Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"Cool and with a groove that keeps on going." - Gene Shay, WXPN
"Wow! This "folk music" will knock your socks off..." - Mark Whittington, The San Jose Mercury News
"I LOVE the new CD! "Stunning" is the best word I can come up with!" - Ron Olesko, WFDU
"Bethany delivers low, smoky tones that call to mind Nina Simone or Cassandra Wilson delving into field recordings... Cappadocia bows and plucks [his] cello with dramatic tension and stately grace. With stunning imagination, Bethany & Rufus move music linked with her father's era in arresting new directions. Bravo!" - Goldmine Magazine
"Nearly all the songs are traditional, but every one is reinterpreted in a way that takes them to a place you’ve never dreamed of, no matter how many times you’ve heard them before... leaving you utterly transfixed... where the cumulative effect and intensity are simply astonishing" - Americana UK
"...Here's a dynamic duo destined to wow their audience... With an upcoming dynamic, yet stunningly simple and beautiful CD, the blend of Yarrow's mesmerizing voice accompanied by the deep oozing sounds of Cappadocia's cello will make a lasting first impression." - -Elisabeth Steinhardt, Newport Mercury News
"...two other debuts and discoveries showed the festival's hipper side. The duo of Bethany and Rufus gave a fresh twist to old ballads. Singer Bethany Yarrow has a strong presence and powerful voice, wringing every ounce of feeling from traditional pieces such as “Saint James Infirmary” and the dark Appalachian ditty “Pretty Polly” without overstepping into melodrama. Rufus Cappadocia is an intense and imaginative musician who plays a five-string cello and can pluck its strings like a standup bass or bounce his bow off them as if playing a percussion instrument..."
- Tony Montague, Vancouver Folk Fest Notes, Straight Magazine
Discography
"900 Miles" will be released in the US on Hyena Records in January 2007. In the Europe Bethany and Rufus are on Daqui Records. "900 Miles" is currently available for purchase at any Bethany and Rufus performance or on their website, www.bethanyandrufus.com. BETHANY & RUFUS is currently receiving airplay on Philadelphia's WXPN, Portland's KBOO, New York's WFUV.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
This duo, comprised of the honey-voiced Bethany Yarrow (daughter of famous folk singer Peter Yarrow) and the world-renowned cellist Rufus Cappadocia, has been described by reviewers as "simply astonishing". Their debut CD, "900 Miles" is stark, haunting and utterly gorgeous -- drawing comparisons as easily to Cassandra Wilson as the Cowboy Junkies, Nina Simone as Jolie Holland. From dusty American field recordings to modern jazz, from delicate folk pop to the griot rhythms of Africa. While focusing their attention on traditional songs from Americas gritty folk past, BETHANY & RUFUS refine their vast musical influences through the minimalist combination of voice and cello, where intense groove meets sweet, heartbreaking soul.
Although Bethany absorbed much of this music by osmosis in her early years, it is her born-to-perform, mesmerizing stage presence coupled with her deep knowledge of this material that validates her and Rufus approach as they turn roots songs inside out, finding a vibrant inner pulse that resonates with an in the blood authenticity that used to characterize the music of decades past, but is all too rare in todays music scene.
Rufus Cappadocia is one of the leading voices of cutting edge cello today. His jaw dropping technique and musicianship inspire awe in even the most discerning critics, who have characterized his playing as powerful exploring territory that is positively otherworldly. Rufus has appeared on CDs with Ross Daly, Kif with David Fiuczynski, DJ Cheb i Sabbah, Esma, The Paradox Trio, Odetta, Michael Blake, and Tamalalou, among others. Rufus has also performed with Kasse Mady, Aretha Franklin, The Black Rock Coalition, Theodossi Spassoff, Seamus Egan, Eileen Eivers, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Vernon Reid, and many more. After years of experimentation and creative revision, Rufus plays a self-designed five-string electric cello that extends the bass range of the cello and through amplification expands its tonal possibilities, creating new sounds by what was once known only as a classical music instrument.
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