Q & A with Aphrodesia
Ingenuity’s Opening Night (co-sponsored by EarthWatch Ohio) will kick off with a performance by Aphrodesia, an 11-piece world music group that draws on a convergence of pop, trance, dub, and hip-hop, combined with an eclectic blend of rich, female lead vocals, and slamming horn-laden polyrhythmic funk. Along with acclaim for its high-energy live sets, Aphrodesia brings with it a commitment to social change.
In touch from the road, co-founder and bassist Ezra Gale answered a few interview questions:
How did Aphrodesia initially come together?
I met [co-founder, songwriter and vocalist] Lara Maykovich while playing with an afro-Cuban band in San Francisco, and we got together in my backyard shack to work out our arrangements of African music.
How would you describe your current sound?
Since then, the music has taken a much more original bent, with many new members contributing original music and lyrics. I think the background of many of us—in jazz, heavy metal, funk, Latin music and whatever—has ensured that we don’t sound like just another afrobeat cover band.
How does Aphrodesia convey a “green” message?
We decided to practice what we preach in our music and our lives and so we drove our tour bus on recycled vegetable oil for several years and still drive on bio-diesel whenever we can.
What can we expect from your performance at Ingenuity?
We are very excited to play in a place we haven’t played before and for a festival that emphasizes conscious living. We will have voter registration forms available at the Cleveland show. We also want people to make the connection between the war in Iraq and high gas prices and our government’s lack of a forward-thinking energy policy.
Aphrodesia will perform at Ingenuity beginning at 6:00 p.m. Friday, July 25, on the stage at Star Plaza. For more information, visit www.ingenuitycleveland.com or www.aphrodesia.org.