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2x JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nominees & SiriusXM Award winners SULTANS OF STRING make a much anticipated, encore stop at music hotspot Oswego Music Hall on Saturday, Feb 6th, 2016 to release their new CD, “Subcontinental Drift” featuring sitar master Anwar Khurshid (Oscar Winning Life of Pi, Love Guru).
Known for spotlighting treasured special guests from around the world, including The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney on their last CD, Sultans of String are particularly excited about this east-meets-west offering which honors the migrant journey.
“There is something really magical about joining world music rhythms that we often play, but with pop sensibilities and forms and lengths, and blending that with the music of the East”, says bandleader/fiddler Chris McKhool. Yet, Subcontinental Drift is more than a genre-hopping passport – it is a musical promise that embraces differences while finding common ground across culture, land, and time.
Ambassadors of musical diversity Sultans of String thrill their audiences with their global sound-tapestry of East Coast celtic, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, Gypsy-jazz and South Asian styles, celebrating musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar, while the rhythm section lays down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound.
Since forming 8 years ago, Sultans of String have been on an impressive trajectory with an astonishing number of awards and accolades in tow, including 2 JUNO nominations, 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards, and 1st place in the ISC (out of 15,000 entries).
The band is led by 6-string violinist McKhool (Jesse Cook, Pavlo), a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal recipient who grew up in a Lebanese-Egyptian house (Makhoul) bursting with music and diversity. Growing up, Chris was fed a steady diet of delicious musicality alongside Middle Eastern cuisine and violin lessons. At the core of the band’s sound is his bold and fiery fiddle, melded seamlessly with founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s (Jesse Cook) rumba rhythm-- together their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound – the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar.
The band’s US manager and acclaimed promoter David Wilkes (Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker) states, "Over the decades, I’ve worked with numerous top ten and #1 Billboard artists. In all that time, I have not worked with composers more talented than Chris McKhool and Kevin Laliberté from Sultans of String. Not only are they a superb writing team, they are also amazing arrangers & musicians. Fusing the virtuosic talent of Anwar Khurshid adds to their truly global and mesmerizing sound!”
The band has a non-stop tour schedule in support of Subcontinental Drift.
The first time the Sultans of String played on our Music Hall stage, was in 2011. They returned in 2013 and are returning again, two years later, by popular demand.. Each time this Canadian-based band was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd and is expected to generate a similar wave of excitement.
You can catch these world music masters at the all-volunteer, family-friendly Music Hall venue. The venue is the McCrobie Civic Center, 41 Lake Street, Oswego, in a space overlooking Lake Ontario that volunteers transform into an intimate atmosphere with candle-lit tables surrounding a small stage. Desserts, snacks, popcorn and beverages are available for purchase.
Ticket prices for this event are $18 if purchased in advance and $20 at the door. Children 12 and under are half-price; under 5 are free. Tickets can be purchased on-line at http://oswegomusichall.org/ or at the river’s end bookstore, 19 West Bridge Street in Oswego. Holders of tickets purchased before 1 p.m. on the day of the concert will have preferred seating. After 1 pm, seating will be general admission. For information about money-saving Season Tickets or becoming a member or a volunteer, go to the website or contact Membership Secretary, Carol Forrest at 343-2988.
The Music Hall’s next show, Saturday, February 20, will bring Internationally and nationally acclaimed finger style guitar wizard and blues master, Little Toby Walker ( www.littletobywalker.com). The Oswego Music Hall has been run entirely by volunteers from its beginning over 38 years ago. Volunteers can earn admission to shows by helping with various different tasks. Free Open Mic shows are held on Friday nights before all Sat. shows, making it a popular place for local and regional talent to be heard.
Music Hall concerts are made possible in part with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. For more information call 315-342-1733 or access the Music Hall website: http://oswegomusichall.org/
