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Message from 9.3.08

And the winner is.....

 Hello Repnation,
So the moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived.  The winner of our "One-line catch phrase" contest has been announced!  Please visit www.reptet.com to see if it's you.  Our winner will receive a copy of our new disc and sloppy wet kiss from our own sexy hunk of burnin' man-love Tim.
 
We also have a few gigs coming up this month.  Hope you can make it.
 
September 4, 2008 at
Le Voyeur
404 E. 4th Ave
Olympia, WA
10:00PM
w/ Industrial Jazz Group
 
September 6, 2008 at
Seasons
101 N. Naches Ave
Yakima, WA
7:30PM
w/ Industrial Jazz Group
 
September 12th, 2008 at
Cafe Rozella
9434 Delridge Way SW
White Center, WA
7:00PM
 
September 27, 2008 at
The Seamonster Lounge
2202 N 45th St
Seattle, WA
10:00PM

Thanks again for all your lovin',
Izaak, Sam, Chris, John, Tim and Nelson (Reptet)
 

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Message from 8.17.08

Aquatic Music & Sounds Outside

 

Hello Repnation,
As Chicken or Beef? tears up the Urban Contemporary charts, reviewers fall all over themselves to review it, and bohemien hipsters pontificate about the cultural, sociological and economical ramifications of it, Reptet the band just keep rolling along.  We have two very special shows to inform you of.
 
Thursday, August 21st
Reptet at the Triple Door Musicquarium  
w/ Misery Love Company
216 Union St., Seattle
(206) 838-4333
9PM
No Cover

Saturday, August 23rd
Reptet at Sounds Outside 2008
Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill (Seattle)
1635 11th Ave (between E. Denny Wy & E. Pine St.)
2:30PM
FREE!!!
 
Also, please check out all the latest reviews of Chicken or Beef? at www.reptet.com/press and check out a live performance of Zeppo at Johnny D's in Boston from our east coast tour this past April - filmed and Edited by Benjamin Boshnack and Justin Emery.
 
And lastly -  we will be announcing the winner of the 'Reptet one-sentence blurb' contest in our next email announcement.  If you would like to submit a one-sentence description that captures true spirit of Reptet, please do so asap.  One of you lucky bastards will win a copy of Chicken or Beef? and get your ugly mug on on web site.
 
Thanks again,
-john, izaak, sam, nelson, tim and chris (Reptet)
 

 

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Message from 6.9.08

Good Morning Mr. Ham

 Hello Repnation,
If you were at our CD release party on May 18th you are familiar with Mr. Ham.  He is glazed, has long skinny legs and gives Rahzel and Shlomo and run for their money.  Well, he is featured in the latest Chicken or Beef commercial, now available for viewing at www.reptet.com.  We think Mr. Ham has true super star potential and will help to make Reptet rich and famous.  Check him out, he is delicious (especially when shaved).
 
Oh yeah, and we're playing at the Seamonter Lounge this Saturday.  Come check us out.
 
June, 14 2008 at
SeaMonster Lounge
2202 N 45th St
Seattle, WA
10pm

 
 
Also, don't forget about:
The Fan Competition
Last but not least, we are trying to come up with a single phrase to describe our music.  WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!  Have you ever heard that expression, Can't see the forest for the trees?  That may be the case with us.  Besides, it really is the job of someone else to describe our music.  We just write and perform the crap.  Anyhow, please reply to this email with your submissions.  The winner will win a copy of our brand new CD, Chicken or Beef? and will get their name and photo up on our web site.  Now, go get to work!
NOTE: submissions from anyone under the age of 14 are sent right to the top of the list and given special consideration.

 
Thanks for being our fans,
Sam, Izaak, Nelson, Tim, Chris, John (reptet)
 

 

--------------

 

Message from 5.27.08

A CD Release, a TV commercial and a fan competition 

 RepNation,
So the Chicken or Beef CD Release Party was a smash success.  The vibe was warm, we had the tunes in our back pocket and the setting couldn't have been better.  Special thanks to Lalo Bello for his sparkling percussion work (and spectacular Mexican wrestling mask). For those of you who were there, thanks for the being part of our world for a couple hours.  We hope you bought a CD and are enjoying it at this very moment.  For those who couldn't make it, stop crying and beating your head against the wall.  It's OK.  We're doing a quasi-CD Release Party this Friday at ToST in Fremont (details below).  Come hear the full, true story of the Fish Market, bark like a doggie, show your distain for soggy pillows, put your foot down on some chicken OR beef and get splunky with a beat boxing ham.  There may even be a dance competition and penguin in bondage, you just never know.
 
Friday, May 30th
ToST
513 36th Ave NE (in Fremont)
Seattle, WA 98103
w/ Misery Love Company
9pm   $6
 
TV AD
Also in the news, we have a new television commercial for Chicken or Beef?  It is the first in a series and was created by the soon-to-be internationally acclaimed filmmaker Melissa Parson.  We're working on getting a high resolution version up on our web site soon, but you can view it now on Youtube HERE.  Our website and myspace pages have all kinds of new and fun features as well.  Check em' out when you get a chance.
 
