The Portland Cello Project
Encyclopedia
The Portland Cello Project is a collective of cello
players in Portland
, Oregon
who have been performing since October 2006.
Originally started by Tony Rogers
, the first rehearsal took place at the Musicians Union in Portland, Oregon on August 16, 2006. Present at the rehearsal were Tony Rogers, Gideon Freudmann
, Zoe Keating
, Douglas Jenkins, and Jenette Mackie. Also invited to that first rehearsal were Justin Kagan, Todd Bayles, Skip vonKuske, Adam Hurst, and Noah Seitz.
The first performance of the group was at The Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon on Sunday October 15, 2006.
The management and artistic direction responsibilities of the group were split between cellists Tony Rogers and Douglas Jenkins, until mid-2007 when Rogers left Portland for West Virginia. July 1, 2007 was Rogers last official show with the group at The Doug Fir Lounge. At this performance, the group surprised Rogers by dedicating to him a cover of John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" with special guest Holcombe Waller
singing.
After Rogers' departure, Jenkins became the exclusive general manager and artistic director of the group. Jenkins also produced all of the recordings the group has released.
In 2009 the group signed to a one-record deal with Kill Rock Stars
, becoming the first and only cello ensemble on the record label.
From 2009-10 the group had external management from Ingrid Renan and Slim Moon
of Shotclock Management. In 2009 the group was added to the roster of The Billions Booking Agency, under Mary Brabec, who continues to work with them today.
on his west coast USA tour in December 2008. In spring 2009, the group toured as main support for Alexi Murdoch
, also on the west coast. The group's first national US and Canadian tour was with Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
in fall 2009.
Since 2009 the group has gone on numerous headlining tours, and played a wide variety of venues, from punk clubs like Dempsey's in Fargo, North Dakota, to the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, to concert halls like the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and Millennium Park in Chicago.
and Peter Broderick
on Thursday May 24, 2007, at the Holocene nightclub in Portland, Oregon.
Musicians the group has collaborated with include: Peter Yarrow
, The Corin Tucker
Band, Eric Bachmann
, The Dandy Warhols
, Storm Large
, Dan Bern
, Mirah
, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
, Justin Power, WEINLAND, The Builders and the Butchers
, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside
, Horse Feathers
, Holcombe Waller
, Shenandoah Davis, Kaylee Cole, The 1900's, Emily Wells
, and many others.
Increasingly the group incorporates other instruments as part of their regular line up. Their regular percussionist is Matthew Berger, along with guest percussionists John Vecchiarrelli and Rachel Blumberg
. Brass and Woodwind players have included: John Whaley, Jen Harrison, Teagen Andrews, Jourdan Paul, Jill Coykendall, Leander Star, and Elise Blatchford.
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
players in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
who have been performing since October 2006.
History
For almost a year, the group performed ambiguously under the names "Celli" and "Cellodarity" and eventually, exclusively "The Portland Cello Project."Originally started by Tony Rogers
Tony Rogers
Tony Rogers is a retired middle distance runner from New Zealand, who represented his native country in the men's 1,500 metres at the 1984 Summer Olympics, finishing in ninth place. He also competed at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, and later became High Performance Manager for Athletics New...
, the first rehearsal took place at the Musicians Union in Portland, Oregon on August 16, 2006. Present at the rehearsal were Tony Rogers, Gideon Freudmann
Gideon Freudmann
Gideon Freudmann, described as a "cross-genre cellist," coined the term cellobop to describe his music. His live performances feature improvisation and the use of loop-delay effects.-Discography:*Fellini's Martini *Cellobotomy...
, Zoe Keating
Zoë Keating
Zoë Keating is a Canadian-born cellist and composer based in San Francisco, California.In her solo performances and recordings , she uses live electronic sampling and repetition in order to layer the sound of her cello, creating rhythmically dense musical structures...
, Douglas Jenkins, and Jenette Mackie. Also invited to that first rehearsal were Justin Kagan, Todd Bayles, Skip vonKuske, Adam Hurst, and Noah Seitz.
