Vagabond Opera profile picture

Vagabond Opera

Bohemian Balkan Bellydance Klezmer Cabaret

About Me

European Cabaret! Vintage Americana! Balkan Belly Dance! Neo-Classical Opera! Old World Yiddish Theater! Welcome to the six-piece, Portland, Oregon-based Vagabond Opera. Based in the Pacific Northwest, yet encompassing the world, Vagabond Opera delivers passionate offerings of Bohemian cabaret. Paris hot Jazz, gut bucket swing, Tangos, Ukrainian folk-punk ballads, Klezmer and vigorous originals meet a world of riverboat gambling queens, Turkish belly dancers, and the enigmatic Marlene Dietrich. Weaving elements of Kurt Weil, Duke Ellington and Edith Piaf with absurdist flair, theatrics and an old world mood, Vagabond Opera presents the new wave of opera--lusty (trained) voices singing in 11 languages and presenting a cabaret of rich musical phrasing, sparkling lyrics and indomitable stage presence, all played with exuberance, skill and a gritty Vagabond edge. This is Opera liberated and reinvented for everyone.The band's lineup features trained operatic tenor and soprano vocals, accordion, tenor and alto saxophones, cello, stand-up bass, drums, and, when the mood is right, a burlesque hoola-hooping fire performer. "The Port of Amsterdam" Live in Portugal, 2008!

.. VIDEO By LUCASO and LADY QI Thanks ! To view video, please click play. Accordion Apocalypse repair Shop, Sat Oct 14th This profile was edited with Thomas' myspace editor™ V2.5

Vagabond Opera on the Silver Screen! Footage by Daflew.com Edited by Robin Jackson, 2008

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 10/15/2005
Band Website: vagabondopera.com
Band Members: Eric Stern, Operatic Tenor and Accordion, Robin Jackson, Tenor Saxophone and Vocals, Leslie Kernochan, Operatic Soprano and Alto Saxophone, Jason Flores, Standup Bass, Mark Burdon Percussion, Skip Von Kuske Cello
Influences: Duke Ellington, Frank Zappa, Marlene Dietrich, Balkan Gypsy wedding music, Danny Elfman, Tom Waits, Yiddish Theater, Vaudville, Burlesque,Comedy,slapstick,Languages other than English.
Sounds Like: Kurt Weil,Duke Ellington,Astor Piazolla ,Ivo Papazov, Yiddish theater, Django Reindhart, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Tom Waits,Balkan Wedding Music, Bellydance music,Circus music,Danny Elfman, The Mothers of invention with Accordions and Cello instead of Guitars!
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Glide magazine interview With Eric

Vagabond OperaBy Julie van AmerongenJanuary 02, 2007Vagabond Opera......a unique ensemble, plays Eastern-European, klezmer-based original, jazz and belly dance music with skill, exuberance, and a grit...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:13:00 PST

New press and interviews with eric

ROSEMARY PONNEKANTI; The News TribunePublished: February 4th, 2007 01:00 AMWhen you're feeling hemmed in as an operatic tenor, what do you do? You get into klezmer-Gypsy-Middle-Eastern-operatic-grunge...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:05:00 PST

listening

So, I'm the cellist, and I don't listen to music much when I'm not playing it. In fact, I mostly listen to tracks I'm about to record, and CDs that are finished that I recorded on. There are a few exc...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Wed, 06 Sep 2006 03:57:00 PST

What Eric listens to

Eric Stern here...wanted to talk about what I listen to...yes Jason is right, Balkan and Middle-Eastern music for sure, but my central vision as artistic director of the band is still focused on the p...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Mon, 21 Aug 2006 11:53:00 PST

What the vagbonds listen too

Hi Everyone , folks often ask what we Vagabonds listen too so I am starting a blog for all of us to rave about our favorite music.  The funny thing is what makes vagabond opera so cool is we have...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Fri, 18 Aug 2006 01:39:00 PST

"It's all innocent fun... till judgement day" tour Blog by Jason

California Kicks Ass , Our tour was a smashing success. from Eugene to Humboldt toSan Francisco and berkley The Vagabond Caravan Was in Top form . From radio shows, nude bathing in the mountains, vo...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Tue, 23 May 2006 09:34:00 PST

What THe Hell Kind of Music is This?! by Jason

I dont Know, But I have percieved a new movement in american music , A Genreless Genre without a name An Eccentric Ethnic musical meltingpot where instruments, forms, and skills long shunned in popula...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Fri, 30 Dec 2005 10:38:00 PST

Band Journal, Eric

Just got back from a mini-road trip...up to Olympia and Seattle then back. I haven't spent much time in Olympia but I thought it was a great...except for one thing. I had to pee like a racehorse so I ...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Mon, 12 Dec 2005 10:41:00 PST

Band Journal, Eric

This is from when we were in Port Townsend:9.26:The other boys are sleeping and I got myself out before 10 to see that the sun hasn't burned off the fog yet and that on this pier it's quiet (but befor...
Posted by Vagabond Opera on Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:22:00 PST