Fan Competition
Last but not least, we are trying to come up with a single phrase to describe our music.  WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!  Have you ever heard that expression, Can't see the forest for the trees?  That may be the case with us.  Besides, it really is the job of someone else to describe our music.  We just write and perform the crap.  Anyhow, please reply to this email with your submissions.  The winner will win a copy of our brand new CD, Chicken or Beef? and will get their name and photo up on our web site.  Now, go get to work!
NOTE: submissions from anyone under the age of 14 are sent right to the top of the list and given special consideration.
 
Thanks again for all your support,
John, Sam, Izaak, Chris, Nelson, Tim (Reptet)
 

 

Message from 5.11.08

Chicken or Beef?

Hello RepNation,
We returned from our east coast tour a few weeks ago and set straight away to working on the release of our new CD, Chicken or Beef?  We recorded it in January of 2008 at Avast! Studios in Wallingford with Ms. Mell Dettmer at the sound board (as well as the 2" tape machine, echoplex, pre-amps, computer screens and studio speakers).  Just under 4 months later, it is about to be unleashed on an utterly unsuspecting populous.  We are proud to celebrate the release of Chicken or Beef? with all of you on Sunday, May 18th at 2pm.  The concert will be held at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill in Seattle.  It is a Free and All Age event!  Chicken or Beef? was made possible in part by a 4Culture Grant awarded to our very own Samantha Boshnack. 4Culture is King County's cultural services agency, and much thanks go out to that wonderful organization.  There will be a pre-concert discussion with Samantha (and other members of the group) at 1:30pm.
 
May 18th, 2008
Chicken or Beef? CD Release Party
The Seattle Asian Art Museum
1400 E Prospect Street
Volunteer Park
Seattle, WA 98112
2:00PM - All Ages
FREE!!!
 ** There will be a pre-concert discussion at 1:30pm just before

If you can not join us for the CD Release Party at SAAM, don't be discouraged.  We will be having a quasi-CD Release Party on Friday, May 30th at ToST in Fremont.  We will be sharing the bill once again with Nelson's other band - the rock n' roll, mexican wrestlin' rodeo clown car minstrels, Misery Love Company.  Unlike the concert at SAAM, this show will have a cover.  But it should be lots of fun since it's a Friday night and all the kiddies will be tucked away in there beds at home fast asleep.  We may even sing you a song about the WaWa girl.

Thanks again to all of you.  We hope to see all of you there.
John, Sam, Izaak, Chris, Nelson, Tim (Reptet)
 

Message from 3.24.2008

East Coast Tour, CD Release, and Sea Monster on Saturday

Hello Repnation,
From the outside, the past three months may have seemed a bit empty.  No Reptet, no joy, no hope.  From the inside, that same time period was a frenzied surge of manic creative energy.  An entire CD was recorded, mixed, mastered and manufactured.  A three week long east coast tour was nailed down.  We signed a multi-million dollar contract with Geffen Records and we won a grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance...
OK, the last two are bullshit, but the rest is all true!
 
On April 1st we'll be hitting the road for our second east coast trip in 18 months.  We'll be playing at the Velvet Lounge in Chicago, Zebulon in Brooklyn, The Tritone in Philly and Johnny D's in Boston (not to mention Bell's in Kalamazoo!!!).  We're frantically working to try and have copies of our new CD, Chicken or Beef?, ready for when we hit the road, however the official release is in May.  We will be having a free, all age CD Release Party at The Seattle Asian Art Museum on Sunday, May 18th at 2pm.  That's right, you heard me, FREE AND ALL AGE!
In case you don't know, the Seattle Asian Art Museum (or SAAM) is located in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill.  1400 E Prospect St to be exact.
 
If you live in Seattle and would like to get a taste of what we'll be taking on the road, come down to the Seamonster Lounge in Wallingford this Saturday night.  Like our CD release party, this show is also free (we like to keep it simple for you folks).  It will be your last chance to see us before Chicken or Beef? hits the stores. 

In other words, this is your last chance to see us in relative obscurity before Chicken or Beef? blows up and we become instant teenage heart throbs over night.

Saturday, March 29th at 10pm
Reptet
Seamonster Lounge
2202 N. 45th St (Wallingford)

Nelson's other group Misery Love Company open the show - don't miss it.
 
Details on tour dates can be found at our web site www.reptet.com and/or our myspace page at www.myspace.com/reptet.  We'll soon begin promoting the new disc, so keep an eye out for Chicken or Beef? email spam, infomercials, sneaker lines, starbucks cups, personal lubricants and other promotional absurdities.
 
Once again, thanks for the;support.; It's a very special time and we hope that you'll be able to join us for a performance soon.
-john, sam, izaak, chris, nelson, tim (reptet) ,
 

Message from 8.26.07
Jazz:The Second Century & Tee Shirts!