The first performance of the group was at The Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon on Sunday October 15, 2006.
The management and artistic direction responsibilities of the group were split between cellists Tony Rogers and Douglas Jenkins, until mid-2007 when Rogers left Portland for West Virginia. July 1, 2007 was Rogers last official show with the group at The Doug Fir Lounge. At this performance, the group surprised Rogers by dedicating to him a cover of John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" with special guest Holcombe Waller
Holcombe Waller
Holcombe Waller is an American composer, singer and performance artist. He lives in Portland, Oregon, and has performed across the United States and Europe, both solo and with his ensemble, The Healers....
singing.
After Rogers' departure, Jenkins became the exclusive general manager and artistic director of the group. Jenkins also produced all of the recordings the group has released.
In 2009 the group signed to a one-record deal with Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, becoming the first and only cello ensemble on the record label.
From 2009-10 the group had external management from Ingrid Renan and Slim Moon
Slim Moon
Slim Moon is the founder of the independent music label, Kill Rock Stars. He also started its sister label, 5 Rue Christine...
of Shotclock Management. In 2009 the group was added to the roster of The Billions Booking Agency, under Mary Brabec, who continues to work with them today.
Philosophy
While the goals of the group have evolved over the years, the group's current philosophy as stated on their website is:- "To bring the cello to places you wouldn't normally hear it."
- "To play music on the cello you wouldn't normally hear played on the instrument."
- "To build bridges across all musical communities by bringing a diverse assortment of musical collaborators on stage with them."
Touring
The group's first tour was as main support for BucketheadBuckethead
Brian Carroll , better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who has worked within several genres of music. He has released 34 studio albums, four special releases and one EP. He has performed on over 50 more albums by other artists...
on his west coast USA tour in December 2008. In spring 2009, the group toured as main support for Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch
Alexi Murdoch is a singer-songwriter born in London and raised in Scotland, Greece and France, now living in Berlin.- Background :Murdoch was born in London to a Greek father and Scottish-French mother and raised in Greece, just outside of Athens until he was ten, when his family moved to...
, also on the west coast. The group's first national US and Canadian tour was with Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is a San Francisco, California-based alternative folk rock music group. It consists of Thao Nguyen , Adam Thompson , and Lisa Schonberg . Frank Stewart and Willis Thompson are former members of the band.-History:Thao began playing guitar at age 12...
in fall 2009.
Since 2009 the group has gone on numerous headlining tours, and played a wide variety of venues, from punk clubs like Dempsey's in Fargo, North Dakota, to the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, to concert halls like the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and Millennium Park in Chicago.
Collaborations
As part of the group's philosophy to build bridges across music communities, the group includes musical collaborators on almost every show. The group's first collaborations with non-cellists were with Laura GibsonLaura Gibson
Laura Gibson is a Portland-area folk singer and songwriter. She was raised in Coquille, Oregon.She currently records for the independent U.S. label Hush Records. In 2008, she toured the United States as the opening act for Colin Meloy. She also added vocal harmonies to his Colin Meloy Sings Sam...
and Peter Broderick
Peter Broderick
Peter Broderick is an American musician and composer from Carlton, Oregon. He has released solo material under his own name, been a member of Efterklang, and played with several ensembles as a session musician.-Biography:...
on Thursday May 24, 2007, at the Holocene nightclub in Portland, Oregon.
Musicians the group has collaborated with include: Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow is an American singer who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote one of the group's most famous songs, "Puff, the Magic Dragon"...
, The Corin Tucker
Corin Tucker
Corin Lisa Tucker is a singer and guitarist, best known for her work with rock band Sleater-Kinney.- Early life :In the early 1990s, Tucker attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where she studied film, political economy, and social change...
Band, Eric Bachmann
Eric Bachmann
Eric Bachmann is an American musician/producer who is currently the lead singer of Crooked Fingers and the Archers of Loaf. He hails from North Carolina and Florida, but currently lives in Athens, Georgia. His first solo effort, Short Careers was recorded as a score to the film "Ball of Wax."Saddle...
, The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström, with keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford later joining. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by...
