Mapped, Music Without Borders: Choban Elektrik

By Sharon Kavai

Mapped Spotlight of the Week: Choban Elektrik

choban elektrik

 

In this week’s Mapped we make our way a little south of Boston to the land that brought us deep fried Twinkies, Sweet & Low, thrift stores with an unusual amounts of strangers pictures, used wine corks and unhinged artisan door knobs. If you guessed Brooklyn you guessed right.  The birth place of 2,000 calories worth of doughy deep fried creme filled goodness is also the home of Choban Elektrik,  a Brooklyn based group that considers themselves a Balkan, traditional, Gypsy, electric, jazz, rock band.   The trio draws from traditional Albanian, Macedonian, Greek,  Balkan and Armenian rock music for inspiration while adding a classic American soulfulness to their sound. The band consists of Jordan Shapiro on keys and guitar, Phil Kester on drums and percussion and Dave Johnsen on electric bass. While the band is fairly new, two of the members, Shapiro and Johnsen have been playing together for 10+ years and even toured together in the Frank Zappa cover band “Project/Object.” Although they can’t compare to a glistening cloud like hostess treat  teeming with warmed frosting, (obviously nothing can) they do please crowds with their psychedelic prog rock meets old country sound. They released their first self titled CD in April of 2012. Check out their music on bandcamp, then go fry yourself a Twinkie.

 

Mapped playlist of the week, a reminder that yes, music does continue to exist out of the United States