Message from 8.01.07
Sounds Ouside This Saturday

Hello Repnation,
This Saturday, August 4th Reptet will be performing in the third and final installment of Sounds Outside 2007.  It is FREE and will be held in the family friendly confines of Cal Anderson Park, one block east of Broadway between Denny & Pine.  It is an all day event from 2-8PM.  Details below:
 
2:00PM - Deal's Number (featuring Bill Monto, John Seman & Mark Ostrowski)
3:30PM - Reptet (Kick Out The Jams!)
5:00PM - McTuff (featuring Skerik, Joe Doria, Andy Coe & D'Vonne Lewis)
6:30PM - Trio KVH (featuring Wayne Horvitz, Briggan Krauss & Dylan van der Schyff)
 
This event is a production of the Monktail Creative Music Concern.
For more information visit the Sounds Outside website.

**And don't forget to check us out when we perform on August 29th
at the Chapel Performance Space as part of the Earshot series
 Jazz: The Second Century. 
More details forthcoming**

 

Message from 4.07.07
Tour Recap & Egan's This Friday

Hello Repnation,
We just got back from touring the west coast of the United States. We had great shows in LA and San Francisco, made new fans in Davis and San Luis Obispo, and made our presence felt in Ashland and Hood River.

In SF the packed house at The Revolution Cafe went crazy!
One person took photos  and descibed us as 'Part marching band; part straight ahead jazz ensemble; part Sly and the Family Stone. There is no way to capture their crazy energy in a static image.' I still don't know who that person is. One woman did handstands, went crazy with one of our tamborines and fell backwards over our merchandise table. She laid there on the ground twitching her buttocks and thighs to the music for the rest of the set. At the end of the show she got up off the ground, brushed herself off as calm as could be, stated that she had lost one of her earrings and after someone found it she went on her merry way. Thanks to Magic Beth we got write ups in the LA Weekly  and LA City Beat  which led to a decent turn out at Cafe Metropol. The Penguin made an appearance and mayhem ensued. Gas was outrageously expensive in California, but the tour still made a small profit. Upon our return we appeared on the new varity show 'Big Night Out' on the Seattle Channel (cable 21). It will be aired later this month - I'll let you know once I get the details. It is a wonderful program with high production value and I believe it is destined to be picked up by a local Seattle affiliate. This Friday, April 13th we'll be performing at Egan's Ballard Jam House. It's an early show (7PM) and students get in at a discounted price. We hope to see you there. And if possible, please stick around for Bling! at 10PM. It features Beth Fleenor on Clarinet and Denny Goodhew on piano. They are awesome!

There will be a surprise group performance following Bling! But I can't say anything more about that.

Just show up if you can.

April 13th, 2007 Egan's Ballard Jam House 1707 NW Market Street Seattle, WA 98107 7:00PM All Age Show!!! http://www.ballardjamhouse.com

Thanks again, John, Sam, Izaak, Ben1, Ben2, Chris

Message from 3.07.2007
Someday LoFi and California here we come

Hello Repnation,
We have two shows in the Pacific Northwest before heading off on our west coast tour:
 
March, 7 2007 at Someday Lounge
125 NW 5th, Portland, OR 8pm $7
With the band that never let's you relax - The Industrial Jazz Group (featuring Chicken Or Beef Horns)!!!
 
March 8th at Lo_fi
429 Eastlake Ave. E, Seattle, WA - $8
10pm again with the Industrial Jazz Group

Then, on Tuesdays March 27th we hit the road for our 2007 West Coast Tour.  The dates and venues are in place and listed below.  If you have friends and family in these towns, please encourage them to come out and support us.  Tell them to bring flowers - we'll probably be hungry, smelly and not makin' a whole lotta money.  But then Rome wasn't built in a day now was it.
 
Yours innervisionally,
John, Sam, Ben1, Izaak, Chris, Ben2 (reptet)
 
Reptet's 2007 West Coast Tour
~~~~
March 28th - Delta of Venus, Davis, CA 8PM  
March 29th - Linnaeas Cafe, San Luis Obispo, CA 8PM  
March 30th - Cafe Metropol, Los Angeles, CA 8PM  
March 31st - Revolution Cafe, San Francisco, CA 9PM
April 1st - Anna's Jazz Island, Berkeley, CA 8PM
April 2nd - The Mobius, Ashland, OR 8PM
April 3rd - The River City Saloon, Hood River, OR 8PM
~~~~


SeaMonster & the Impending West Coast Tour

Message from 2.13.07

Hello Repnation,
Well, the Nectar show last Friday was a blast.  People boogieing down to The Fish Market and such.  Bat Makumba were great fun and
big fans of our music.  For a long time we have felt that since our music is frenetic, theatrical and high energy it would lend itself well
to a larger club going audience.  We've also felt that if people could get past the "jazz" label and actually see one of our shows, our
audience would grow exponentially.  The Nectar show was a step in that direction.  We hope to do more shows like that in the future.
 
But, for those who missed it, we will be playing at The SeaMonster Lounge in Wallingford this Saturday Night (details below).  Chris Credit
kicked up his heels at his debut Reptet show last week.  Come check out the newbie and buy him a beer.  He's been working his ass off
getting up to speed.  He does it all: he grooves, he rocks, he squawks - occasionally, he even talks. Mostly, he sounds like Sam Rivers on
crystal meth.
 
