One of the San Francisco Bay Area's leading musicians, guitar virtuoso Tom Lattanand, and his eclectic band, Ettie Street Project, will bring their unique sound to New York City October 7-10, beginning with a show at the popular Freddy's Bar in Brooklyn.
Named after the street in Oakland, California where the band originated, Ettie Street Project fuses elements of funk, jazz and electronica into high-energy, complex melodies. The band is noted for the surprisingly big sound that emanates from just three musicians: Tom Lattanand on guitar, Rob Gwin on bass and Damon Hope on drums.
"We mix in technology, effects and live looping as a part of our music." Lattanand said. "Our sound blends influences of rock, funk, and electronic music. It's danceable, has an urban sound, but it also appeals to the rock crowd."
Lattanand, a native of Thailand, draws from a variety of musical influences, having lived in different parts of the U.S. and studying music composition at Washington University in St. Louis before settling in Oakland. When not performing live, he scores soundtracks for TV and film.
Lattanand and his partners have been recognized as among the cutting-edge musicians in the Bay Area music scene for more than 10 years. Lattanand was a founding member of the acclaimed jazz/fusion/funk group Mood Food, which included the late Grateful Dead keyboardist, Vince Welnick. Gwin was one of the founders of the live electronic group Kooken and Hoomen. Hope was a drummer for the Merl Saunders Rainforest band, before joining Mood Food. More recently, the three friends have worked individually with such critically acclaimed groups as The May Fire, Aphrodesia, Edna Love Fat Tuesday Band, and Germart's Planet Booty.
Their New York shows will be something of a reunion for Ettie Street Project. When they play Freddy's, they will share the stage with the acclaimed band Birdwire (www.birdwire.org), whose founder Brian Mundy, and keyboardist Mitch Marcus (www.mitchmarcusmusic.com) hail from the Bay Area, and previously played with Lattanand.
On Saturday, October 8, Lattanand will take it down a notch, when he performs solo and unplugged at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan. Though different from his electric playing, Lattanand's acoustic style is just as innovative and complex.
"It's an adaptation of classical-finger technique in an energetic and percussive way, with intricate simultaneous elements going on," he said. "People say I sound like more than one person playing."
Later that Saturday evening, Lattanand and the Ettie Street Project will take the stage at Leyla's in Brooklyn, as a special guest of Mitch Marcus. Then, on Monday, October 10, Lattanand closes out his New York tour with another solo concert, this time at Pianos nightclub in Manhattan, again with Marcus.
In 2010, Lattanand released his first solo guitar album, "Stone Seat View." Information about that album is available at www.tomlattanand.com. Ettie Street Project is currently working on a new album. Details are available at www.EttieStreetProject.com.
Ettie Street Project will play Freddy's Bar, 627 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215 on Friday, October 7 at 10:00 p.m. For information, call (718) 768-0131.
Tom Lattanand will play solo at Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen Street, Manhattan, 10002 on Saturday, October 8 at 5:00 p.m. For information, call (212) 477-4155.
Ettie Street Project will play Leyla's, 424 A 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215 on Saturday, October 8 at 8:00 p.m. For information, call (718) 596-6627.
Tom Lattanand will perform solo at Pianos, 158 Ludlow Street, NYC 10002. For information, call (212) 505-3733.
