The Ford Theatre Reunion
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The Ford Theatre Reunion

Lexington, Kentucky, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2008 | INDIE

Lexington, Kentucky, United States | INDIE
Established on Jan, 2008
Band Rock Punk

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Music

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"Ford Theatre Reunion boasts talented, young musicians who can collaboratively play at least a dozen instruments. But its diverse set list is only the half of it."

For some people, Valentine’s Day means romantic candlelit dinners and oversized teddy bears clutching gifts of chocolate. For others, it means inhaling tubs of ice cream alone in front of the TV. For Ford Theater Reunion and the Burning House Sideshow it means a musical, fire-eating, hula-hooping, ball-juggling freak show.

This Friday, Buster’s Billiards and Backroom will open its doors to couples and singles for “A Valentine’s Cabaret,” which will include unusual and entertaining sideshow acts and the musical stylings of Lexington’s Ford Theatre Reunion.

The group, which performed at Buster’s last year for both its Halloween and Christmas parties, has become somewhat of a holiday staple. Ford Theatre Reunion plays music that could be described as an eclectic mix of genres spanning a hundred years.

“Our music is sort of a fusion of several different kinds of music,” Charlie Lockhart, Ford Theatre Reunion violin player, said. “If you listen to the songs we play, you can classify one song into one genre and one song into another.”

Ford Theatre Reunion boasts talented, young musicians who can collaboratively play at least a dozen instruments. But its diverse set list is only the half of it.

“All the people in the band bring something to it,” Lockhart said. “We used to try to play fake Bluegrass for fun – but no one really knows how to play Bluegrass.”

The group is not afraid to try new things or bring in some oddity such as their original artwork, fake play bills stuffed with games, horoscopes and somewhat fictitious biographies and circus-like antics. Don’t be surprised if you catch some hoola-hoop action, unexpected juggling, or any other crazy little acts, Lockhart said.

Even Ford Theatre Reunion doesn’t quite know what’s in store for their show Friday because every show is so different.

“I have no clue what to expect … definitely strange and unusual feats,” Lockhart said.

Ford Theater Reunion accordion player and guitarist Eric Meyers was less conservative when it came to some of the things the audience could look forward to seeing.

“(We) do magic and illusions, and I do things like fire-eating and hammer nails into my nose,” Meyers said.
Burning House Sideshow, a sister-project of Ford Thea ter Reunion, will be performing the sideshow acts that will be embedded within the band’s set and can reel an audience in with people who are skilled at contact-juggling, lying on beds of nails, walking on glass and playing with fire. Meyers said the sideshow will be incorporated into the band’s setlist.

Helen Keller’s Ukulele, which will feature – you guessed it, a ukulele – will entertain guests with smooth vocals and a handful of instruments. Trixie Deville of Deadly Sins Burlesque will be performing as well.

For students looking for a more atypical way to celebrate (or forget about) Valentine’s Day this year, consider strapping in for an unusual ride at Buster’s this weekend.

Buster’s will open for “A Valentine’s Cabaret” at 8:30 p.m. Friday, and the magic and mystery will begin at 10 p.m. The show will be 18+ and tickets will be $5 at the door or online. - The Kentucky Kernel


"Visually resplendent, full of performance daring and stylistically indefinable, the Lexington collective is a dark musical carnival that loves to dash the senses."

By now, we're well-versed in the traveling sideshow that is Ford Theatre Reunion. Visually resplendent, full of performance daring and stylistically indefinable, the Lexington collective is a dark musical carnival that loves to dash the senses.

But can the same magic work when the visuals are taken away? See — or, rather, hear — for yourself on Ford Theatre Reunion's debut album, Calavera Catrina. Slip it on and you are quickly strapped into a runaway train with the Tom Waits-inclined All Aboard. From there, it's a wild ride indeed as the album sails through darkly playful swing with a dash of klezmer (Of All the People), a blues-roots reflection recast as a New Orleans dirge (Soul of a Man), some boozy jazz blues (Sepulcro del Jugador), a deliciously odd pairing of gypsy fiddle animation and dub style rhythms (Flies), and dizzying, Pogues-like string mayhem (Burning House).

Such delights are your reward for allowing Ford Theatre Reunion some home listening. For the full carnival effect, catch the band in action Sunday, when it celebrates the release of Calavera Catrina at Buster's with help from the equally audacious March Madness Marching Band, Ian Thomas of Knoxville, Rakadu Gypsy Dance and Deadly Sins Burlesque. - Walter Tunis-Lexington Herald-Leader


"Tom Waits gets into a dirtclod fight at a carnival with The Dresden Dolls and everybody wins...not to be missed!"

Tom Waits gets into a dirtclod fight at a carnival with The Dresden Dolls and everybody wins...not to be missed! - The Green Lantern


"Revealing Lexington's Hidden Gems"

This circus band/sideshow group of local twenty-somethings awed the crowd with acts such as walking on broken glass, a musical perfomance featuring a kazoo orchestra and "the human blockhead" hammering six-inch steel nails into his skull. - The Kentucky Kernel


Discography

*coming soon* We Have Only Left Earth LP- June 2017 (CD, PDD, Double 12" Vinyl)

Transcontinental Bender EP- June 2016 (CD, PDD)

Live on WRFL- January 2016 (BandCamp exclusive)

Legends & Landmarks LP- July 2015 (CD, PDD)

Famous Monsters LP- July 2013 (CD, PDD)

Tea & Cakes 7" Single- May 2012 (7" Vinyl Exclusive)

Spitfire Suite EP- August 2011 (CD, PDD)

Calavera Catrina LP- December 2010 (CD, PDD)

Photos

Bio

Citing influences as diverse as punk, balkan, jazz, metal, nightmares, and wet dreams, The Ford Theatre Reunion creates a sound that defies easy definition. In one moment ethereal vocals drift over flighty clarinet and melancholy accordion, and in the next moment it’s a full-bore, guitar-snarling rock n’ roll assault. It is the perfect soundtrack for a puppet show at a funeral or board game night with some werewolves.

Despite their disparities, The Ford Theatre Reunion has one particular aspect that never changes: once they catch your eyes and ears, you aren’t going anywhere for the rest of the night. Since 2008, they have been bringing their unique sound and high-energy show to clubs, basements, bars, and bungalows across the US, and they are guaranteed to get even the most stubborn audience moving.


Wildly eclectic, and with no one "scene" to call their own, FTR has shared the stage with a remarkably diverse range of notable artists.  
Including: The Dresden Dolls, The Goddamn Gallows, Man Man, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Jason Webley, Dirty Bourbon River Show, Hank & Cupcakes, Voltaire, Split Lip Rayfield, Two Man Gentlemen Band, Weedeater, Municipal Waste, etc.