The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Arts May 5, 2006

Beyond the Pale Promises Unique Blend
Canadian Klezmer Band Comes to Rock Folk Fest
 
Pale in comparison: Five-piece Toronto klezmer band hits Tappan tomorrow with an eclectic mix of musical styles.
 

They won’t just bring us beyond the Pale, they’ll bring us around the world too, and they’ll do it at Folk Fest this weekend. Toronto Klezmer band Beyond the Pale will share its cross-cultural acoustic sound on Saturday evening.

Comprised of mandolin player Eric Stein, bassist Eric Higgins, clarinetist Alex Kontovivich, accordionist Milos Popovic, violinist Aleksandar Gajic and violinist Bogdan Djukic (who will not perform tomorrow), Beyond the Pale offers a blend of Klezmer and Eastern European folk music in addition to jazz, classical, reggae, folk, rock and other styles.

“We’re based in folk style and have a reputation as a Klezmer band, but that’s just a component of what we do,” said Stein. “It’s not our end all and be all...We bring aspects [of music] from [all of] our collective consciousnesses.”

The band, which plays many folk and world music festivals, mainly in Canada, sees Oberlin’s Folk Fest as a natural setting for their music.

Last year, Beyond the Pale won the 2005 Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Instrumental Group for their last album, Consensus. In addition, their debut album, Routes, was nominated Best World Music Album at the 2002 Canadian Independent Music Awards. The positive critical response is a sure result of their unique, blended sound.

“There’s a universal accessibility to our music,” said Stein. “It’s not an insular sound that’s just associated with one [genre].”

This accessibility makes it possible for people of varying ages, interests or cultures to find pleasure in their music. Their concerts can be a setting where old Jewish grandfathers and young reggae listeners both feel satisfied.

“We’re eclectic, it makes our music palatable to people who may not have been open otherwise,” said Stein. “We defy people’s expectations about [this music] and the music industry’s need to put labels it.”

Even though Beyond the Pale has roots in Klezmer, it brings so many influences that a strictly Klezmer label cannot do their music justice. This is a result of the band members’ own musical backgrounds and interests. While some members were classically or jazz trained, Stein, for example, was self-taught and stepped into Klezmer from the rock and jam music scene.

“[This music] is a logical step from the Grateful Dead,” said Stein. “I was having the same experiences listening to and performing this music as for a rock band. [They’re] not that different...[As a band, we] take music and [then] assimilate it into our own musical consciousness [to make what we have now].”

Beyond the Pale is sure to excite Folk Fest listeners with its diverse musical stylings. Hear them live at 6 p.m. in Tappan Square tomorrow.
 
 

   

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