Subaqueous opens for Avaaza

Vashon Island--Avaaza, (Ah-Va-ZAH) the newest world music ensemble to emerge from the vibrant music scene on Vashon Island will bring their signature sound and danceable beats to the Red Bicycle Bistro on April 8th at 8:30PM.

"Avaaza is derived from the Persian word for voice," explained Azula, the lead vocalist. "We reflect the global community, in that each of us in the band comes from a different history and has developed a unique voice. Avaaza is about celebrating the beauty of music from different cultures and bringing those sounds together in a way that is exciting to watch and fun to listen to."

"And fun to dance to!" remarked Jason Everett, bass player and bandleader. "Our vision is to perform music that moves us deeply at the spiritual/emotional level as well as makes us want to move our bodies. Our hope is that the audience will share this experience and be moved at multiple levels as well."

Azula, began her vocal training in the opera. In her twenties, she became enamored with foreign languages and moved to Europe where she taught herself to sing in many different languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Persian and Arabic.

She and Everett are joined by islander Terri Garrett, who also sings and plays clarinet with Avaaza when she is not performing with orchestral groups like the Northwest Sinfonietta and the PNB Orchestra. "The musical styles influencing our sound are primarily those from the Mediterranean region including Flamenco, Gypsy, Arabic, Persian, and North African styles," she explained.

Rounding out the group is Chaz Reed who is also from Vashon and plays guitar and mandolin; Michael Nageub a native Egyptian who plays nay (Egyptian flute) and keyboards; Tracy Helming who plays violin and is a professional belly-dancer; and George Sadak an internationally acclaimed master of Egyptian percussion on percussion.

Opening for Avaaza will be Subaqueous with special guest Sartori Laurel. Subaqueous is a solo music project of Isaac Cotec. The music has incorporated beat science to create progressive mid tempo and dance music. Using melodic techniques and musical theory to add layers to the experience.

Subaqueous has worked with amazing talent from all over the world and has played with big acts like Bluetech, Iawake, and Jamie Janover. Subaqueous first album was the number one Downtempo album on bandcamp for 2 months straight and continues to be high on the midtempo charts.

Isaac Cotec started making electronic based music in the summer of 2005 working with a project called Psyche Sonics. Psyche Sonics is an experimental group working with binaural beats and altering consciousness through sounds. The Project traveled in a large yurt that moved around the PNW on tour as a musical Art instillation. It was featured in such festivals as Beloved, Emerg+n+see, Oracle Gatherings, and others.

After touring with his experimental and ambient based project Isaac Cotec continued to make music and grow as a musician. As of March 12th 2011 the unique character and sound of Subaqueous was born.

The performance is free and all-ages (until 11:00). Saturday December 8, 8:30 p.m. At the Red Bicycle, 17618 Vashon Hwy - 206-463-5959