the DOLOMITES and IZAYOI

Admittedly nicht so neue noise, as this has been gathering dust in my inbox for months now. Still, this is warming our cockles despite the oncoming winter bitterness.

The 8 Bit Balkan EP does exactly what it says on the tin, delivering a delightfully bonkers chiptunes take on the traditional music of Southeastern Europe. Right now, I'm picturing an arcade game where I lay waste to U-Bahn buskers with an empty Club Mate bottle. LOL.
- BANG BANG Berlin

“WE LOVE THE EXCITING MUSIC THAT THE DOLOMITES CREATE. A BUNCH OF TASTY AUDIO FLAVORS FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE, EACH TUNE BRINGS YOU INTO A EXOTIC, FUN WORLD WHERE 8BIT NOISES AND BALKAN RHYTHM'S ABOUND.”
- Bloggertronix

The Dolomites embrace the changing world and adapt their sound to both external and inner worlds and perspectives. Stevhen Iancu, Dr. Dolomite, is a founding member of the group, and is busily at work shaping 'Monster Machine,' a new album for 2010. Like earlier works of the Dolomites, 'Monster Machine' promises delightful surprises, including "spare parts" -- secret songs and bonuses. This is the first time in 11 years that the Dolomites will appear at SXSW, and Dr. Dolomite knows the value of real friends during this massive event."There's so much to be consumed so I will take advantage of the time."

Can you describe your sound in your own words?

The Dolomites are international, outernational, all over the world. Global, monster Gypsy music. Our music is constantly evolving to incorporate perspective, the state of the world and our changing sounds and views. Right now, our sound is a combination of dub, cumbia, Balkan and Japanese, skiffle, digital, analog, fire, water, black and white, brown and yellow, purple and green, gold and silver ... However, in the next few years it could change to something absolutely different, like spaceship thrash dunk or practical pop prayers and hymns. We are not the same sound we were three years ago, and in three years I expect we will continue to morph, evolve and adapt in the Dolomites' oral tradition. The Dolomites' sound is never standing still. At the same time, most likely, this summer, I shall attain my vision of having a half Japanese-half Romanian formation of the Dolomites with me in the middle. When you think about it, we're all beautiful combinations. Some more intriguing than others, but that's all just a matter of opinion.

How did your band form?

I was challenged to a test of might! And the Dolomites' first live show was in my Norwegian friend's basement at a DIY punk house in Portland, Oregon on November 10, 1997.

Where do you like to play?

I travel to a number of locations all over the world. Currently more than 200 musicians in over 10 countries are part of the extended Dolomites family, and they perform with me at the spectacles. The usual size of the Dolomites at any location is three: a drummer, tuba player and me. [My role is] accordion, vocals and slapstick words. I have found that it is easier to arrange supporting musicians in the cities where the Dolomites are invited to perform rather than taking a band with me. Kind of like Chuck Berry or Lee Scratch Perry, who always travel alone. I have been on the road constantly over the past few years and the world is my home. I was in Japan for three years, island hopping. Back in the States, coast to coast, I recently spent three and a half weeks in Mexico, where I was able to enjoy a week's vacation. And the adventures continue...

What are your musical influences?

First and foremost, the music from all over the universe -- the silence, noise, animals (not the band), machines, myself, friends and strangers, then basically anything out of the ordinary that is music to my ears.

How did you come up with your band name?

The Dolomites name was initially influenced by Rudy Ray Moore, who was known as "The Human Tornado." 'Dolemite' is a 1975 piece in the blaxploitation [film] genre. Dolemite is the name of the principal character in the film. A homeless urban hero, Dolemite was Moore's alter-ego and included in his 1970 debut album 'Eat Out More Often.' There are [also] associations to the mineral. Dolomite is widely available in the dirt, and when it is present, good things grow. According to varying concentrations, the Dolomites sound is good for you. I add dolomite to smoothies I make every day. The calcium and magnesium is good for proper joint and bone function. Yes, dolomite is a curative. Our music has been received like that, too.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Haven't been to SXSW for 11 years, since 1999. Toilet paper, anti-bacterial soap, and an anti-inflammatory protective space suit are good to have along for such an event, as well as for the end of the world or a hop over to Venus. SXSW can be a fun experience and there are always a few things I can learn. I look forward to being there.