Saturday, February 17th
The SeaMonster Lounge
2202 N. 45th St. (Wallingford) Seattle, WA
http://www.seamonsterlounge.com
 
Lastly, I just wanted to let you know we are slated for a west coast tour to promote our latest CD, (Do This! - Monktail Records) in late March/early April.  We'll be playing throughout California (LA, SF, Berkeley, Davis, San Luis Obispo and more).  Further details forthcoming.
 
Once again, thanks for the support.  And if you haven't been out to a Reptet show in a while, you owe it to yourself to investigate what's goin' down in your own hometown.  The rest of the country seems to dig it.
 
Yours internationally,
John, Ben1, Chris, Izaak, Sam, Ben2 (reptet)
 

Message from 2.04.07
Nectar, Jazziz, Credit and a couple Golden Ears

Hello Repnation,
It's been a month of good news and forward motion for the ol' Reptet.  We discovered that jazz critic Alex Gelfand, writing for Jazziz Magazine, chose Do This! his Top Jazz Release of 2006.  This makes him the third major jazz critic to pick Do This! in their 'top 10' for 2006 and the first to choose it number one. We received a half page photo and small blurb in the Jan/Feb issue (viewable here) - that's us directly under Ornette Coleman *gulp*.  Thanks once again must go out to you, the Reptet fans for helping a small independent Seattle CD become one of the more lauded releases of the year. 
 
We also were awarded two Earshot Golden Ear Awards last Monday.  One for 'Outside' Jazz Group of 2006 and another for Performance of the Year (as part of the Monktail Raymond Scott Project).  You can read the Seattle Times article about the the award ceremony here.  Thanks go out to all those who voted, regardless of who you voted for.  You are supporting and encouraging creative music in your community and you are to be commended. 
 
We would also like to announce the addition of our newest member  - Chris Credit.  Chris likes to make thin pieces of wood vibrate, plays flute and enjoys long walks on the beach.
 
And last but not least, we will be performing this Friday, February 9th at Nectar (in Fremont) with the powerhouse San Francisco Brazilian, world, funk, punk, jazz assemble Bat Makumba.  If you are someone who likes to wave you hands in the air like you just don't care, then you are not gonna wanna miss this show!  So come on down and check out Credit's first Reptet show, cut a rug with Bat Makumba and see what all the hype has been about.
 
Nectar
412 N 36th St.
$6, 10pm, 21 and over

Yours internally,
John, Sam, Ben1, Izaak, Ben2, Chris (reptet)
 

Message from 1.12.07
Another nomination, Vashon and don't forget to vote!

Hello Repnation,
Shortly after we sent out our last message about our Earshot Golden Ear Award nominations we were informed that we had been nominated for Best Jazz Record 2006 by the Independent Music Awards.  Sadly, we did not received notice that we were nominated until the winners were already announced.  But these were big!  They are international awards and some of the judges included Peter Gabriel, Ozzy Osbourne, McCoy Tyner, Marc Ribot, Buddy Guy, Cyndi Lauper, Suzanne Vega, Howard Tate and Bill Frisell. 
Here's what they said:

Congratulations once again on advancing to the final round of the program, which was a tremendous achievement given that submissions more than doubled over last year's program.  As a finalist you'll still have the support of the entire Music Resource Group behind you as 2007 gets underway.

To that end, I'm happy to report that we will continue to host the Finalist Jukebox, with the Vox Populi rating system.  Results of the Vox Populi vote will be reported in the first quarter of 2007, so keep your fans apprised that they can still voice their support!

Tune into the jukebox at: http://www.musiciansatlas.com/pages/IMAFinalist/AlbumFinalist.aspx

So please go to the site, log in and rate what you hear!

In other news, we will be performing at the Blue Heron Arts Center on Vashon Island this Saturday, January 13th as part of the Vashon Allied Arts Panache Jazz Series.  It all gets started at 8PM.  So tell all your Vashon friends not to miss this one.  For more information visit their web site or call 206.463-5141.

And last but not least, don't forget to vote for you favorite Northwest jazz artists by casting an Earshot Golden Ear Award ballot.  Reptet has been nominated for Best Acoustic Jazz Group, Best Recording of the Year and Best 'Outside' Jazz group.  We were also nominated for best performance of the year as part of Monktail's Raymond Scott Tribute performance at this years Earshot Jazz Festival.  Go here to vote: http://www.earshot.org/ballot06.html.  Dealine for voting is January 22nd, so don't wait, do it NOW!

That's all until next time.  Don't forget to visit www.reptet.com for all your Reptet needs.
Au Revoir,
Reptet
 

Message from 12.9.06:

 Four Golden Ear nominations and an Egan's Jam!

 Hello Repnation,
Earshot jazz has nominated Reptet
for three 2006 Golden Ear Awards (the awards given to the best of Northwest jazz):
Best Album for Do This!, Best Acoustic Jazz Group and Best 'Outside' Jazz Group.
The Monktail Raymond Scott Project (5/6 of Reptet, plus four other Monktailers)
was also nominated for Best Performance of the Year.
We are very honored to be nominated and would like to thank the academy.
Winners are determined by the votes of the listening public (that's YOU!).
You can view all the nominees and vote for your favorites by going to
http://www.earshot.org/ballot06.html

 
Also, we will be doing our very first performance at Ballards hippest new venue
Egan's Ballard Jam House on Saturday December 16th.
It's a small venue so reservations are highly recommended. If you haven't been there yet you should make a point of it.
It is quickly becoming one of the coolest clubs in town.
 

