Odyssey Boldly with NS Cellist Katie Larson of The Accidentals on tour with a new album release as Sony Masterworks Artists

With much anticipation from fans and followers, NS Cellist Katie Larson and her Indie Folk-Rock band The Accidentals are celebrating their recent signing as Sony Materworks Artists and the release of a new album, Odyssey.

ODYSSEY ALBUM RELEASE TOUR

Here we go! The ODYSSEY Album Release Tour…Huge props to Ryan Slone New Frontier Touring for making it happen. See all the tour dates at www.theaccidentalsmusic.com #odysseyboldly

Posted by The Accidentals on Tuesday, August 8, 2017

The Odyssey Album Release Tour kicked off in New York City and continues with several dates throughout the US, continuing into Canada, back to their beloved Michigan and beyond.  With many musical stories to tell along the way, be sure to check out a show and share their journey.

“The Accidentals draw inspiration from just about every kind of music you can think of, but it really doesn’t matter what you label them as long as your label contains the word ‘great’.” -“45 of the Best Up & Coming Rock Bands to Check Out in 2017,” GoodDeedSeats

Katie Larson along with bandmate Savannah Buist, violinist/vocalist, are both multi-instrumentalists, and combined with the talents of singer/songwriter/drummer/percussionist Michael Dause, The Accidentals provide an edgy and energetic soundscape that renowned musicians have noticed and that audiences around the country respond to.

Photo credit: Max Sharp

“The musicianship and delicate preciseness to their music is unparalleled to anything else we’ve heard from talents of this age.” Raves from the Ann Arbor Indie Music Examiner

This hardworking young trio have toured extensively as supporting acts and have also joined the stage with some of the greats.  The list is both diverse and impressive: Martin Sexton, Brandi Carlile, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Keller Williams, Andrew Bird, Dar Williams, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Rusted Root, The Wailers, and so on.

“Displaying a genre-hopping range of influence and some smart songwriting skills to go with their abundant musical chops.”-“SXSW: 7 Breakout Acts”, Billboard Magazine

The Accidentals first single released from Odyssey is called “KW”.  Check out an exciting live version of “KW” from Founders Brewery featuring Katie moving and grooving with her NS CR Cello and NS Frame Strap System.  In Katie’s own words: “The NS Design cello and harness system are so versatile in design and tone that they lend themselves to any situation; jazz jams, symphony concerts, outdoor music festivals, theater shows, house concerts, punk clubs, etc.  I’ve used it in every situation and I’ve never had this much fun playing cello.”

To find links to their new album, tour dates and much more about The Accidentals visit their website: http://www.moreaccidentals.com/

For more information about the NS Cellos Larson plays and the entire family of NS instruments, including our newly released affordable and road worthy WAV Cello Series and the new high-performance Eco-friendly active NXTa’s, visit ThinkNS.com.

NS Design Bassist Bakithi Kumalo with Paul Simon – 2017 U.S. Summer Tour

NS Bassist Bakithi Kumalo is back on tour with Paul Simon this summer playing several dates around the country throughout the month of June.  The tour kicked off June 1st in St. Augustine, FL and ends at SummerFest in Milwaukee, WI on June 30.  Don’t miss it!  Tour and ticket information can be found here: http://www.paulsimon.com/news/paul-simon-announces-us-summer-tour/

Kumalo plays a variety of NS Basses and his go-to on this summer’s tour are the WAV5 RADIUS Bass Guitar and the NXT4 Electric Upright.  He also plays the NXT Omni Bass and the CR RADIUS Bass Guitar.

Joining him with an NXT Electric Cello is fellow multi-instrumentalist, composer and tour mate Mark Stewart who has been recording and touring with Paul Simon since the late 1990’s. Stewart is also one of the All-Star musicians in Bang on a Can, awarded Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year and heralded as “the country’s most important vehicle for contemporary music” by the San Francisco Chronicle. Mark is also a member of Steve Reich & Musicians and the comic duo Polygraph Lounge with Rob Schwimmer and in 2013 was in a year-long residency at MIT in the Glass Lab teaching students to design and create a glass orchestra.

Photos: Bakithi Kumalo and Mark Stewart in rehearsal for tour with Paul Simon.

Watch:  Paul Simon‘s debut performance at Austin City Limits with “Wristband” from his album Stranger to Stranger. The album is described by Andy Greene of Rolling Stone as “an experimental album heavy on echo and rhythm that fuses electronic beats with African woodwind instruments, Peruvian drums, a gospel music quartet, horns and synthesizers.”  A great showcase for Kumalo’s talents, who opens this funny song playing his NXT Upright.

 

Watch:  Bass Musician Magazine Interview with Bakithi Kumalo in which he describes how he got his start on stage at just 7 years old playing a Gibson bass in his uncle’s band in South Africa; his ultimate respect for finding the tone, the most influential bassists for him and his willingness to share lessons he has learned along the way to a successful career playing his music for audiences around the world.  And at 22:00 in this interview…see and hear the slap sound technique he’s having fun with these days on his CR5 RADIUS Bass Guitar, it’s a real treat and is as fun, adventurous and masterful as Kumalo himself. Enjoy!

 

Watch:  Bakithi Kumalo and his quartet at 2016 Bass Bash at Winter NAMM, with special guest and fellow NS Artist Avery Merritt playing his NS Custom Exotic Top Zebrawood CR4 Electric Violin.

 

More details and features for all the NS Basses that Bakithi plays along with our new eco-friendly NXTa active series EUB’s, Omni’s, Cello’s, Violin’s and Viola’s featuring battery-free electronics are found at our website ThinkNS.com.