What is the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

Late in 2002, the Dolomites were playing in Chicago. Twigggs, a member of the group at that time (who was called this because of his muscle mass), found a great Spider-Man costume laying in the middle of the street and insisted on wearing it on the whole tour. This tour was called Smell the Muzik, and it was kind of a cooking carnival. Twigggs, aka Spider-Man, was moving our portable toilet back into the bus that night after the show. As we were putting everything into the bus, a black limousine pulled up and stopped. Out of the car came two drop-dead beautiful women and what can only be described as a midget of a black man, all pimped out. They looked at us and we looked at them. The scenario amused all of us, except for the little man. He got back into the car without a word. As the limousine drove away, I noted the plate: 'I Am the G.'

What do you think the license plate stood for?

I don't know. I thought at the time it meant "gangster." But it could mean anything. Godzilla? Maybe. - Spinner

By JUDE BRAND

Asakusa is at the top of a short list of stops on every package tour through Tokyo -- whether foreign or Japanese. But it rarely rates as a neighborhood of preference for foreign residents, most of whom tend to secure living quarters as close to the gaijin triangle (Shibuya-Roppongi-Aoyama) as their pocketbooks will permit.

News photo

But not so Stevhen Koji Iancu, a young Romanian-Japanese musician who escaped from New York almost one year ago to take up residence in his mother's native land. Though his family visited Japan regularly until he was 10, his father's university postings made Bucharest, then Chicago and later Portland, OR, his home base. From there, the move to New York made sense -- at least for three years.

"When my apartment burned down and I lost everything except my laptop and accordion, I found myself wondering what I was doing there," says Stefanko, who has cobbled his two first names together to create his current moniker.

New York's loss was Tokyo's gain, as we are now the ones able to regularly enjoy Stefanko's spirited live performances which, true to his Gypsy comrades, are delivered in the genre known as Balkan beats. His accordion pumps out frenzied melodies in accompaniment to his mischievous, and sometimes maniacal, vocals. But unlike most of his fellow countrymen, he can sing in both English and Japanese.

News photo
Stefanko (top) hurtles through some rollicking Balkan rhythms for the crowd crammed into Gin Maku Rock bar, with the help of owner Hoshyou (holding mike), for its second anniversary celebration recently. Left, Ron, the punk-samurai behind the bar. JUDE BRAND PHOTOS

Asakusa was where he wanted to live because it was rich with memories from his childhood trips to the district. A group of chindonya, or wandering minstrels, whom he met introduced him to a CD shop in the area specializing in old Japanese folk songs. The shop's staff, in turn, told him about Gin Maku Rock -- a unique rock and enka den near Asakusa Park.

I, for one, am happy that they did -- because otherwise how would I have ever found such a treasure in the maze of back streets that surround the Kannon Shrine -- and just a stones throw from the notorious strip club, the Rock Za.

Asakusa is steeped in culture -- both high and low -- which delivers Gin Maku Rock an extremely diverse clientele, all of whom turned up for the bar's second anniversary party a couple of weeks ago. Gin Maku is tiny; it fits three tables and a few stools hugging a small bar at the entrance. The bar is so cluttered that there is barely room on the counter for your drink. And that night, in particular, it was packed.

Skinny kids with bleached hair poking out from under hats clinked drinks with rakugo performers in full kimono. And another fellow, I was told, was one of the best tattoo artists in the area. Gin Maku literally means "silver screen," and, appropriately enough, many of the 30-odd people assembled that night also jumped up to perform in the alcove (barely bigger than a bay window) which serves as a stage. Most sang self-penned songs accompanied by acoustic guitar -- everyone, that is, except Stefanko, who romped through a short energetic set.

Gyspy adventures

Stefanko hosts a regular Balkan Odori event at Gin Maku Rock, usually on the third Sunday every month (but best to call and check). In addition to DJing, he also performs live with his band, Dolomites, which he has regrouped with local talent since arriving here from New York. Featuring accordion, darbuka hand drum and vocals, Dolomites perform two shows, one at 8 p.m. and another at 10:30 p.m.

