Spaghetti Eastern Releasing Soundtrack EP For DRONE GIRL Film

Spaghetti Eastern Music, the solo project of genre-leaping Hudson Valley/NYC guitarist Sal Cataldi, is returning with a new EP featuring selections from the soundtrack of Drone Girl, a new short by filmmaker/choreographer Charles Dennis.

Cataldi collaborated on this hypnotic improvised score with two notable Woodstock-based musicians - veteran bassist Jeff Keithline and percussionist Mark Peritz. Together, they crafted a multi-layered soundscape with strong melodic themes, one that perfectly complements the film's dreamy imagery. The guitarist utilized a vintage Fender Stratocaster, Ebow sustainer, a string emulator, reverb, fuzz tone, a harmonizer, phasing, and two delay pedals to conjure complex loops - which he slows down, speeds up, and reverses - to complement Dennis' narrative. Cataldi's sounds are accented by Jeff Keithline's creative and propulsive bass plucking and bowing and Peritz's deep tribal beats. The tracks were recorded live with no overdubs. The EP includes five tracks culled from the soundtrack recording session.

The new EP will be available August 15 via Spaghetti Eastern Music's Bandcamp site, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and other online shops/streaming services. The lead-off track, "Drone Girl Theme (Take 2), is available now. Watch the video HERE.

With Spaghetti Eastern Music, Cataldi traverses three distinct musical styles: acid jazz-fueled electric guitar instrumentals, lush ambient soundscapes, and bare-bones acoustic vocal ballads straight out of the Nick Drake school. Spaghetti Eastern debuted this project with the critically acclaimed 2016 album, Sketches of Spam, which has been followed by a number of well-received EPs and singles. His work has garnered airplay on leading outlets here and abroad including SiriusXM, WFUV's "Mixed Bag," WFMU, WKCR-New York, Radio Woodstock, and many others.

The New York Times says Cataldi "has a beat unmistakably his own" while Time Out New York praises "the delicate guitar work and the hauntingly moody atmosphere he conjures." Called "beautiful, unique and perfect" by WFUV's Mixed Bag, "charmingly melodic and off-center" by WFMU, and "part Sergio Leone fever dream, part Ravi Shankar raga, a whirling dervish of musical creation... a must-see" by Hudson Valley One. Chronogram Magazine called his exploratory solo guitar score for Charles Dennis' 2021 dance piece, 2x2x4, "cool, melodic, inspired and transcendent, a wave of sonic warmth and light." Psychedelic Baby Magazine called it "the perfect sonic tonic for these troubled times."

"Spaghetti Eastern Music's score for Drone Girl really drives the film and enhances its otherworldly atmosphere," adds Charles Dennis. "Sal, Jeff, and Mark are a magical trio of improvisers who bring a flavor that is both deeply funky and transcendent to the film."

Dennis' Drone Girl/Destination Zena features African-American dancer/performer Stacey Smith in a duet dance with a flying drone aircraft. The film follows Smith as she escapes her Brooklyn basement apartment, grabs a backpack with her drone, and drives upstate to an open field with a view of the Catskill Mountains. After arriving, the dancer dons a chest harness with a Go-Pro camera that records her viewpoint of moving with the drone. She dances through the field as the drone tracks her and she tracks the drone, while a third camera captures a wider view of their relationship. The 12-minute film is conceived as a tender expression of the relationship between a human and a drone.

Bassist Jeff Keithline's multi-genre 50-plus year musical career spans everything from blues and gypsy jazz to free jazz improvisation and original rock. He has recorded with artists including blues guitarist Jon Butcher and RCA recording artist Silverado. A specialist in world music, Mark Peritz has drummed with Sruti Ram and Wah at the Omega Institue and Kripalu and various venues with folk legend Peter and Bethany Yarrow

Charles Dennis is an interdisciplinary artist who creates dance, performance art, and film works. He worked extensively with theater director Robert Wilson in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he co-founded Performance Space 122 (P.S. 122) and regularly presented solo and group works there for over 25 years. Charles has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, The New York Foundation for the Arts, and Franklin Furnace. In 2023, he received a fellowship from Arts Mid-Hudson for his performance work, "Recycle Me," which also featured an original score by Spaghetti Eastern Music.

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