June 1, 2006

11-Piece String Band Plays MASS MoCA's Outdoor Alternative Cabaret Series

(North Adams, Mass.) The M Shanghai String Band's songs are reminiscent of traditional roots music, yet innovative in their musical form and modern lyrical content. The dynamics range from barnstorming breakdowns to achingly beautiful ballads, expressing originality and simplicity in the same breath. As machine-made, mistake-free music becomes the norm, the M Shanghai String Band creates heartfelt performances on the human scale, recorded live with a sense of dangerous abandon they'll bring to MASS MoCA on Saturday, July 15, at 8 P.M. It's an old-fashioned idea rendered new, and the results are both vibrant and timeless.

"The banjos spit fire, the acoustics soothe the soul, and the vocals tell honest tales. Every song from Up From the Ground Below is a perfect combo of old time American folk and the music as it stands today," according to Shut Eye which went on to call their live show "a musical performance that is enduring."

As part of MASS MoCA's summer Alternative Cabaret series, the M Shanghai String Band will perform under the stars in the Courtyard Café, weather permitting. The event moves indoors to Club B-10 in case of rain. The band alternates from five to eleven players at any given show -- a tight-knit extended family that performs as a true ensemble. Doors open at 7 PM for dinner and snacks from Lickety Split and full bar.

In 2002, the M Shanghai String Band got together in the basement of a Chinese bistro in Brooklyn to share good food and play some music. This acoustic-culinary combination was too special not to repeat, and the band (named after the restaurant) was born. Their debut album Up From the Ground Below was recorded in the restaurant's dining room. Its 20 songs were captured live in just one day. At their CD release party, the band played four live sets to a standing-room-only crowd and has now gained a reputation around New York City as a must-see live act. Band members include Harrison Cannon on bass, Austin Hughes on guitar, Patty Hughes on banjo, Glendon Jones on fiddle and guitar, Richard Morris playing mandolin and serving as sound engineer, Dave Pollack on harmonica, Matt Schickele on guitar, Corin See on lead vocals, John Shanchuk on banjo, Rose Thompson on guitar, and Philippa Thompson playing fiddle, spoons, washboard, and saw.

Tickets for the M Shanghai String Band are $14 in advance or $18 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