Sat, Dec. 16th, 2006
Egans's Ballard Jam House - 10PM
1707 NW Market Street
Seattle, WA 98107
Phone: 206-789-1621
Hope to see you there, and don't forget to vote for your favorites at http://www.earshot.org/ballot06.html
 
Thanks again,
John, Sam, Izaak, Tobi, Ben1 and Ben2 (Reptet)

Message from 10.24.06:
Monktail's Raymond Scott Project

 Hello Repnation,
I just wanted to bring to your attention a performance that I helped coordinate for this years Earshot Jazz Festival
(THE 2006 Seattle Jazz Festival).
This Saturday the Monktail Creative Music Concern (a musicians collective of which Reptet are members) will be paying tribute to one of the unsung musical geniuses of the 20th century - Raymond Scott.  
You may not recognize the name, but you all know his music. He composed a lot of the tunes for Looney Tunes. That's right, Warner Brothers cartoons - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, Tweety & Sylvester, and more.
Five sixths of Reptet are performing in this event and it should be a fun night for all.
It will be held at On The Boards in Lower Queen Anne (all the details below) and starts at 8PM.
I've pasted an article from Earshot Magazine to the bottom of this email that describes how this show came about and who Raymond Scott was and why he is important. The fabulous John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet will follow.
I hope you all can come to the show. And thanks again for your support.
-john
 
Monktail Creative Music Concern's Raymond Scott Project
Saturday, October 28th @ 8PM
On The Boards
425 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle
http://www.ontheboards.org/index.php?page=directions
 
 
Monktail Creative Music Concern Tributes an Early-Movie Great
By Josie Holtzman
Who was Raymond Scott?
 
For some, his cultural significance derives from his contribution to early electronic music. A colleague of Robert Moog, Scott is credited with inventing some of the earliest and most sophisticated electronic musical devices such as the Clavivox, one of the earliest synthesizers, and the Electronium, the "instantaneous composer-performance machine."
Or perhaps Scott's most significant legacy stems from his commercial success: Warner Brothers bought his Merry Melodies in 1943 to provide the soundtrack for America's favorite irreverently wacky cartoon characters, such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
 
But Scott's contributions to the jazz idiom, which were far more enigmatic and ambiguous, have generally been overlooked. A notorious eccentric and perfectionist, Scott, who lived from 1908 to 1994 and graduated from the Julliard School of Music in 1931, may have been lauded as a worthy composer of modern music, but he also has been dismissed for composing "silly pseudo-jazz." In 1939 Rhythm magazine declared: "I don't think that those Scott compositions are sincerely jazz vehicles. Only occasionally do they swing."
 
Ironically, Scott's goal was to revitalize swing, although his methodology seemed counterintuitive: It required that his quintet adhere strictly to the notes and structure of his compositions in a way that straight-jacketed improvisation.
 
The complexly quirky melodies and rhythms of Scott's pieces, which he obsessively and meticulously rehearsed, were performed and recorded by his quintet between 1937 and 1939. His style introduced a new creative perspective, what he called "descriptive jazz," that departed from the jazz norms of the time.
So, what would lead the members of The Monktail Creative Music Concern, a growing cadre of Seattle jazz progressivists comprising several bands, to select this supposedly unimprovisable repertoire for their latest project?
 
The Raymond Scott Project came about as a result of the chance encounter between John Ewing, Collective member and founder of the improvised music group, Reptet, and Irwin Chusid, the foremost living Raymond Scott scholar. Ewing detailed that meeting over the animated syncopations of his fellow Monktail comrades as they diligently practiced the demanding Scott tunes inside Capitol Hill's cramped Gallery 1412: "I wanted to use the artwork of the late jazz artist Jim Flora for the cover art for the latest Reptet album, so I got in touch with the guy who was the director of the Flora Archive and Estate. That turned out to be Irwin Chusid."
 
Chusid, an eccentric from New York City was not only the archivist for Jim Flora, but also a locally famous radio personality with his long-running free-form radio show on WFMU, and, as Ewing soon discovered, the reigning expert and guardian of the Raymond Scott archives, which included Scott's musical charts.
After Chusid and Ewing worked together on the Reptet artwork, Chusid broached the topic of a Raymond Scott tribute, for which he proposed that Ewing assemble a band and Chusid fly out to Seattle to speak about Scott and his legacy. Chusid also volunteered to provide Scott's charts, which, though never notated by Scott himself, were transcribed at the request of his publicist in the 1940s, and had come to rest solely in the hands of Mr. Chusid.
 
"This is living music," Chusid told Ewing as he handed over the charts only a few months ago. "Irwin was very adamant about us taking the charts and arranging them and taking liberties with them. He wants it to live in the present time," Ewing explained. "We could have taken the tunes and played them exactly as they were played on the records in the '30s and '40s, but instead we assigned each tune to the different members of the collective who did their own personalized arrangements."
 
