Sokoband | |
---|---|
Origin | Charlottesville, Virginia, USA |
Genres | Jazz fusion, jam band |
Years active | 1990–present |
Labels | Breezeway |
Website | sokoband.com |
Members | Michael Sokolowski Houston Ross |
Past members | John Gilmore (1990–1997) |
Sokoband, formerly known as Soko, is a jazz fusion duo, featuring pianist Michael Sokolowski and bassist Houston Ross. The group formed as a trio in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991, with Sokolowski, Ross, and drummer John Gilmore. The group performed live for several years, then released their first studio album, In November Sunlight , in 1996. [1] The album received notably high record sales for an instrumental album, mainly due to its guest appearance by members of the Dave Matthews Band—Dave Matthews, LeRoi Moore, and Tim Reynolds. [2]
In 1997, Gilmore left the group, however Sokolowski and Ross remained close and continued performing together. The duo began working on their second album, Two , in 2000, which featured writing, arranging, and singing contributions by Ross, whereas the previous album primarily contributions strictly from Sokolowski. The album took almost five years to complete, and was not released until 2005, however the album featured many more guest performers than the previous album, including former band member John Gilmore.
Due to confusion with other bands of the same name, Soko was renamed to "Sokoband" in 2010. [1]
On March 9, 2010, Sokoband released a self-titled album, Sokoband, which contains all eight tracks from In November Sunlight , as well as two additional tracks, entitled "And Yet Your Smile" and "Nightfall." The band was not happy with the musical execution or production of the 1996 release, and wanted to present more definitive realizations of the compositions. Drummer on the project is Nir Z. Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds, and LeRoi Moore appear again, along with Steve Kimock (guitars), Mike Colley (guitars), David Cast (saxophones), John Zias (guitars), David Darling (cello), and others.
Dave Matthews Band is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and backing vocalist Carter Beauford, violinist and backing vocalist Boyd Tinsley, and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. As of 2022, Matthews, Lessard, and Beauford are the only remaining founding members still performing with the band.
David John Matthews is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record label owner. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB). Matthews was born in Johannesburg, and moved frequently among South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States while growing up. Matthews started playing acoustic guitar at the age of nine.
Under the Table and Dreaming is the debut studio album from Dave Matthews Band, released on September 27, 1994.
Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95 is an album by the Dave Matthews Band, released on October 28, 1997. It was recorded live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on August 15, 1995. The album is known on the Internet by the abbreviation L@RR. The band's performance was during the third consecutive year at which they had played at the venue. Guitarist Tim Reynolds guested with the band during the entire show. Most of the songs featured were from the band's most recent album Under the Table and Dreaming. "Ants Marching," "Satellite," "Seek Up," "Recently," and "Tripping Billies" originally appeared on the band's first album, Remember Two Things, while "Proudest Monkey," "Two Step," "Lie in Our Graves," and "Drive In Drive Out" would not appear as studio recordings until the release of Crash in 1996. "#36" was later reworked into the song "Everyday," which was included on the album of the same name in 2001. Also included is the band's cover of "All Along the Watchtower."
Remember Two Things is an album by the Dave Matthews Band, released independently on the band's Bama Rags label on November 9, 1993. This is the only release that lists the name of the group as "The Dave Matthews Band" although the article was removed in later pressings. It was reissued by RCA Records on June 24, 1997, and was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2002. The album cover art is an autostereogram that, when focused on correctly, shows a person's hand displaying a peace sign. It was created by two former UVA students in Charlottesville: Rick Kwiatkowski and Jeff Smith. The general consensus among Dave Matthews Band fan websites is that the two things referred to in the title are "love your mother" and "leave only footprints" as well as the two fingers displayed in the aforementioned cover.
Some Devil is the only studio album by musician Dave Matthews. It was released on September 23, 2003 on RCA Records. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA, signifying over a million copies sold. The album features several guest musicians, including long-time Dave Matthews Band collaborator guitarist Tim Reynolds and Phish frontman and guitarist Trey Anastasio. The album's first single, "Gravedigger," won a Grammy Award in 2004. Some Devil was recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, Washington, and produced by Stephen Harris, who had previously worked with the Dave Matthews Band on their 2002 album Busted Stuff.
Tim Reynolds is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as a lead guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. AllMusic critic MacKenzie Wilson has called Reynolds "an under-rated master".
Butch Taylor is a composer, writer, keyboardist and long time guest musician with Dave Matthews Band.
LeRoi Holloway Moore was an American saxophonist. He was a founding member of the Dave Matthews Band. Moore often arranged music for songs written by Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band's songs, notably "Too Much" and "Stay ".
Greg Howard is a Chapman Stick player based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Howard played saxophone and keyboards in area bands before switching to Stick in 1985. An early recording with guitarist Tim Reynolds was released on cassette in 1987 as Sticks and Stones.
Peter Griesar is an American musician, known for playing keyboards, harmonica and providing backing vocals with the Dave Matthews Band from August 1990 to March 1993. He grew up in Westchester County, New York and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to attend the University of Virginia. He met Dave Matthews, later joining his band. After leaving the band in 1993, he continued playing, releasing several solo albums.
#41 is a song by the Dave Matthews Band, featured on their 1996 album Crash.
In November Sunlight is the debut studio album by the instrumental band Soko, released on December 17, 1996. This is the only album with John Gilmore as a member of the band, who left the band after the album, turning Soko into a duo, although he did perform as a guest on the following album. Seven of the nine tracks on the album have guest musicians, and three of the four guests are associated with the Dave Matthews Band: Dave Matthews, LeRoi Moore and Tim Reynolds. The fourth, the percussionist Darrell Rose, created the album's artwork. The entire album is instrumental with the exception of the end of "Jiriki", which has vocals by Matthews.
Two is the second album by Charlottesville, Virginia eclectic duo, Soko, released in 2005, almost ten years after their debut album, In November Sunlight, released in 1996. Soko started out as a trio until drummer John Gilmore, who appeared on the first album, left the band. Gilmore appears as a guest performer on this album. In addition to Gilmore, ten various artists are heard, including guitarist Tim Reynolds. The album was recorded in the Dave Matthews Band's Haunted Hollow Studio, and features several tracks which were performed live by Soko throughout the 1990s, as well as several new studio songs, and a cover of The Beatles' "Rain." The songs "Plant the Sky," "Joy of Love," and "Rain" were edited and released as singles for radio play.
Breezeway Records is a small, independent record label based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Breezeway works with four artists and has released a total of six records.
"Proudest Monkey" is a song by the Dave Matthews Band, featured on the 1996 album Crash.
Live at Mile High Music Festival is a live album by the Dave Matthews Band from the 2008 Mile High Music Festival outside Denver, Colorado. In its first week of sales, the album debuted at #97 on the US charts. The concert featured many old songs such as "Don't Drink the Water", "Two Step" and "#41", as well as more recent songs such as "Corn Bread" and "Eh Hee".
Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King is the seventh studio album by Dave Matthews Band, which was released by RCA Records on June 2, 2009.
Europe 2009 is a live album and video release by the Dave Matthews Band from several 2009 concerts in Italy and London. The concert on the three CDs was held in Piazza Napoleone in Lucca, Italy, on July 5, 2009. The concert featured on the DVD was at Brixton Academy in London, on June 26, 2009. Tim Reynolds, who resumed touring with the band in 2008, appears on both the audio discs and the DVD.
Live in New York City is a live album by Dave Matthews Band recorded on July 17, 2010 at Citi Field in Queens. The album was recorded on the second night of a two night stint at the venue. Released on two CDs, the show contains a mix of new surprises and older fan favorites.