, Storm Large
Storm Large
Storm Large is a singer best known as a contestant on the CBS reality television show Rock Star: Supernova.-Personal life:...
, Dan Bern
Dan Bern
Dan Bern is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, novelist and painter. His music is often compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Elvis Costello....
, Mirah
Mirah
Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn , is an American musician based in San Francisco California. She has released five albums under the K Records label.- Background :...
, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is a San Francisco, California-based alternative folk rock music group. It consists of Thao Nguyen , Adam Thompson , and Lisa Schonberg . Frank Stewart and Willis Thompson are former members of the band.-History:Thao began playing guitar at age 12...
, Justin Power, WEINLAND, The Builders and the Butchers
The Builders and the Butchers
The Builders and The Butchers are a Folk Rock band based in Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/guitar player Ryan Sollee. The other members of the band are Willy Kunkle , Justin Bier , Ray Rude , and Harvey Tumbleson The Builders and The Butchers are a Folk Rock band based in...
, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside is an American rock band from Portland, Oregon. The band has been described as "Rockabilly", or as having a "raw soul" 50s rock-and-roll energy sound. Sallie Ford describes it as "Rock n Roll" and that people find it "more rockin’ than they expected." The group...
, Horse Feathers
Horse Feathers
Horse Feathers is a Marx Brothers film comedy. It stars the four Marx Brothers and Thelma Todd. It was written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, S. J. Perelman, and Will B. Johnstone. Kalmar and Ruby also wrote some of the original music for the film...
, Holcombe Waller
Holcombe Waller
Holcombe Waller is an American composer, singer and performance artist. He lives in Portland, Oregon, and has performed across the United States and Europe, both solo and with his ensemble, The Healers....
, Shenandoah Davis, Kaylee Cole, The 1900's, Emily Wells
Emily Wells
Emily Wells is a violinist whose style "merge[s] ... hip-hop and classical". She also uses many other instruments in her work, including glockenspiels, analog synthesizers, and even toy pianos and other toy instruments. In live performances, she does not use any pre-recorded loops, rather she...
, and many others.
Repertoire
The group's repertoire contains a wide variety of music, from classical pieces and movie themes, to jazz standards, to pop music covers and hip-hop. The group tries to perform an entirely new program on every series of performances. Almost all of the music performed by The Portland Cello Project is arranged by members of the group. The majority of the arrangements are written by Douglas Jenkins. Kevin Jackson and Skip vonKuske also contribute arrangements to the group.Discography
- Limited Edition EP (2008 self released)
- Self-Titled (2008 self released)
- The Thao and Justin Power Sessions (2009 Kill Rock Stars)
- The Justin Timberlake Covers (2009 self released, digital only)
- Thousand Words (2010 self released)
- The Kanye West and Rihanna Covers Single (2011 Kill Rock Stars, Digital Only)
Members
The group has a revolving cast, depending on who is available for performances and touring. Performing members include or have included: Justin Kagan, Skip vonKuske, Gideon Freudmann, Anna Fritz, Allegra M, Sonja Myklebust, Galen Cohen, Kevin Jackson, Douglas Jenkins, Ashia Grzesik, Samantha Kushnick, Robert Brooks, Brian Bruner, Emma Wood, Collin Oldham, Melissa Bach, Sarah Young, Tony Rogers, Heather Broderick, Jessie Dettwiler, Erin Winemiller, Jenette Mackie, and Noah Seitz,Increasingly the group incorporates other instruments as part of their regular line up. Their regular percussionist is Matthew Berger, along with guest percussionists John Vecchiarrelli and Rachel Blumberg
Rachel Blumberg
Rachel Blumberg is an American drummer and singer, best known for her tenure as the drummer for the indie rock band The Decemberists. Blumburg was a member of many Portland, Oregon-based indie bands, including Sissyface, Boycrazy, Norfolk & Western, The Minders and M...
. Brass and Woodwind players have included: John Whaley, Jen Harrison, Teagen Andrews, Jourdan Paul, Jill Coykendall, Leander Star, and Elise Blatchford.