In this way, Monktail was able to put its own creative stamp on the original songs, composing and arranging more improvised solo sections and even adding some new sections and instrumental parts. They are taking some liberties, but John Seman, who co-founded the Monktail Collective about a decade ago, explains: "In the beginning one of the foremost concerns was remaining true to the composer. But he didn't have all of this free stuff in the middle of a section; so, is that ok?" Chusid's relaxed attitude about the music reassured them that it was, so the collective moved forward with the project, diligently practicing the complex charts, internalizing the music, and using new elements to inform their own interpretations of the pieces. As Seman says, "This is the way we can put what we do inside of that music of Raymond Scott."
 
Scott's music lends itself well to this approach in part because, as Ewing says, "people know the melodies because they grew up watching Warner Brothers cartoons. It's almost part of the soundtrack of people's lives." The project even has a compelling predecessor. A few years ago, clarinetist Don Byron, in his "Bug Music" album and performances, featured Scott prominently in his celebration-by-adaptation of the music of early composers for film and television cartoons.
 
If the success of Byron's project was not encouragement enough, the Monktail collective has the further impetus of being able to look forward to performing this music in the presence of the catalyst for the project and reigning Scott expert, Irwin Chusid. He will deliver a lecture on Raymond Scott at Cornish College in conjunction with Monktail's project. [Note: this lecture has been cancelled.]
 
From the history, to the coincidence, to the concept, Monktail's Raymond Scott Project has evolved from a quirky series of events that seem, now, rather a propos for such an unconventional man of American music. Further, for a group that describes itself as thriving on "the atypical and the exigent; the real weirdo stuff," performing the work of a man of such unconventional musical genius, with a legacy so memorable yet contestable, will doubtlessly produce an evening of nostalgia, entertainment, and inventive interpretation.

Message from 10.17.06: 
Tour Recap and SeaMonster on Saturday

 Hello RepNation,
After missing our connecting flight in Dallas, having airport security descend on us, and being castigated by a strange hotel worker for using the “F” word, we are now back from our tour of regions east.

 The trip went swimmingly.  We met up with Chuck Nessa (of Nessa Records fame) in Grand Rapids, played the same bill as Dave Rempis (a bad motherf…[i]shut yo’ mouth![/i]) in Chicago, rocked out for the kiddies of the Adirondacks, chilled with Bennie Blunts in Oneonta, kicked it with Erica Lindsey & the Bard jazz students, hung out with Flip Barnes and Gutbucket in New York, got bent with Mel in Brooklyn, jammed with Dion Paci in Philly, ate cheesesteaks and hoagies with John’s mom in South Jersey, and ended it all by pissing our pants in DC….well, just John pissed his pants (he says it was just sweat, but whatever  ).

 We played some great shows, sold a lot of CD’s, met a lot of wonderful people and, most importantly, planted the Reptet seed.  Special thanks to Mark Lerro, Bill Mackey, Marcia Boshnack, Lazaro Vega, Diane Aaronson, Erica Lindsey, Mel Schubeck, Christina Reily and many others who made this trip possible.

 So, now that we are sounding super tight after playing roughly 20 shows in 12 days, come see us at the SeaMonster Lounge this Saturday.

Saturday, October 21^st ,10PM 

Reptet @ The Seamonster Lounge

2202 N 45th ST (Wallingford), Seattle

 Hope to see you there,

John, Sam, Izaak, Tobi, Ben1, Ben2 (reptet)

Message from 9.27.06: 
And they’re off! Concert in the park when we return

 Hello Repnation,
As we depart the Emerald City for destinations to the east, please take a minute to peruse our web site.  It has been updated with new features, links, info and more.  There is now a radio page with contact info for stations around the country who have played our new disc.  Please call them (especially when we are in, or coming to that town) and request some Reptet.  And don't forget to remind your Chicago, New York, Michigan, Philly and DC friends that we will be playing in their back yard.
 
Tour
September 29 Grand Rapids, MI Schuler’s Books and Music - 7:30PM
September 30 Chicago, IL Elastic - 9:00PM
October 1 Chicago, IL The Hungry Brain - 10:00PM
October 6 Brooklyn, NY Bar 4 - 8:00PM
October 8 Philadelphia, PA Tritone - 11:00PM
October 9 New York, NY Tonic - 10:00PM
October 10 Washington, DC Twins Jazz - 8:00PM

Also, upon our return we will be performing at Sounds Outside - A Celebration of Adventurous Music and Community at Cal Anderson Park, 1632 11th Ave (between Denny & Pine) on Saturday, October 14th from 4:30-6PM.  We'll have just finished our tour and be sounding pretty tight no doubt.  This is an event put on by Monktail and the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department.  It also features other Monktail bands Jesus and the Bobcats, Special OPS and Seattle Harmonic Voices.  The event is kid friendly, goes all day (noon-6pm) and is free!!!  Can't beat that.
 
Wish us luck on our travels and thanks again for your support,
John, Izaak, Tobi, Sam, BenV, BenO (reptet)

Message from 9.5.06:

Rèptèt at TōST

 Hello Repnation,
A quick little heads-up regarding our appearance at TōST in Fremont this Wednesday.
Kicking the night off will be two thirds of the Chicken or Beef Horns (Izaak Mills & Sam Boshnack) with PK on bass and Matt Crane on drums.
This should be a night of beautiful music, we hope you can join us.
 
