Big Beat Tornado

Big Beat Tornado hails from Reading, Pennsylvania — the home of outlet malls, pretzel factories, the pagoda, and one of the railroads on the Monopoly board that always costs more when you land on it 'cause your girlfriend owns all four of them. This seven-piece band, fronted by dual lead vocalists, combines veteran performers and fresh newcomers to create a highly charged musical experience. BBT lays down primarily original material best described as funk/acid jazz/groove music, augmented by very diggable cover material ranging in styles from Aretha Franklin to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Singer/lyricist Angela Ezell burst onto the original music scene in the nineties, making a name for herself fronting projects such as Frozen Poet. Now, with Big Beat Tornado, she continues a tradition of theatrical stage antics and melodic expression to form half of the focal point of a veritable onstage party. And meet Sue Groove, your other center ring melodious hostess-with-the-most-est, who recently returned from the great white North with a shiny new Bachelorette of Music degree in her bag.

Brad Bansner is responsible for all of the Wah-Wah guitar work, as well as the keyboards. And a good chunk of the writing. Oh yeah, and the website, the recording engineering, and some other stuff too, probably. BBT comes on the heels of Brad's last solo effort, Programme D'Experience. Reviews of that project on Amazon.com advise "do yourself a favor and experience this fresh and unique approach to music", while Frets, Axes and Riffs magazine writes, "I'm surprised this dude's fingers didn't fall the hell off." That's Brad.

Big Beat Tornado is the vision of bassist Christopher Layser, who has supplied the funky bottom end and song arrangements for many original projects in recent years, including the defunct but de'funky Mystery Van. Hailing from America's mid-West, drummer Rick Tomlinson provides the other half of the rhythm section's big beat with his arsenal of electronic and acoustic percussion.

Best described as "Lisa Simpson and Sgt. Slaughter's love child", Mike Williams, on tenor and soprano sax, injects a fusion element into BBT's style with his fiery solos and witty banter. But sorry girls, he's taken. DJ Meeshu (a.k.a. Eric Boltz, the Illustrated Man, and The Keeper of the Rabid Wolverine) colors the sound with turntables, beatboxes, analog synths, and whatever else he can find to make noise with. With gigs ranging from regional raves to the '03 Lollapalooza under his belt, Meeshu provides the "acid" to Williams' "jazz".

This is one tornado you won't mind crashing into your neighborhood. Instead of running for the shelter, you'll be running for the dance floor.