2x JUNO @ PAWLING CONCERT SERIES FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016 – 8:00PM

[Pawling NY]  2x JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nominees & SiriusXM Award winners SULTANS OF STRING make a much anticipated stop at music hotspot PAWLING CONCERTS on Friday, April 1^st, 2016 to release their new CD, “Subcontinental Drift”. Known for spotlighting treasured special guests from around the world, including The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney on their last CD, Sultans of String are particularly excited about this east-meets-west offering. 

“There is something really magical about joining world music rhythms that we often play, but with pop sensibilities and forms and lengths, and blending that with the music of the East”, says bandleader/fiddler Chris McKhool.  Yet, Subcontinental Drift is more than a genre-hopping passport – it is a musical promise that embraces differences while finding common ground across culture, land, and time.

Ambassadors of musical diversity Sultans of String thrill their audiences with their global sound-tapestry of East Coast celtic, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, and Gypsy-jazz, celebrating musical fusion and human creativity with warmth and virtuosity. Fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar, while the rhythm section lays down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound.

Since forming 8 years ago, Sultans of String have been on an impressive trajectory with an astonishing number of awards and accolades in tow, including 2 Canadian Folk Music Awards, a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (for McKhool), and 1st place in the ISC (out of 15,000 entries).

The band is led by 6-string violinist McKhool (Jesse Cook, Pavlo) who grew up in a Lebanese-Egyptian house bursting with music and diversity. Growing up, Chris was fed a steady diet of delicious musicality alongside Middle Eastern cuisine and violin lessons. At the core of the band’s sound is his bold and fiery fiddle, melded seamlessly with founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s (Jesse Cook) rumba rhythm– together their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound – the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. Added to this rich foundation for the Ithaca performance is in-the-pocket bass master Drew Birston (Chantal Kreviazuk) and jaw-dropping percussionist, Chendy Leon (Parachute Club, Alex Cuba).

The band’s US manager and acclaimed promoter David Wilkes (Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker) states, “Over the decades, I’ve worked with numerous top ten and #1 Billboard artists. In all that time, I have not worked with composers more talented than Chris McKhool and Kevin Laliberté from Sultans of String. Not only are they a superb writing team, they are also amazing arrangers & musicians. 

The band has a non-stop tour schedule in support of Subcontinental Drift.

Friday, April 1^st, 8:00pm, 2016

WHERE:  

Pawling Concert Series @ All Saints Chapel, 700 NY-22, Pawling NY

TIX/INFO: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSgbRZVDa30

 

 

“A top bet anytime”.
Toronto Star

Bob Ezrin (Producer–Pink Floyd. Kiss)

• 2015 JUNO nominees – Instrumental Album of the Year     

• 2015 TIMA winners – Best World Album

• 2014 SiriusXM Independent Music Awards Winner- World Group of the Year   

• 2014 IMA Independent Music Award Winner – Instrumental 

• 2013 ISC  International Songwriting Competition Winner- Instrumental 

• 2013 Festivals & Events- Performer of The Year  

• 2013 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for bandleader Chris McKhool

• 2012 Canadian Folk Music Awards winners– World Music Group of the Year

• 2012 Festivals & Events- Entertainer of The Year  

• 2011 International Acoustic Music Awards Finalist – Instrumental 

• 2011 Independent Music Award 2x Finalist – Instrumental Album & World Beat Album 

• 2011 ISC International Songwriting Competition 2x Finalist-  Instrumental & World Music 

• 2010 JUNO Award Nominees –  “Instrumental Album of the Year” 

• 2010 Canadian Independent Music Awards nominees- Favorite World Artist/Group 

• 2009 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) First Place Winners – Instrumental 

• 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award triple nominee winning Instrumental Group of the Year 

  (also nominated for Ensemble of the Year and Pushing the Boundaries) 

• 2008 International Songwriting Competition Winner (ISC) – Instrumental 

• 2008 Festivals & Events Ontario- Best Variety Act