Wednesday, Sept. 6th
TōST
513 N 36th Street (in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood)
FREE!!!  21+   10PM
 
John, Ben1, Izaak, Sam, Tobi, Ben2 (REPTET)

Message from 8.23.06:
The Beat, the Fest and the Tour

 Hello Repnation,
Wow, some great things have been happening for the ol' Reptet since the release of our new CD.  We've been getting rave reviews from local, national and international jazz publications (Earshot, Seattle Times, The Arts Journal, Downbeat and more).  We've been getting radio play all over the country from Santa Cruz to New York, from Chicago to New Mexico, DC, Salt Lake, and LA.  We've been overwhelmed with the response.  Thanks to you, our grass roots fans, for getting behind the group and helping us take it to the next level.  That said...
 
We have three big announcements:
1) We were featured on KUOW's (94.9FM Seattle) The Beat last Thursday.  You can listen to the program on-line by clicking (or cutting and pasting) the following link:  http://www.kuow.washington.edu/mp3high/m3u/Beat/Beat20060817.m3u - the Reptet feature begins at 43:30.
 
2) We will be opening for multi-Grammy Award winners Eddie Palmieri and The Spanish Harlem All-Stars this Sunday, August 27th at the Vancouver, WA Wine and Jazz Festival.  Go here for details.

3) We just announced our first East Coast Tour!  We will be doing multiple shows in Chicago and New York as well as performances in Grand Rapids, Philadelphia and DC.  Dates and venues are listed below.  If you have friends in these towns, give them a heads up and get em' out to one of the shows.

Once again, thanks to all of you for supporting us by attending our concerts and buying our CD's.  We couldn't do any of this without  you.
 
Best regards,
John, Sam, Ben1, Tobi, Izaak, Ben2 (REPTET)

REPTET - EAST COAST TOUR
September / October 2006  

September 29 - Grand Rapids, MI Schuler's Books and Music
September 30 - Chicago, IL Elastic
October 1 - Chicago, IL The Hungry Brain
October 6 - Brooklyn, NY Bar 4
October 8 - Philadelphia, PA Tritone
October 9 - New York, NY Tonic
October 10 - Washington, DC Twins Jazz
 

Message from 8.1.06:
Tommy's, reviews & updates

 Hello Repnation,
Well it's been a action packed couple of months for the ol' Reptet.  Our new CD has been getting nothing but positive reviews, we are slated to play the Vancouver Wine and Jazz Festival on August 27th (opening for latin jazz legend Eddie Palmieri!), we're putting the final touches on a east coast tour in the fall to promote the new disc, and we're playing at Tommy's this Friday!
 
First things first:

Friday, August 4

Monktail Records Presents
Reptet w/ special guest Floss
Izaak does double duty with both groups (with one arm tied behind his back!)

Tommy's Nightclub
4552 University Way NE (47th & the ave), Seattle
10PM - $5 ($3 with student ID) 21+

Now for the reviews:

 All Music Guide
When the subject of avant-garde jazz scenes comes up in a conversation, the place that is often discussed the most — at least among New Yorkers — is downtown Manhattan (as in the East Village, Soho, and Tribeca). But avant-jazz activity certainly isn't limited to the Big Apple; not at all. There is plenty of it in Boston, Chicago, and many places in different parts of Europe, and Seattle is the city that, in 1999, saw the formation of Reptet. Do This!, the six-member group's second album, is not radically avant-garde, It is mildly avant-garde, and by avant-garde jazz standards, the material is relatively accessible. But at the same time, no one will mistake Do This! for a group of hard bop-oriented, standards-obsessed Young Lions who only play in the tradition. Do This! has it share of abstraction, quirkiness, and eccentricity, and while the material has been influenced by straight-ahead bop and swing, it is by no means enslaved by the tradition. The album favors an inside/outside approach — generally more inside than outside — and the group's long list of influences ranges from Charles Mingus to Gil Evans to Thelonious Monk to Ornette Coleman. The solos of trumpeter Samantha Boshnack, trombonist Ben O'Shea, and saxophonists Tobi Stone and Izaak Mills can be very free-spirited and stream-of-consciousness, but Do This! never becomes chaotic, and one of the album's strong points (in addition to the improvising and composing) is Reptet's cohesive ensemble arrangements. Listeners who have enjoyed the ensemble work of Boston's Either/Orchestra and other inside/outside outfits of the '90s and 2000s should have no problem getting into this early 2006 recording.

The Seattle Times
The album has been attracting attention worldwide...Beyond being a good publicity move, the Flora artwork works well with the Reptet's music, particularly on the raucous title tune and a series of four songs inspired by the Marx Brothers by trumpet player Samantha Boshnack.  Boshnack's tight, buoyant writing for this pianoless chamber sextet's four wind instruments (two brass, two reeds) is a highlight, recalling West Coast arrangers like Rogers. I especially like the way the flighty flute and groaning bowed bass capture Groucho's comic, opposite sides.
 
