Global Notes: Vagabond Opera

Jerome and Radio M host Tony Sarabia listen to Vagabond Opera, a Portland-based group that puts a modern spin on Balkan music, operatic singing, Klezmer and cabaret.

“It’s nice to go to a show and be immersed not only some really fantastic music, because these are pretty top notch musicians…but to just see the playfulness on stage.” – Radio M Host Tony Serabia

Take a listen to Vagabond Opera on NPR here!!

Review: A night at the Seattle International Cabaret Festival
By Michael Upchurch in The Seattle Times

“At the Triple Door, Vagabond Opera (”from faraway exotic sunny Portland”) was the indisputable crowning glory of the night. This sextet has fine voices, unbelievable musical chops and a huge and humorous stage presence. They know how to dress, how to make an entrance and how to craft an instantly hummable tune.”

Read the rest of the article here!

Vagabond Opera rocks! Cabaret lives!
By Christopher Key in Entertainment News NW

“One thing I have learned in all these years is that there are some things worth waiting for and Vagabond Opera is one of them. They are nothing short of sensational and they are also indescribable.

One of the things I take pride in is my objectivity. I go to events like this, observe with journalistic distance and report the facts. Vagabond Opera demolished that foolish pretension with their first notes. I was on my feet and wiggling like no one my age should. Their beat is that infectious.

They have a formula that releases us from everyday existence and transports us into a fantasy that is addictive enough to be classified as a dangerous substance. Let’s hope the DEA doesn’t clue into what these folks do.”

Read the rest of the article here!

Review: A night at the Seattle International Cabaret Festival
By Victoria McCabe in The West Virgina Gazette

” ‘Welcome to the Opera,’ which introduced the musicians, showcased their eclectic stylistic madness, and finished with a sample of Verdi’s “Traviata.”

Led by operatic tenor and accordion player Eric Stern, the six-piece Portland ensemble was decked out in colorful costumes fit for Vaudeville. Their set was theatrical, fun, and extremely entertaining.

They sang, they danced, they joked, they spanked, and had the audience singing and clapping along the way.”

Read the rest of the article here!

ALL THINGS WEIRD AND WONDERFUL : Behind the music with Vagabond Opera
By Krissi Bucholtz in The Capilano Courier

“The band utilizes a strange combination of theatrics, comedy, dance, incredible musical talent and, of course, what band is complete without a little burlesque dancing? On Friday, November 6th, they shocked and awed the audience at the Capilano Performing Arts Theatre with their antics, which included speaking gibberish to each other between songs, and one of the band members pulling a set of false teeth out of her bra. Music and drama compete in Vagabond Opera, but the real wonder behind the scenes of the band is the secret ingredient of both these elements – improvisation. ”

Read the rest of the article here!

Seattle International Cabaret Festival, Report the Second
By Sepia Chord

“Portland OR’s Vagabond Opera are consummate entertainers. They grab your attention from the minute they take the stage and woo you for the rest of the evening. I don’t know how you can watch them and not have a good time. They exude such constant, positive energy I get winded just watching them.”

Read the rest of the article here!

Vagabond Opera frontman Eric Stern is no stranger to irony
By Tony Montague In Straight.com, Vancouver BC

“There’s certainly nothing too highbrow about Vagabond Opera’s fusion of music with popular theatre. The ensemble’s shows include many comedic elements, and the humour is often dark-hued, with a sharp sense of irony. “I think that comes partly from my being Jewish and having East European roots,” says Stern. ‘It’s in the history if not in the blood. Irony is also part of the cabaret tradition, especially in prewar Germany. Plus, this ensemble was created during the Bush years, and the politics of that time touch us. There’s no way we couldn’t be ironic.’ ”

Read the rest of the article here!

Check out Vagabond Opera on NPR! Featuring a 25 minute interview on Capitol Public Radio’s “Insight.” with Jeffery Calison. Focusing on the new album, opera, personal stories, music and more!! Click here to listen!

Last Night: Vagabond Opera at Amnesia
By Meredith Brody in Last Night

Vagabond Opera
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Amnesia

“Vagabond Opera performed two long and lively sets with a brief intermission, playing everything from the Turkish Menoush to creditable versions of Edith Piaf’s “Milord” and Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s “Alabama Song” from Mahagonny (more in the Hal Willner vein than the Doors). There wasn’t any overt reference to Josephine Baker, but who cares when you get songs in 11 — or was it 13? — different languages…”

…

The second time around, during the last encore of the evening, Vagabond Opera played “Amnesia” in honor of Amnesite Saul… He enjoyed its witty lyrics so much…that Saul ended up onstage, pouring shots from a bottle into the upturned faces of the audience who opened their mouths to him like so many willing baby birds. (They scattered when he flung the bottle to the floor in a fine Gypsy frenzy, just before 2 a.m.)”

Read the rest of the article here!

“Vagabond Opera’s The Zeitgeist Beckons is less an album and more a night out with a blind Parisian prostitute. It brims with countless musical styles, some of which are interrupted by pithy monologues or comedic bits. The record has the flow of a cabaret performance, in fact, and wonderfully pulsates with unusual energy and fashion all its own.”

Check out the rest of the review here!!