Michael Roderick founded Mood Area 52 in 1998 as a Piazzola inspired neo-tango ensemble. Since then the group has incorporated Golden Age Tango material, lounge, electronica, Eastern European influences, polyglot vocal material, Waitsian cabaret tunes, chanson, and original compositions about love, loss, genetic mutations, daring women in petticoats, and the ill-hatched crimes of ambitious charlatans into their self-styled Chamber Americana repertoire.The Band performs acoustically as a duo with Michael Roderick and cellist Amy Danziger, and expands into a sextet, combining the talents of accordionist and vocalist Michael Roderick, cellist Amy Danziger, guitarist Billy Barnett, vocalist Marietta Bonaventure, bassists Dorian Crow and Jeremiah Harris, and drummer James West. Mood Area 52 also features various Oregon musicians including Dustin Lanker, Mckenzie Stubbert, Dan Schmidt, Dylan DeRobertis, Anthony Dyer, Derek Trost, Kee Zublin, Cosmos Corbin, Sylvain Duplant, Kelly Leguizamon, and Richard Johnson, adding horns, strings, drums, and additional vocals.Mood Area 52 has performed with Naim Amor, Chuck Palhnuik, The Damo Suzuki Network, Rasputina, The Tin Hat Trio, Slowpoke, Amy Denio, Devotchka, David Lindley, and many other national acts. They perform in venues ranging from clubs to festival stages to old folks homes, accopanying burlesque troops and providing original soundtracks to golden age films.Mood Area 52 has written and performed original soundtracks to F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu", Marks' distopian sci-fi classic "La Jette", Sunset Boulevard, numerous Buster Keaton shorts, and several independent films.Mood Area 52's composition "Furniture Migration" will be used in an upcoming animated short by acclaimed Spanish animated film director Ricard Gras, and Music from their most recent album "Guevara's Ghost" will be used in an upcoming documentary on the life of Che Guevara called "Imagen del Hombre Nuevo."Mood Area 52 is available to play milongas and has connections with the Eugene, Portland, and San Francisco tango community. Their music and interviews have been featured on Argentine public Radio and on the Buenos Aires station Dos por Quatro.Roderick and Cosmos’ collaboration, "Guevara’s Ghost", a fusion of tango, lounge, and glitchy trip-hop beats, is now available through Rocketboy Arts along with their previous releases "Mood Area 52" and "Nine Fancy Tangos."From the U of O EmeraldMood Area 52 is as spooky a tango group as you're likely to find in this town or any other. Their full-length, self-titled album contains one of my new favorite compositions ("Furniture Migration") as well as a number of other brilliant little pieces of creepy mood music. It has been said that they're looking for films to score, so if you need a little old-school European flavor, you might want to get in touch.From the Eugene WeeklyEugene's own Mood Area 52 always sounded like they were providing the soundtrack to an alternate universe where lounge music was a serious blend of Piazzolla and jazz rather than merely a lifestyle marketing concept. So the tango masters have long made a splendid accompaniment to silent films — including, for the fourth time, MA52's Michael Roderick's original score for F.W. Murnau's spellbinding 1922 silent film Nosferatu. - 10/28/06Mood Area 52's instrumental music moves gently from tango rhythms to old-world melodies, anchored by Roderick's skilled accordion playing. Close your eyes, and it's easy to imagine yourself in a French café on a shadowy cobblestone street, or in a gypsy village under the stars. Roderick enjoys composing film scores, and would like to do more of this with Mood Area 52. "I think we all harbor the aspirations of doing music for films," says Roderick, "So I'm trying to shop this recording around in the hopes that someone will be interested in using it in that sort of context.Eugene Weekly Review of 2000 MA52 CD ReleaseA local quintet, this band's debut CD is self-described as "tango nuevo." Jauntily combining sax, guitar, marimba, bass and accordion, the nine instrumentals exude a continental ambience. Whether for cafe society class, lounge lizard cool or rustic romance, MA52 gets my vote. Mood Area 52 features members of such local favorites as Thong, Los Mex Pistols and The Cherry Poppin' Daddies, so you know the music's good.From The Tango TimesMichael Roderick, of Mood Area 52, loves playing at the Tango Center. "It's been a real pleasure to play in that environment." Recognizing the Tango Center's need to immediately raise funds and reorganize to sustain its downtown presence, this performance is Mood Area 52’s contribution to community building efforts. “It's nice to have a spot like this developed downtown,†says Roderick, “it's really cool and beautiful.†Mood Area 52 is a locally founded tango band that reaches audiences worldwide. They’ve recently returned from a successful tour of Argentina, where they were received enthusiastically by both live and radio audiences alike. We’re fortunate to have live music of this caliber to dance to. For more information on Mood Area 52, vist their site: http://www.rocketboyarts.com/MA52/. They also have CDs for purchase at the Tango Center.Mood Area 52 c/o Michael Roderick 840 west 3rd Ave. Eugene, OR 97402 (541) 343-1428
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