Earshot Jazz
Do This! is one of the most convincing albums of the last several years from Seattle jazz players...A juggernaut jazz band, arresting, compelling, and just plain cranked-up. 

Doug Ramsey - Arts Journal
There is a sense of joy, whimsy and almost reckless abandon in much of the skilled ensemble writing and playing.  Great fun!
And some of the national reviews like Downbeat and Jazz Times are still to come, so stay tuned!!!

 More about the Vancouver Wine & Jazz Fest and our upcoming tour later.  In the mean time, come check out two of Monktail's big guns, REPTET & FLOSS @ Tommy's on Friday and see what all the hype is about.

 Your humble jazz artisans,

Message from 6.29.06:
Sunday in the Park, Wednesday at the Club, Friday at the Beatwalk

 Hello Repnation,
Much thanks to all of you for making our CD Release Party such a whopping success!  You guys are the most wonderful fans in the world!
 
We have a fan week of performances coming up.  We hope you can join us.
 
Sunday, July 2nd: 1PM-2PM
Capitol Hill Independence Day Picnic
Cal Anderson Park - 1635 11th Ave (between Denny & Pine)
Seattle - FREE!
A fun and startling re-examination of what it means to be patriotic...burgers and weiners too!
 
Wednesday, July 5th: 8:00PM-12:00AM
Tula's - 2214 Second Ave.
Seattle - $7
Seattle's most venerable jazz establishment...come and shake your cocktails rattle your jewelry.
 
Fri, July 7th: 7:00PM-10:00PM
Columbia City Beatwalk
at the Bookworm Exchange
4860 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle - $5 (covers all venues)
 
Hope to see you there,
johnbenizaaksamtobiben, Reptet

 Message from 6.13.06:
 Final Transmission (Seattle Times, EXP, KBCS)

 Hello again Repnation,

This will be our final transmission before our big CD Release Party which is shaping up to be quite the event. 

It appears that the Seattle Times will be running a feature on Reptet this Friday (the day of our CD Release party). Look for it in the Arts & Entertainment section.
Also, Sam and I were interviewed on KEXP's Audioasis program this past Saturday. If you'd like to listen to the archive of the interview and hear some tunes go here: KEXP AUDIOOASIS

Izaak and Sam will be interviewed on Friday morning at 11AM on 91.3 KBCS - give a listen then too.

Hope to see you at the show this Friday:

 Consolidated Works

500 Boren Ave N Seattle, 8PM All Age.

And again, if you'd like to purchase a CD, please visit our website at www.reptet.com/buy
Take care,
-john (reptet)

Message from 6.6.06:
Earshot Cover & CD Release Party

Hello Repnation,

It’s been a while since our last Reptet email.  We wanted to save it up for the big one…well, THIS IS THE BIG ONE!!!

 As you may or may not know, our new CD entitled Do This! was released on May 30^th.  Since its release we’ve been getting a steady flow of praise from folks all over the world.  Radio stations have begun playing it across the U.S. and Europe and we’ve gotten word that some of the “big name” jazz publications are planning reviews and features.  We sent out press releases about a month ago highlighting the CD’s cover art – the late great jazz illustrator Jim Flora (through the Jim Flora estate) granted us permission to use a never before seen art work on our cover.  I think a lot of folks were intrigued, but took a “wait-and-see” attitude.  After all, the proof is in the pudding (music) as they say.  Well, now that the jazz people realize that the music is worthy of the art, there seems to be a growing buzz surrounding the release.  We’ll see where it takes us.

 

There is a four page exposé on the group in this months Earshot Jazz magazine, of which we also grace the cover.  (check it out here - EARSHOT EXPOSE).  They called Do This! “one of the most convinc­ing albums of the last several years from Seattle jazz players.”  We were also on the cover of this months All About Jazz magazine and Seattle Sound is preparing something as well.

 

The CD release party is slated for Friday, June 16^th at Consolidated Works (500 Boren ave N., Seattle).  It’s all ages (with a separate bar for the adults who’d like a drinkie-winkie), it starts at 8PM, and it features an opening set by the great multi-instrumentalist Amy Denio (Billy Tipton Memorial Quartet).  We’ve been working up a couple sets of music featuring all the tunes from the new CD as well as some of the new stuff we’re working on.  We sincerely hope you can make it.

 or those who can’t, or those that simply can’t wait to get their hands on a copy of the disc, please visit our web site www.reptet.com for purchase.  The site’s got song samples, Jim Flora art, Melissa Parson photography and everything you need in order to get Rept-Up.

And one last thing.  If you’d like to help spread the gospel of Reptet but simply don’t know how, here’s something you can do.  Call the following radio stations and request something from Reptet’s new CD, Do This!

KEXP - 206-903-KEXP

KBCS - 425-564-2424

KPLU – 253-535-7758  (call at night only, this station has syndicated NPR programming in the day)

Well, that’s all for now.  Hope to see you at the CD Release Party on the 16^th and don’t forget to support live music whenever and however you can. 

Thanks,

Reptet (John, Tobi, Sam, Benjamin, Izaak and Ben)

  Website maintained by Elaine Ewing ETHER ENTERTAINMENT