A Minneapolis quartet creates instrumental music that is melodic, chaotic and bittersweet. The compositions combine the instrumentation of banjo, mandolin, cello, clarinet and guitar that is on the fringes of classical, jazz, bluegrass and the avant-garde

11 MP3 Songs
FOLK: String Band, CLASSICAL: New Music Ensemble

Details:
Spaghetti Western String Co., a Minneapolis based quartet is:

Michael Rossetto: banjo/guitar
Nicholas Lemme: mandolin/guitar/voice
Ethan Sutton: cello
Paul Fonfar: clarinet

From the City Pages (Twin Cities):

"Spaghetti Western String Co.'s new album, Lull and Clatter, is about as far from a freewheeling jam record as you can imagine, stuffed to the brim with elegantly structured tunes that aren't nearly as creaky and traditionalist as the instrumental lineup might implyâand it's anything but lo-fi.

The core group members (Paul Fonfara on clarinet, Nick Lemme on mandolin and very occasional vocals, Ethan Sutton on cello, and Rossetto) are joined on the record by guests such as drummer J.T. Bates, Roma di Luna vocalist Channy Moon, and even a full choir on "Ellesmere Island." Their previous release, an EP titled The Quiet Mob, was modest and unassuming. The new record finds them expanding their palette while continuing to ground their sound in a compelling mixture of American and European folk traditions. What makes it so fresh is the way they take elements of tradition and blend them with progressive structures and arrangements.

Lull and Clatter never feels forced, but it also never coasts. The balance between texture and melody is impeccable. The band succumbs neither to the temptation to dirty things artificially nor to scrub them spotless. Minneapolis's Wild Sound Studio provided the environment, and from there, they kept it simple."



******From Minnesota Monthly Magazine - April 2008

Lull and Clatter
Spaghetti Western String Co.
Self-released
The clarinet and banjo havenât sounded this good together since they joined forces in early New Orleans jazz bands. But these favorites of the art-museum circuit also throw in a mandolin and the odd string instrument or two to create a textured collection of organic soundscapes, at once delicate and lively, ancient and futuristic. The album title is apropos, as the music swells between pregnant, quiet lulls and lovely barnyard-like clatter. Itâs like the instruments are talking to each otherâand theyâre having a great time. Youâll want to follow any path these idiosyncratic pied pipers lead you down.
âJESSICA CHAPMAN

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