The Chandler Travis Philharmonic is an 9-piece technicolor extravaganza from Boston that includes a horn section, string bass, mandocello, guitar, keys, drums, accordion, & valet. George Carlin & NRBQ are among their staunchest longtime supporters, & appear both on their last album, Llama Rhymes, and on their latest, Tarnation & Alastair Sim. Other longtime fans include Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, & Bruce Springsteen, not to mention a diverse selection of relatively recent converts like Of Montreal, Ween, & the Story. Tarnation is the first CTP release in five years, which is what we're celebrating with this gig at Mo's. The album makes up for lost time in a big way with forty-eight (yes- 48!) tracks of utter insanity, including magnum opuses like I'm Chandler's Butterfly, complete with sitar, mandocello, & 4 drum kits; the afro-pop influenced Vasco Da Gama, which features about 50 vocal tracks; & the Prince-inspired Dance Godammit (not to mention a 'heavy', gothic, minor-key version of Brown Eyed Girl that could very well bury that one once & for all.)
'playful original songs that mix mind-bending wordplay with jazz, shimmering rock, & horn-fuelled R & B.' -John Donohue, New Yorker
' A keenly entertaining blend of the Ringling Bros. & Ra...[that] puts the harm back in Philharmonic.' -Jim Macnie, Village Voice