Drum Brothers Concert

 
Drum Brothers Hope 2 One Life Benefit Concert

ADVANCE TICKETS: $10 students and $15 adults.
AT THE DOOR: $12 students and $18 adults. Children 12 and under free!
OUTLETS: Shrine Auditorium, Barjon’s Books, Hansen Music, Global Village, and Hope 2... One Life.
QUESTIONS: Contact Nadine Hart: 861-3166, hope2onelife@gmail.com http://www.HOPE2ONELIFE.ORG

 
 
 
This coming April 14 – 17, Drum Brothers world percussion ensemble will be visiting Billings, Red Lodge and Bozeman to present school and community concerts and a series of West African drumming and dance workshops. Look below for all the details for these events. Just click on these links to go down the page: Billings, Red Lodge, Bozeman, and Artist Bios.
 
For interviews and questions, please contact Drum Brothers at 406-726-4445, matthew@drumbrothers.com  
 
www.drumbrothers.com
www.facebook.com/drum.brothers
 
"If you can walk, you can dance."
"If you can talk, you can sing!"
-African proverb
 
Billings
 
Hand Drumming Workshop
7 – 8:30pm, Wednesday, April 14
Alberta Bair Theater - On Stage
 
This class will explore body rhythms, rhythm awareness along with call and response rhythm communication. Drum language, technique and traditional and contemporary West African rhythms will be taught. ALL LEVELS ARE WELCOME!
$15/person - Pre-registration is recommended. Drums will be available.
Participants must be at least 12 years old – no previous drumming experience necessary.
TO REGISTER: Call Bess Fredlund, ABT Education Director, 294 – 5202, or email fredlund@albertabairtheater.org
 
 
Drum Brothers -  School Matinee Performances
9:30am & 12:30pm    Open to the public!
Wednesday, April 14
Tickets: $5 – Available at ABT ticket office
 
Point of interest: Drum Brothers will be working with Billings Senior High School music students on April 15th.
 
Drum Brothers Hope 2 One Life Benefit Concert
Thursday, April 15th
Al Bedoo Shrine Auditorium
1125 Broadwater Ave in Billings
ADVANCE TICKETS: $10 students and $15 adults.
AT THE DOOR: $12 students and $18 adults. Children 12 and under free!
OUTLETS: Shine Auditorium, Barjon’s Books, Hansen Music, Global Village and Hope 2 One Life.
QUESTIONS: Contact Nadine Hart at Hope 2 One Life: 861-3166, www.hope2onelife.org
 
All proceeds will go to benefit impoverished children and orphans in Uganda with Love Packs of school supplies and uniforms so they may attend school.  Each child will also receive a book from the Kids 4 Kids Billings Student’s book drive, distributed by Montana Uganda Mission teams. 
 
Red Lodge
 
Hand Drumming and African Dance Workshops
Friday, April 16th
Roosevelt School Band Room and Cafeteria
413 South Oakes Avenue 
Cost: $18/workshop
For questions, contact Mike at 425-0349 or Matthew at 406-726-4445
matthew@drumbrothers.com
 
 
Beginning workshop, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
With Colin Ruggiero of Drum Brothers
Extra Drums will be available. Learn beginning rhythms and explore the techniques and polyrhythmic interplay of West African Drumming. Come experience the joy and power of community music-making!
 
Special Warning! Drumming is a gateway experience. Once you begin playing, the rhythm never stops. And as you continue to drum it’s likely you’ll want to learn and play other instruments as well and you’ll experience a strong urge to dance and sing. Side effects include exhilaration, community connection, celebration, and fun.
 
Intermediate workshop, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
With Matthew Marsolek of Drum Brothers
(Will be held concurrent with the beginning workshop)
Some previous experience is necessary. Participants should know a basic repertoire of rhythms and be familiar with the tones and techniques of hand drumming.
 
 
West African Dance Class
With Tracy Topp and members of Drum Brothers
8:00 – 9:30 pm
 
Come experience the power and vitality of tribal community dance! With drummers providing the accompanying high energy rhythms, Tracy Topp will teach West African dances in the Mande tradition of Mali and Guinea West Africa. African dance is an earthy, grounded, and energetic dancing style that welcomes diverse body types and physical ability. Loose clothing is preferred and no previous dance experience is needed. Tracy has studied with a number of African teachers including Youssouf Koumbassa and Djeneba Sako and has training in a variety of dance styles, including Modern, Jazz, Middle Eastern, Afro-Brazilian, and West African.
 
