MILK (TX) October/November 2004

String Theory

Author: SCOTT ROZSA
Photo: ERICA FELICELLA
Photo Assisting: AMBER WIGANT

Everyone wants to be the guy who introduces other people to something totally cool and amazing. Something people will remember and thank you for. Here's a tip:grab your friends and take them to a Neo Camerata show. You'll owe me.

Get ready to experience "new classical" music, a modern melding of lofty vocabulary and nightclub attitude. In fact, the five members - "a string quartet plus piano" - are more comfortable in Deep Ellum haunts than on symphony stages. In bars, there's no artificial hush; cocktails and waitresses keep dancing through the casual crowd.

It takes a few minutes to realize that these musicians have memorized each note, each stroke, each whisper of sound. No cheat sheets here. Group founder Mark Landson explains, "Unlike traditional classical groups, we play amplified, and without stands. We don't want to be removed from the audience, because there is an actual interaction between us and them."

In the classical world, being stand- and sheet music-free is rare. " What we are doing, by memorizing complicated chamber pieces," elaborates Landson, "has only been done by a very few groups in the history of music."

So who are these musical memory virtuosos? American brothers Mark Landson (viola) and John Landefeld (cello), Bulgarian Vesselin Demirev (violin), Canadian Jamie Desutels (violin), and Italian Valeria Vetruccio (piano). NEO-C is just thewse five, but your ears would swear at least a dozen are performing.

Take a look at the charts today and you can see that a classical edge is appearing in hit music. Jay Z, Kanye West and others have used "hip-hop violinist" Miri Ben-Ari to add color to their tracks. Cellist Matt Haimovitz is gaining recognition for his treatment of the Jimi Hendrix version of the Star-Spangled Banner from Woodstock.

While other musicians play dress-up with pop tunes, Neo Camerata plans to stick to its own work. "We don't want to be an imitation. We want to be the original," the y agree. But, they're not afraid to experiment, collaborate, and see what happens. Looking down the road, Landson sees the group working with a full orchestra and an array of other vocalists.

Now, Neo Camerata is poised to leap from local club to media spotlight. In fact, the group is heading out this month on its first national tour, with Dallas appearances yet to be scheduled. It'll probably be the last time you can see this group at a local venue, with your feet kicked up and a cold one in your hand.

Contributing writer Scott Rozsa sacrificed his car in an attempt to see Neo Camerata perform last August. Yes, this band is that good. Check out their concert schedule - and join ClubNeo for all the news at www.neocamerata.com.