Endah N Rhesa: A finely crafted offering

Sun, 03/08/2009 12:45 PM  |  Music

Hello boys and girls and those who have yet to decide! It's time again for another super chunky bite of Underground Hum. Now with extra chewy nougat!

Thanks again for the really nifty emails you guys have been sending. Keep them coming.

And now, on to another fresh and juicy installment of MAIN STAGE:

MAIN STAGE:

Endah N Rhesa: Love Made Audible

It's been a while since I've been excited about coming across a new local musical act, but just recently, as I was hanging out at a friend's coffee shop did I hear something that made me go, "who is this?"

The answer to my question was Endah & Rhesa, a young couple who write and performs beautiful, honest, guitar-based folk music with tinges of bluegrass, soul, and a hint of jazz.

This musical pair first got together to form a rock band in 2003; Endah sang and Rhesa played bass guitar. In 2004, they left the band and Endah started working on a solo project with the help of Rhesa, but something clicked between them and they decided to a go for it as a duet, with Endah on vocals and guitar, and Rhesa on bass, guitar, ukulele, and programming.

They continued on with the format, despite the fact that folk duos weren't exactly in fashion. It wasn't until they saw local folk artist Bonita perform, accompanied only by a guitarist, that they feel confident about the duo format. They recorded several self-released home recordings, performed here and there, and built themselves a small but very devoted fan-base. In 2008, they decided to go ahead and release a professionally recorded LP titled "Nowhere to Go", now distributed on independent label Demajors.

That was the album I heard playing in the coffee shop that day. It's a finely crafted offering with beautiful vocals, lovely guitar work and lyrics ranging from playful to solemn to inspirational.

Upon the first listen, their music reminded me of New York-based Bluegrass/Folk band Hem, in the guitar arrangements and vocal compositions and, in some moments, I could also hear a tad of the Indigo Girls. But those comparisons aside, I find their spirit to be quite original, especially in the stories conveyed in the lyrics. "When we write our songs, we're just trying to completely honest with ourselves" explained Endah after a very homey gig at caf* a few days ago.

Aside from drawing inspiration from local acts such as Bonita and Cozy Street Corner, they also find themselves awed and inspired by eccentric American folk act Bela Fleck and The Flecktones. Anyone who is familiar with Fleck's work knows that he has a penchant for using a lot of "old world" instruments (traditional European instruments brought to American shores by immigrants) such as mandolins, accordions, squeezeboxes, and many other things.

When I asked them if they were interested in diversifying their instruments the way Bela Fleck does, they said that they would love to, but it's very difficult to find musicians that can play those instruments here, let alone play them well. So for now, they play around with easily found additional instruments like the ukulele and the pianica.

Talking to them and especially listening to their music it is obvious how much they love music; the joy they feel seeps into every note they play and every word they sing.

For fans of this kind of light, playful, folk-pop, I highly recommend getting their album "Nowhere to Go". Some of the standout tracks on that record is the gorgeous little rootsy lullaby "Before You Sleep", the contemplative "Catch the Windblows", and the playful "I Don't Remember".

You can find out more about Endah N Rhesa by going to: www.endahnrhesa.com

That about does it for this week's Underground Hum. Don't forget to read next week's edition of Reverb.

If you have any questions or suggestions for this column please contact me at undergroundhum@yahoo.com

For all of you bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date, and entry fee if any.

See y'all next Sunday!

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