Bozeman
 
2 West African Hand Drumming Workshops
With Matthew Marsolek of Drum Brothers
Saturday, April 17th
Emerson Cultural Center (Weaver Room), 111 South Grand Avenue
Cost: $18/workshop
For questions and to register, contact Chet at 580-8229 or Matthew at 406-726-4445 (matthew@drumbrothers.com)
Register online at www.drumbrothers.com
 
Beginning workshop
11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Extra Drums will be available. Learn beginning rhythms and explore the techniques and polyrhythmic interplay of West African Drumming. Come experience the joy and power of community music-making!
 
Intermediate Workshop
2:00 – 3:30 pm
Some previous experience is necessary. Participants should know a basic repertoire of rhythms and be familiar with the tones and techniques of hand drumming.
 
West African Dance Workshop
With Tracy Topp and members of Drum Brothers
Saturday, April 17th
4:00 – 5:30 pm
Emerson Cultural Center (Weaver Room), 111 South Grand Avenue
Cost: $18/workshop
For questions and to register, contact Chet at 580-8229 or Matthew at 406-726-4445 or matthew@drumbrothers.com
Register online at www.drumbrothers.com
 
With drummers providing the accompanying high energy rhythms, Tracy Topp will teach West African dances in the Mande tradition of Mali and Guinea West Africa. A dancer since she was three, Tracy has choreography experience and training in many dance styles, including modern, jazz, Middle Eastern, and West African. African dance is an earthy, grounded, and energetic dancing style that welcomes diverse body types and physical ability. Come experience the power and vitality of tribal community dance! Loose clothing is preferred and no previous dance experience is needed.
 
 
ARTIST BIOS
 
Drum Brothers present high energy performances that celebrate a diverse mix of world instruments and sounds: West African jembe and dunun drums, Middle Eastern frame drums, Australian didgeridoo, close harmony vocals, acoustic guitar, flute, saxophone, and original arrangements and compositions. They’ve performed at numerous venues throughout the Northwest and Canada, have been a featured act at the Seattle World Percussion Festival, and have shared the stage with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Drum Brothers have been at the forefront of the American hand drumming movement since it began in the early 1990s. Over the years, they have offered numerous school and community rhythm classes, drum circles, and more recently, interactive team building events for organizations and community groups. The ensemble is comprised of Matthew and Michael Marsolek, Lawrence Duncan, and Colin Ruggiero.
 
Matthew Marsolek has received awards of excellence from the University of Montana for his musical work with theater and dance. He has studied East Indian and West African music for the past 15 years with a variety of teachers, including Mukesh Desai from India and Abdoul Doumbia from Mali, West Africa. Matthew has experience and training in jazz, classical, and Hindustani vocal technique and is also an accomplished jazz and classical guitarist. As a recording artist, he has released projects with Drum Brothers and Mandir as well as two solo recordings, the most recent entitled, "The Bhakti Road". A dedicated and charismatic educator, Matthew has a passion for rhythm, harmonic relationships, and the healing and community building potentials of music. He teaches classes and clinics in voice, rhythm, and hand drumming throughout the Northwest.
 
Michael Marsolek has performed as a vocalist and percussionist in various ensembles including The Marsolek Brothers and Mandir. He's currently the program director for KUFM/KGPR Montana Public Radio. Michael has produced and performed on the The Stories Project (1996) and A Musical Dreamtime Journey with Lawrence Duncan released in 2002. A student of the didgeridoo and Native American flute, Michael continues to follow a fascination with exotic percussion instruments, including the riqq, tar and udu-drum.
 
Lawrence Duncan's contribution to the Drum Brothers ensemble is anchored in 25 years of professional woodwind and vocal performance. He is comfortable in diverse musical idioms on instruments that include saxophone, harp, flutes, and ethnic percussion. As well as performing with Mandir, Lawrence has collaborated with videographer Dick Ostheimer in the award-winning series Open Spaces and with Michael Marsolek on their 2002 release, A Musical Dreamtime Journey.
 
As part of his degree in Cultural Anthropology, Colin Ruggiero completed more than 40 credits abroad conducting independent studies of music and dance in Latin America with a focus on the influence of African music traditions. Colin plays percussion as well as guitar and his studies have taken him to nearly every country in Latin America including Cuba to study Rumba and 6 months studying traditional folkloric guitar technique in Mexico.
He has played with numerous performance groups including Los Rumberos, Sambisho, Forty Freedoms, and Les Etudiants de l’Afrique and has played consistently for a variety of African, Brazilian and Cuban dance classes over the past 10 years. Colin also holds an M.F.A in documentary filmmaking and has produced a variety of award winning films for both broadcast and independent release. For more information about Colin and his production company please visit: www.rhythmproductions.org.