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Gettin' down with the Bourgeois Gypsies |
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Written by Words and photos by Ryan Salm/Special to the World - View Profile
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Tuesday, 17 June 2008 |
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 Seeing as I hadn’t left the lake in more than a week, I decided to head down to a little place called Truckee on Friday night. The Bourgeois Gypsies, a Sierraville-based quintet were playing the first of two nights at the Bar of America.
I had seen their name repeatedly on flyers and in the paper but had never heard the music. The band brought with it a full sound consisting of three guitar players, a bass and drums.
Guitarist Arnold Mitchem brought down the funk and blues with some solid guitar solos. The vibe was sweet and the crowd certainly seemed to be enjoying the tunes.
The Gypsies have a full summer touring schedule including a slot at the High Sierra Music Festival. I caught up with singer and guitarist, Kai MacDonald to talk about the life and times of the Bourgeois Gypsies. Here is a Q&A with Kai.
Ryan Salm: What is a Bourgeois Gypsy? How did that name come about?
Kai MacDonald: Bourgeois Gypsies is a play on words, a contradiction in terms. It implies the free-spirited nomadic ways generally associated with the romantic vision of gypsies, but done with a little high falutin'’ style.
 RS: Being from Sierraville, do you consider The Bourgeois Gypsies to be a local act?
KM: Yes we consider ourselves a local act. Three of our band members are based in Tahoe and Donner Lake.
RS: Band history?
KM: Arnold and I started writing and playing together in 2005. In 2006 we released our first CD “Blue Morning.” We expanded the band to its current lineup last year and put out our second CD “Faulty Fairytales” this year.
We’ve played NXNE in Toronto and MPMF in Cincinnati. This summer we’re playing festivals and fairs, in the park up in Truckee and working on expanding our base.
RS: I see you are playing High Sierra — how did that come about? Will that be your biggest show?
KM: After talking to them for months, they finally got around to listening to our CD and called us and invited us to play. High Sierra will be one of biggest shows so far — we’re very excited to be playing there.
Want more information on the Bourgeois Gypsies? Check them out on the Web at www.bgypsies.com.
Upcoming shows:
• July 2 at the Truckee River Regional Park Amphitheater at 6:30 p.m. Free show — part of the free Wednesday evening concerts in the park.
• July 4 at the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, Calif. They go on at 12:15 p.m.
• July 4 and 5 at the Bar of America in Truckee. Shows start at 9 p.m. both nights.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 June 2008 )
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