Stefanko is also planning two tours this year. The first, due to start in March, the "Wakkanai [don't know] Tour," goes to Sendai, Aomori, Sapporo and Wakkanai, one of Japan's northernmost cities and the inspiration for the name of the tour. A second tour is planned for summer. Called the "Naze [why] Tour," it will take in Osaka, Kyoto, Naha-Okinawa and Miyako. That tour is also named after an actual town, which Stefanko found on a map on a small island above Okinawa.

He is also collaborating with DJ Kou to produce a single on vinyl (yes, vinyl), which they aim to release later this year. And he is working on a solo album of mostly covers of 1940s to '80s Japanese songs with new arrangements for accordion to create Balkan beats, electronica, and hip-hop versions. The album will also include original songs, such as "Kaminari Kaji (Thunder God Fire)."
Contact Stefanko at stefanko@dolomitesmuzik.com or www.dolomitesmuzik.com

A girl sitting nearby informed me that the bar usually plays enka on its sound system on nonlive nights. Which they do, but in a very tongue-in-cheek way that complements punk and other forms of rock that get equal airplay. In fact, Hoshyou, the owner, plays double bass in Asakusa Jinta, his rockabilly band, and spent most of the anniversary festivities accompanying the guest musicians. The musical tastes at Gin Maku are -- necessarily -- as diverse as its denizens. It couldn't be any other way, especially with a manager like Ron, a cool, young Japanese lad who looks like he stepped out of a ukiyo-e print by Hiroshige but makes a yukata look more punk than cherry-red Doc Martens.

Gin Maku is both hip and kitsch. The interior is a riot of "traditional" Japanese knick-knacks, circa 1960 to the present. All the seasonal decorations that adorn shopping streets throughout the nation hang from the ceilings and walls -- plastic cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, snowflakes and aka-chochin (red lanterns) quiver in the slipstream from the air conditioner. And every kind of trinket or toy that can be bought at a festival street stall is tacked to the walls, along with samurai-movie posters, flyers for Asakusa Jinta events and autographs by famous -- and infamous -- patrons.

In the plethora of options that Tokyo holds, a night out at Gin Maku might just rock your perceptions of modern Japanese culture. Even if you can't speak the local lingo like Stefanko, which would be likely to enhance your enjoyment of the evening, the interior and atmosphere would be well worth the trip.

- Japan Times

The accordion is an annoyingly mysterious instrument. To me, it looks like the easiest thing in the world to play?\just squeeze it a little and hit some keys or something, right? My 1-year-old nephew could do that. But I tried it once, and the results were disastrous. Turns out that accordions are heavy and complicated and require a lot of skill in order to not sound like a beached whale on helium. I have no idea how they work.

But you don't need to be able to play (or even understand) the instrument in order to appreciate it. And this week, accordion enthusiasts (or even those who are just curious) have a perfect opportunity to see some masters in action at the Monsters of Accordion showcase.


Organized by Seattle's own Jason Webley, Monsters of Accordion features some of the world's most animated squeezebox players, including former Gogol Bordello member Stevhen Iancu of Japan, whiskey-fueled folk musician Geoff Berner of Vancouver, Eric Stern of Portland's Vagabond Opera, and Jimmy the Pickpocket from local drunken vaudevillian band the Bad Things. Webley will also be performing.

These musicians attack the accordion with a reckless abandon that proves the thing isn't just for polkas (Webley alone is an animal of a showman who often gets big dance circles and raucous sing-alongs going at his shows). Monsters of Accordion is Wednesday, August 26, the Triple Door, 7:30 p.m., $12. I propose someone do a Monsters of Theremin tour next. MEGAN SELING

All Ages Calendar - the Stranger

Un roman a dat lovitura, catand gypsy punk in Japoneza la New York...

full article at http://dolomitesmuzik.com/press2.html

if you can read Romanian - Time Out:Bucuresti

"Stefanko Iancu's accordion is like a lifelong drinking buddy." -Time Out New York

- K. Leander Williams

full review at http://dolomitesmuzik.com/press3.html - Time OuT: New York