Strangelander

STRANGELANDER IS: STEVE PEPLIN,
DAVID WAKE,
AMANDA HUFF,
AARON GARDNER,
JEREMY KUZNIAR,
MICHAEL RITTER AND PATRICK REINHOLZ; A COLLECTIVE OF LIKEMINDED MUSICIANS WHO CREATE JAZZ WITH WARM HUMANITY, CONNECTING SOUND + MIND TOGETHER.

“JAZZ GUITARIST STEVE PEPLIN ROUNDED UP [THIS] CAST OF ELITE MILWAUKEE TALENT FOR HIS LATEST PROJECT, STRANGELANDER, A BAND INCLUDING DE LA BUENA MAINSTAY DAVE WAKE, SAXOPHONIST AARON GARDNER AND SINGER AMANDA HUFF. GIVEN THEIR COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE, THE SEPTET COVERS ABOUT AS MUCH GROUND AS YOU’D EXPECT ON THEIR SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM, SLITHERING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN GYPSY JAZZ, CLASSICAL MUSIC AND EXOTICA ON A SET THAT’S AS GORGEOUS AS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PIGEONHOLE.”

~THE SHEPHERD EXPRESS

TUNE INTO WMSE ON TUESDAY, JULY 18TH TO LISTEN TO A LIVE SET FROM STRANGELANDER — WMSE.ORG TO STREAM LIVE OR IN THE ARCHIVES, OR SIMPLY TUNE YOUR RADIO TO 91.7 FM AT THE 6 O’CLOCK HOUR. - Shepherd Express

Steve Peplin, Milwaukee composer and guitarist, embarked on new album Strangelander with a few goals:

To compose melodies that create strong feelings of well being, but stretch the melodic memory of the listener
To create what could be called Midwestern gypsy music – a fusion of blues, East-Indian sounds, jazz, rock, funk, Latin, klezmer and folk
His new album achieved each of these goals and leaves listeners with challenging pieces of music that offer constant opportunities for discovery. And, as an added bonus, the group of musicians that Peplin live-recorded the record with have now formed their own ensemble, appropriately called Strangelander.

The group performed tracks from the December 2016 album this past Thursday at 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. - radiomilwaukee.org

Steve Peplin, "Strangelander" (stevepeplin.bandcamp.com)

The jazz composer travels to exotic places on "Strangelander." The delightfully mad "Manzazu" is a heart-racing, anything-goes jazz rocker in the same spirit as David Bowie's experimentations on final album "Blackstar," while the simmering, occasionally unnerving "Sumatra" finds inspiration from Middle Eastern rhythms. - Ourrnal Sentinal

Strangelander

In this episode we talk about the band's story, musical camaraderie, Led Zeppelin, cyborgs, and the upcoming Bjork tribute concert. - I Said

Music Review Roulette podcast review of Strangelander's 'Orchard of Pomegranates'.
9:07 - 20:00. - Music Review Roulette

• Boone & Crockett is truly stuffed to the gills as Strangelander closes out the proceedings here. This group’s self-titled album came out last December via Steve Peplin’s Bandcamp page. The music of John Zorn is an admitted point of inspiration for this band, which also brings to mind at times the euphoric jazz of Kamasi Washington. Out front and center is Amanda Huff, whose presence has generated a good amount of pre-show buzz. Her sultry vocals are at times hard to make out amidst the six-piece band’s din, but she sounds stunningly good when she cuts through, whether singing lyrics or improvising serpentine wordless melodies. [CR] - Milwaukeerecord.com