The Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal at the Starry Plough presents Édessa (9pm) & Agapi Mou (11pm)

Doors at 8:00pm; Show at 9:00pm.
Admission: $15 – Ages 21+ after 10 pm

Edessa captures the passion and vitality that is at the heart of Balkan music. This often rambunctious band plays the intricate time signatures and highly ornamented modal music that is characteristic of the Balkans with authority and joy. An understanding of the unique connection between this music and it's expression in Balkan dance informs the ensemble's performances and derives from decades-long involvement as both musicians and dancers. Using both traditional and modern instruments, they play a variety of styles featuring long sets that interweave melodies and improvisation with a big Balkan beat. The sounds of this SF Bay Area ensemble include the ancient and mesmerizing music of the zurna and davul; the lyrical and sweet music of the Greek islands; the haunting, trance-like pentatonic music of Epirus; and-at the other end of the acoustic spectrum-the sizzling, contemporary Bulgarian fusion known simply as “wedding music.” Édessa is George Chittenden - clarinet, saxophone, zurna, Ari Langer - violin, Lise Liepman -accordion, Paul Brown - bass and Sean Tergis - percussion.

Agapi Mou is a four-piece ensemble that plays Greek traditional music, with an emphasis on tradition -- no modern sound effects or drum machines, just violin, clarinet, hand drums, laouto, and voice. The name Agapi Mou means "my love" in Greek and describes the group's feeling for the music they play. Formed in 2009, the group performs in the San Francisco Bay Area at festivals, restaurants, dance venues, concert halls, and private parties.