July 20, 2005

New York Sensation Mosquitos Perform Under the Stars at MASS MoCA, Saturday, August 20

(North Adams, Mass.)-- If the mythical "girl from Ipanema" fronted an indie pop band it would sound like New York City's Mosquitos who will bring a happy, laid-back sound to North Adams as part of MASS MoCA's Alternative Cabaret series on Saturday, August 20, at 8 PM. Performing under the stars in the Courtyard Café, Mosquitos meld the sweet moods of Brazilian pop with a simple and direct indie approach. As the All Music Guide describes Juju Stulbach and Chris Root's vocals: "singing separately they both enchant, but when they sing together it raises tiny goose bumps."

Brazilian lead singer Juju Stulbach spent time on the beaches of Ipanema, but the rest of the Mosquitos are from the lower east side of Manhattan. Singer/guitarist Chris Root claims he was an early adopter of the relaxed Brazilian way, coming to love the music before he was even born, his mother playing it constantly while he was still in the womb. He and Stulbach met in 2002 when Root was working on scoring a film in which Stulbach had a part as a singer.

The two traveled to Brazil together to record demos before returning to New York City where they met and began working with Jon Marshall Smith, whose keyboard work finished off the demos. Their warm and charming self-titled debut received positive reviews and word-of-mouth promotion. NPR fell in love with the band, and the album's key track, "Boombox," was used in a television ad for Bailey's Irish Crème. Root called the record a love letter to Stulbach that grew into an album that grew into a band. A year later their second album, Sunshine Barato, appeared with each member contributing more, and the Mosquitos emerged as a bona fide band.

This performance is sponsored in part by The National Endowment for the Arts. The concert will be moved inside to the museum's Club B-10 space in the event of rain. The concert will be moved inside to the museum's Club B-10 space in the event of rain. Indoors or out, food and drink will be available from Lickety Split and the MASS MoCA bar both before and during the performance.

Tickets for Mosquitos are $14 in advance or $17 the day of the concert. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. Wednesday through Monday (July 1 through August 31, from 10 A.M. until 6 P.M. daily). Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org