Z2 Entertainment is proud to present Afro-Zep & 56 Hope Road at the Fox Theatre on Friday, February 11th.
AfroZep is a collective of Chicago musicians that assemble a few times a year to tour- performing a set of all Led Zeppelin tunes but re-done in the style of Afrobeat and Afropop. Some tunes are straight mash-ups of
Fela Kuti and Zeppelin; others are Zep tunes but set to original grooves based off the music of artists such as Tinariwen, Thomas Mapfumo and Franco; and others are stripped down arrangements with tons of added traditional African drumming, like their take on 'When the Levee Breaks' which incorporates a rhythm of Malinke decent, called Soli. Arrangements such as this show how the roots of Plant and Page's songwriting can be traced even further back to the roots of blues music itself. The members of AfroZep have toured and recorded with various artists, such as: Chicago Afrobeat Project, 56 Hope Road, Starrunner, 1000 Vertical Feet, the Motet, Seneke West African Drum and Dance Ensemble, among many other of gospel, big band, jazz, rock and drumming ensembles based out of Chicago. Due to the rigorous schedules of its performers, the Afro-Zep is not a full time project and the band only tours a few times a year. With their first tour taking place in Nov 2009 the band has already traveled to Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado.
Plans for the first half of 2011 include a return to Colorado, New Orleans and an East Coast tour.
Instrumentation
AfroZep members change from show to show but could include:
Ryan Behling- vox, bass
Wilson- guitar, vox
Marshall Greenhouse- drums, percussion
Dan Moulder- keys, vox
Sekou Conde- djembe
Danjuma Gaskin- congas, djembe
Christopher McBride- alto sax
Nick Sednew- trumpet
Casey Fitzpatrick- tenor sax
Garrick Smith- bari sax
56 Hope Road:
56 Hope Road is a band bonded like a family, and as a result, their music has an unmistakable honesty and openness. Uncanny, intuitive communication creates an easy interplay on stage, making even the most layered tunes sound effortless. They allow the joy of spontaneous creativity to color their song-based arrangements - neither losing their musical center, nor restricting its growth. The music is acoustic funk at its finest with sounds reminiscent of G-Love and Special Sauce,
Richie Havens, MMW, Grateful Dead,
Paul Simon and Gomez. This Chicago-based "acoustic funk explosion" is known for clever songwriting, lush vocal harmonies and one of the tightest rhythm sections on the scene. Formed in 1999, 56 Hope Road is made up of vocalist/guitarist Dave Hamilton, drummer Greg Fundis, upright bassist Chad Sanders, saxophonist Casey Fitzpatrick, and often augmented by vocalist Anne Katzfey, and percussionist Matt Katzfey.
56 Hope Road was recently announced the #1 Road Warrior Band by the renowned online musical resource, JamBase.com as well as HomeGrown Music Network, gaining national attention for their energetic live shows and relentless tour schedule totaling 660 shows throughout 2007, 2006 and 2005. Rising stars on the festival scene and national touring circuit, 56 Hope Road has appeared at High Sierra Music Festival, Summercamp, 10,000 Lakes, Wakarusa and has supported a variety of national artists such as
Stevie Wonder,
Dave Matthews Band, Page McConnell of Phish, Tom Cochrane and Red Ryder, ekoostik hookah, Umphrey's McGee, Tea Leaf Green, Devon Allman, Spyro Gyra, Verve Pipe, Bob Schneider, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, Drums and Tuba, Campbell Brothers, Jazz Mandolin Project, The Samples, and DJ Le Spam.
56 Hope Road has released 4 full-length albums on their independent label Albino Deer Records working with such industry moguls as GRAMMY nominated engineers as producer Rick Barnes (Smashing Pumpkins, Liquid Soul), Steve Albini (Nirvana, Page & Plant), and Mark Rubel (Hum and Poster Children). 56 Hope Road released their most recent album "Law of Attraction" early 2008 to critic acclaim. "Law of Attraction" left Richard Milne from WXRT in Chicago to wonder if 56 Hope Road had visited the crossroads and sold their soul. Their songs have been featured regularly on Sirius Radio Channel 17 Jam_ON, as well as WXRT Chicago, United Airlines Radio, various college and community radio stations across the country, National Public Radio, the soundtrack to "A Place in France," in an upcoming film "Road to Woodstock," and a Fox Sports Net Pilot/
Warren Miller production "Destination Wild."
The name 56 Hope Road pays homage to the positive influence
Bob Marley's message and music has on the world.
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