Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz

Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz
Background information
Also known as Lord Mouse
Origin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Genres Calypso, Mento
Years active 2008–present
Labels Piranha, Zamzama, Cannery Row, Jump up!
Website lordmouseandthekalypsokatz.com
Members LORD MOUSE, lead vocals
THE KALYPSO KATZ:
Tom Lee Who, tenor ukelele
General Confusion, piano
Benoît Ribot, electric guitar
Martin Pech, congas
Francesco Tonial and Stéphane Doucerain, timbales and shakers
Mark Roman, double bass
Claudio Jolowicz, tenor saxophone
Witold Niedziejko, alto saxophone
Kai Eckhardt, trumpet
Backing vocals: Jungle Jo, Vanillinda, Die Schicke Ulrike, Tiger Tam, Coca Cosi, Chiquita Anita =
Past members Mateo Fauvet, spanish guitar,
Steven Moult, trumpet,
Martin Pech, congas,
Luke Moller, violin, mandolin,
Nick Reddel, violin

Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz are a calypso band based in Berlin, Germany. Starting as an active band in 2008, their music was produced independently, with help from Cannery Row Records of Berlin, Jump Up! records of Chicago, Illinois, and Zamzama Productions of Paris, France. The second album, "Go Calypsonian" was released by the Piranha Musik label in Berlin, Germany.

Biography

Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz is a Calypso band in the city of Berlin, and one of the few active on the continent of Europe. It was formed when the founding members were exasperated to discover that even prominent music professionals had never heard of the genre. Close to a decade later, the band has brought public awareness of the style to countries all over Europe. The musical style, originally from the island of Trinidad, began in earnest in the mid- 1920s, when it was first recorded, and grew in popularity in the United States in the 1950s through the work of Harry Belafonte. Since then, the genre has been all but forgotten in Europe. From the inception of the band the genre has become slowly recognized as a legitimate and dance-worthy musical form within the continent, spreading from Berlin outwards. Although the band is based in Berlin, the members come from all over the world, including the U.S.A., Russia, England, Australia, Brazil, Poland, France, Italy, and of course, Germany. The orchestra endeavors to keep its music as close to the classic sound of the 1920s and 1930s as possible, while still utilizing modern recording techniques. While much of its work is original, there are also covers, used as a reference point, by such calypso luminaries as Roaring Lion, Young Tiger, Caresser and Lord Invader.

With support from SOAS Radio London DJ Rita Ray of the band The Darts, as well as articles in France's major publication Liberation, United States' N.P.R. Italian music critic Paolo Ferrari of Rumore major Berlin news outlets, etc. the band was able to forge a successful relationship with both the industry people and a wider audience. Since then, Lord Mouse and the Kalypso Katz have shared stages with luminaries such as Joe Cocker, Bjork, Iggy Pop, Joan Baez, Patti Smith, Robert Plant, Ben Harper, Youssou N'Dour, Véronique Sanson, Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea, Rene LaCaille and many more.

In 2013 their 2nd studio album "Go Calypsonian" was produced by Colin Bass of 3 Mustaphas 3 and Camel and reached #6 on the European World Music charts for July-August, floating on the top ten throughout the summer.

In January of 2015 Keeley Brineman, AKA Lord Mouse, band leader General Confusion, and Piranha Music, with support from Erica Smith and COSCAP invited many Soca stars from Barbados and St. Lucia for a cultural exchange in Berlin. Included were Red Plastic Bag, Charles D. Lewis, Wayne "Poonka Willock, Anderson "Blood" Armstrong, Lennon "Blaze Prospere and Nicholas Brancker. It was viewed by critics and fans as a general success and plans are in the making for more engagements.

Discography

See also

References

External links