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CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Neighborhood Concert: The Wiyos
University Settlement
Saturday, April 18th, 2009 at 3:00 PM
The Wiyos
·· Parrish Ellis, Guitars, Harmony and Lead Vocals
·· Joseph "Joebass" Dejarnette, Upright Bass and Harmony Vocals
·· Michael Farkas, Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Kazoo and Washboard
·· Teddy Webber, Table/Lap Steel Guitar, Acoustic Guitar and Vocals
The Wiyos’ exuberant, fun-for-all ages shows have young hands clapping and parents dancing in their seats along. Their infectious sound draws upon such varied instruments as the kazoo, harmonica, washboard (complete with added horns and bells and whistles of all types), old-timey string band guitars, and standup bass.
Frontman Michael Farkas has travelled the world performing vaudeville, slapstick old-timey music to delighted audiences. The Wiyos continue that tradition with a stage show that involves the entire band in a whirlwind, old-school, foot-stomping, romp through music that gives old rhythms a new twist.
The Wiyos derive inspiration from the great dance bands and house party music of the 1920s and ‘30s—the early swing syncopations; the grit and intensity of rural blues; the bouncing rhythms of piedmont fingerpickers; the vocal antics, mannerisms, and physical comedy of vaudeville-era performers. No matter what your age, there is truly something for you to enjoy.
Media Sponsor: Time Warner Cable
Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts are supported, in part, by The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation.
Meet the Artists
The Wiyos
·· Parrish Ellis, Guitars, Harmony and Lead Vocals
·· Joseph "Joebass" Dejarnette, Upright Bass and Harmony Vocals
·· Michael Farkas, Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Kazoo and Washboard
·· Teddy Webber, Table/Lap Steel Guitar, Acoustic Guitar and Vocals
Named after one of the toughest street gangs of old New York, The Wiyos’ sound is rooted in the deepest American musical traditions, drawing from the urbane sounds of Django Reinhardt, George and Ira Gershwin, and Fats Waller, as well as the country styles of Gary Davis, Skip James, and Doc Watson. The Wiyos take a new generation of listeners back to a time before genre distinctions separated blues from country, ragtime from gospel, and swing from hillbilly music.
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