Sultans of String will perform at Claude Church

February 19, 2015 · 0 Comments

After a whirlwind tour stateside, 2015 Juno nominees and SiriusXM Award winners Sultans of String return to Canadian soil with a much anticipated show at Claude Parlour Concerts March 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Known for dizzying music jams, poly-rhythms and revved up riffs, the Sultans of String sound can’t be pinned down. It’s Sable Island meets the Silk Road, with detours through the Gypsy-Jazz coffeehouses of Eastern Europe, next an East Coast Kitchen Party, then over to the bustling markets of Cuba. Fiery violin dances with kinetic guitar, lay down unstoppable grooves. Throughout, acoustic strings meet electronic wizardry to create layers and depth of sound.
Since forming seven years ago, Sultans of String have been on an impressive trajectory with an astonishing number of awards and accolades, including two Juno nominations, a SiriusXM Indies Award, two Canadian Folk Music Awards, first place in the ISC (out of 15,000 entries), plus invitations to play with such legendary artists as the Chieftains and David Bromberg. The Chieftains’ very own Paddy Moloney guests on their new revved up roots-worldbeat-orchestral crossover disc, Symphony.
The band is led by six-string violinist Chris McKhool who grew up in a Lebanese-Egyptian house bursting with music and diversity. Growing up, McKhool was fed a steady diet of delicious musicality alongside Middle Eastern cuisine and violin lessons.
At the core of the band’s sound is McKhool’s bold and fiery fiddle, melded perfectly with founding guitarist Kevin Laliberté’s rumba rhythm. Together their musical synergy created Sultans of String’s signature sound – the intimate and playful relationship between violin and guitar. From this rich foundation, the dynamic duo has grown, featuring such amazing musical friends as bassist Drew Birston, Cuban percussionist Chendy Leon, as well as special guests such as the Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney, folk-pop darlings Dala and sitar virtuoso Anwar Khurshid.