Botanica / Edison Woods

Show Description

Led by erstwhile Firewater co-conspirator and international piano man Paul Wallfisch, Botanica makes punk rock chamber music for the 21st century. Bridging the gap between Secret Machines and The Dresden Dolls, Botanica produces dark, gritty, epic, sexy music that is neither blind to politics nor ignorant of romance. Called the sonic equivalent of an Aki Kaurismaki film by Intro Magazine (Germany), Botanica's music was also recently described in the New Yorker as "...trafficking in sonic noir with an undercurrent of sinewy menace...sinister sophisticates providing the perfect soundtrack to the after-hours, urban experience." Botanica's music has been used in several films including "Men Cry Bullets" (Phaedra), and The Takedown (Dimension/Miramax). Botanica, (with ex-Jesus Lizard David Sims), is featured in Greg Pritiken's film "Dummy" (Artisan Entertainment), starring Adrien Brody and Milla Jovovich. Paul also scored the film. (Soundtrack on Jellybean/SONY). The band's fourth album, "Berlin Hi-Fi" released across Europe in May 2006, was greeted with rave reviews and Cologne's Westzeit termed the group's performance "jaw-dropping…a unique experience." Trifecta Newsletter wrote that "Botanica might be the best band in Manhattan right now. Eerie, reverb guitar, macabre piano, powerful vocals, intense lyrics and an uncompromising live show."

Haunting and romantic, Edison Woods is a band of villains with a soft spot for love songs. Described as "a cross between the sounds of Elysian Fields and the sentiments of David Lynch", Edison Woods expands the standard rock arrangements to include accordion, violin, and vintage synthesizers in the service of their beautiful and lingering songs. Julia Frodahl's rich yet childlike voice captures wonder and lost innocence, and her band - including members of Antony & The Johnsons and Elysian Fields -- surrounds her in their unique, exquisite, and mysterious brand of music. Live, subtly articulated musical passages, spoken word, and theatrical sequences sweep the audience along into the dreamlike world created by this ensemble of remarkably talented artists.