OCCIDENTAL GYPSY reviews & raves
"Great singing, fantastic guitar and violin work, with high energy originals that left the crowd crazy. An awesome band." - David Bromberg, Musician
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"These guys can really swing! In fact, the first time we had them at Rhythm & Roots, they swung so hard that the crowd demanded that we bring them back the next year." - Chuck Wentworth (Promoter), Rhythm & Roots, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festivals
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"Best Bet" for weekend live music (Maudslay Arts Center) - Boston Globe
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"Outstanding. I love the energy and harmony and melodies and the lyrics, okay, I just really like this band." - Dee Perry, WCPN Cleveland "Around Noon", Radio Interview
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"A Whirling dervish of sound rooted in the Hot Club of France, this quartet plays stunning mix of traditional gypsy guitars and violin with breathtaking originals." -WCUW 91.3 FM
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"I had to wonder if this is what audiences felt when the great Django Reinhardt was introducing gypsy guitar to the world... All masters of their craft, it is bla- tantly apparent that these guys really love what they do and have a lot of fun do- ing it! Injecting their gypsy flavor into numbers that range from Duke Ellington all the way to Michael Jackson on top of the plethora of original tunes, Occidental Gypsy delivers a high energy performance not to be missed!" -Sky King's Mountain Beat
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"... the acoustic Hot Club arrangement of Michael Jackson is a kick to hear. The originals on Over Here also testify to the enduring fascination with guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephan Grapelli, whose easy mix of European sophistication and American rhythm set an inspiring model in the 1930s...." - Milwaukee Express
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occidentalgypsy.com • facebook.com/occidentalgypsy • youtube.com/occidentalgypsy • email: [email protected] "I haven't heard anyone take a genre this far afield since the Bourbon Boys did The Beatles to bluegrass. Listeners will surely be all in with Occidental Gypsy's "Over Here", Whether smiling as the tunes float through the car stereo system, or on the dance floor live. What a terrific and unpretentious fab four."
-C.D Review, Motif Magazine
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"A typical Occidental Gypsy concert consists of a mix of original pieces by Kul- man and Feldman, traditional gypsy jazz from 1930s and ’40s icon Reinhardt, and covers of songs from other genres — the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jack- son’s “Thriller,” the theme song from the Harry Potter movies — but with a gypsy jazz spin. And its appeal is turning out to be widespread.
“Gypsy music is reminiscent of a retro period; it has a warm sound and an acous- tic instrumentation that is easy on the ear,” said Kulman. “So anyone who has heard it before is a little nostalgic for the sound and likes us because of that. But we also play with a high energy that appeals to younger ears.”
- Boston Globe
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"Occidental Gypsy has become a major force in regional music, with appearances at the Rhythm 'n Roots Festival, the Blackstone River Theater, the Taste of Rhode Island, and other venues in Southern Massachusetts and Eastern Connecticut." - The Westerly Sun
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"...Django has inspired a half-century of brilliant guitarists. In the U.S., Brett Feldman's band Occidental Gypsy has fused contemporary styles and tunes with gypsy guitar and violin."
-excerpt from "Some Flowers You Can't Kill" article by Frank Malley
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"An awesome array of foot tapping grooves that just keep coming at you song by song. Highly recommended."
- Al Salzillo (Promoter), Nightside Entertainment, Newport Summer Concert Series
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2 The Creative Center is still buzzing from the energy Occidental Gypsy put into it's set. Trust me when I say, you left those that stayed to hear you with nothing but glowing words about the talent, personality and "feel good" music you per- formed.
One of the resident artists from The Creative Center who saw your set was heard to say in the hall this morning "Man that music was so good I woke up feeling happy!". That's a true story and quite frankly says a lot about how your music touches people and makes them feel.
- The Creative Center Greensboro, NC
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"Whether they respond to the amazing virtuosity of these players or the infec- tious tempos of the tunes, listeners have been entranced by their music."
- South County Independent
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"A four piece force to be reckoned with..."
- The Narragansett Times
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....Scottie is basically a pop guy," [Brett] Feldman says. "He is a huge pop fan. He wants to write pop music and I just want to play gypsy swing. But, we play real well together. We're the best of brothers. So, we basically combined the ideas. We take some American influences and combine them with gypsy swing influences. You play them on gypsy guitars, which really give us our own sound."
"I said we should do a Django song," Feldman says. "Scottie said, 'No, we are gypsy pop band. We should do a Stevie Wonder song. Even better, why don't we do my idol?' I said, 'No, we're not going to do Michael Jackson.'"
Kulman convinced Feldman to at least give it a try, so the band worked out an ar- rangement for Jackson's "Thriller.”
-The Herald Palladium
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Occidental Gypsy Rider
Contact: Brett Feldman (401) 742‐6397 [email protected]
Technical requirements: Please see stage plot
General Requirements: A minimum of 5 guest passes A minimum of 2 tickets per band member
Backstage: A secure backstage area with access to a clean restroom An assortment of bottled water, soda, beer, red wine, and Jack Daniel’s A variety of snacks such as chips, pretzels, fresh fruit and nuts
Meals: Meals for 4 (or 5 depending on number of musicians) to be provided at minimum of 60 minutes prior to show time
Accommodations: If lodging is necessary, 2 or 3 hotel rooms (depending on number of musicians)
Onstage: (See stage plot) 3 chairs, preferably stools 3 guitar stands and 1 small stand for violin Water and towels should be provided for each band member
Please contact Brett Feldman with any questions or concerns.
www.occidentalgypsy.com