawn Webster (trumpets), Elliott Levin (saxophones, flute, piccolo), Larry Goldfinger (clarinet), Brendan Cooney (banjo-cimbalom, trombone, composer/arranger), Larry Toft (trombone, composer/arranger), Dan Blacksberg (trombone), Steve Duffy (sousaphone, hand claps), Petia Zamfirova (voice, accordion?). Sometimes/once with us: Shinjoo Cho (accordion), Amnon Friedlin (accordian, guitar), Rachel Lemisch (trombone), Jason Rosenblatt (harmonica), Amy Zakar (fiddle), Yoni Mazuz (tenor sax).
Influences
Mainly you, those of you who come out to our shows and dance, sing along, and laugh; and those who tell us what moves them, what they like about us, and so forth. We learned tunes and techniques from these artists, and were of course very inspired by them as well: Taraf de Haidouks, Bakije Bakic, Kocani Orkestar, Romica Puceaunu, Maria Tanase, Simion Stanciu, Goran Bregovic, Boban Marcovic, Slobodon Salejevic, Etrapole Brass Band, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Balogh Kalman, Toni Iordachi, Muszikas, Romashka, Slavic Soul Party, The Klez Dispensers, Frank London, Zlatne Uste, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, Raymond Scott, Gustav Mahler, Bela Bartok, Franz Liszt, Leos Janacek, George Gershwin, and so on.
Get on the official e-mail list - email us at westphiladelphiaorchestra@gmail.com Check out our blog: http://www.westphiladelphiaorchestra.blogspot.com/
From a casual jam session among friends in Fall of 2006 on a West Philly porch to sizzling dance parties, debaucherous rock concerts, and international music festivals in 2009, West Philadelphia Orchestra, a brass band with musical roots in Eastern Europe, is a band that simply happened. There was no premeditated vision, no DNA, but rather our existence preceded our essence. Stewarded by percussionist/composer Gregg Mervine, WPO is an assemblage of eclectic Philadelphia musicians from a variety of backgrounds; Dawn Webster was a strictly classical trumpeter before she found WPO, while Patrick Hughes and Adam Hershberger were serious jazz players; Jack Ohly writes beautiful songs for voice and upright bass, and plays Brazilian music (Old Goats); and some of us had not much musical experience, like Janos Perge, who was doing neuroscience research and hadn't played violin in 10 years before he joined the band.
As we evolve, improvise, and explore other sounds and rhythms, we're incorporating broader influences like dancehall, klezmer, Turkish music, and jazz - especially the spirit of Sun Ra (the northwest Philly Arkestra). With the voices of Jack Ohly and Petia Zamfirova, the screaming sax of Elliott Levin, the barbaric yawps of Jim Parker's sousaphone, and the compositional ingenuity of percussionist Gregg Mervine and tenor horn players Larry Toft and Brendan Cooney, we're creating a unique sound that captures the many feelings of life. Our repertoire includes classic Romanian songs made famous by Romica Puceanu, Bulgarian wedding music, classic Serbian and Roma songs, as well as re-visioned jazz tunes, some old world klezmer songs, and original tunes that stretch traditional harmony (ala Bartok). This mixture can be heard on our debut release, 'WPO,' self-released in Oct. 2008, and a new record is in the works.
'Overflowing joy' and 'reckless abandon' are we aim to achieve with our music. We open your ears with our compositions, arrangements, and improvisations, AND we get you dancing. We have played rock shows with Gogol Bordello, Dr. Dog, Dengue Fever, and Stinking Lizaveta; folk/world music concerts in association with Traditional Crossroads Music Series and the Philly Folk Song Society; the Ollin Kan radical world music festival of Mexico City; etc. In the some week that we opened for Gogol Bordello, we also played a concert with a proper chamber orchestra, Camerata Orchestra, which was nearly too surreal a juxtaposition, but both performances were just right, though the music was basically the same.
WPO will play happy music for weddings, bittersweet music for funerals, at Carnegie Hall, defiant music for protests, soundtracks to silent films (Battleship Potemkin was a huge success and we'll do it again soon!), silly music for children, road music for motorcycle conventions, rhythm tracks for Mavado, and sexy music for burlesque. This summer, the group will perform at the Noreastr Festival in Mio, MI, Ann Arbor's Top of the Park Festival, Bethlehem Musikfest, the Philly Folk Fest, and numerous street parties, clubs, and parks throughout the region. Their monthly dance parties at Tritone have become a Philly institution.
Email all inquiries to westphiladelphiaorchestra@gmail.com
Thanks for the add. Come out and see us ( as a quartet) this SUnday at 2nd Street Annies in Northern Liberties at 7pm. Bring an instrument and sit in on a few tunes if you like !
THE MIC IS DEFINITELY OPEN EVERY TUESDAY IN SOUTHWEST PHILLY. 9PM UNTI AT SHORTY'S PLACE 52ND & WOODLAND AVE W/ THE QUEEN OF THE OPEN MIC PAMELA KNIGHT & BAND GET THERE EARLY TO GET ON
Hi!!! yeah we saw you at ollin kan press conference unfortunately we couldn't see your full show because of the cancellation of the festival, but hopefully you can come soon so we can dance with your music and play together. Saludos desde México y Buena Vibra!!!
COME JOIN US OPEN MIC IN THE TEMPLE U AREA MONDAY JUNE 22, 2009 THE NEW BARBERS HALL BROAD AND OXFORD STS 9PM TO 2AM ENTRY FREE TILL 10PM OR $7...2/$10 WITH LIVE BAND HOSTED BY PAMELA KNIGHT COME SHARE SOME BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH BILL SINGERS, SPOKEN WORD, DANCERS, COMEDIANS, MUSICIANS
Best of all, moving into my new house means you're a' going to be my neighbor (gregg)! Can't wait to hang out on my roof and listen to y'all practice dem sweet dance tunes!
..
Online Now!
