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THE BOBS, described by the Seattle Times as “a musical equivalent of a Gary Larsen drawing,” use just their voices and body percussion to fill a room with an orchestra of harmonious sound are playing Morso in Gig Harbor on St. Patricks Day March 17 at 8pm. Manhattan Transfer meets Monty Python…Robin Williams meets Bobby McFerrin…J.S. Bach meets Jimi Hendrix: Grammy-nominated vocal acrobats (and certifiable nutjobs), that’s THE BOBS. THE BOBS are performing as part of the Americana Music Series produced by Michael ONeill and Morso. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Morso or by calling Morso at 530-3463.
This original “band without instruments” has been skewering the classics, breaking all the rules and clear-cutting their own unique path in the world of vocal music for over 25 years, playing everywhere from Lincoln Center to Berlin’s Passionkirche. To quote one reviewer, “…the Bobs still shine, breaking new ground each time they tunnel out of the sanitorium. The twin keys to the group’s creative safe deposit box are unflagging dedication to vocal excellence and utter disregard for everything else.”
It all started when Western Onion went bust, leaving all singing telegram deliverers broke and unemployed. Thus began the Great San Francisco Singing Telegram Depression of 1981. Gunnar Madsen and Matthew Stull, two of the newly unemployed, placed a free 25-words-or-less ad in the classifieds for a bass singer. They got one call--from bass singer, songwriter and recording engineer Richard Greene. After six months of rehearsal, the trio debuted at an open mike in a Cuban restaurant. They sang “Psycho Killer,” “A White Sportcoat” and a few others. The audience loved them. THE BOBS were born.
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At first, THE BOBS”material consisted of uniquely arranged cover tunes. As they began writing their own songs, the need for another voice became apparent. Auditions found Janie ‘Bob’ Scott. A contract with local record company Kaleidoscope Records produced a first album, THE BOBS. A Grammy® nomination for their arrangement of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” and a national concert tour resulted in radio airplay, television appearances, and concerts and festivals in Europe. The Los Angeles Daily News was moved to comment, “The Bobs prove that the best instrument in creating music is the human brain. They are nothing less than sensational.”
30 years later, THE BOBS, “a band without instruments,” are still bob-bob-bobbin’ along. In 1990, Gunnar retired, replaced by Joe Bob Finetti, whose vocal percussion added a new layer to the sound. In 2004, Dan Bob Schumacher took over the role of resident groove-master and oral instrumentalist. From 1998 through 2011, Amy Bob Engelhardt filled the femme-Bob slot (previously held by Janie Scott for 15 years and briefly, Lori Rivera). New to THE BOBS in 2011 is Angie Bob Doctor, jazz singe extraordinaire. Witnessing these four amazing personalities and their combined musical wizardry, audiences tend to “spontaneously combust” (to quote a BOBS song) with alarming regularity.
In 2007, Coldfoot Films released SIGN MY SNARLING MOVIE: 25 YEARS OF THE BOBS, a documentary about the group’s history and evolution. In 2008, The Bobs released their 14th album, GET YOUR MONKEY OFF MY DOG.
In 2011 Angie Bob and Dan Bob recorded Richard Bob’s arrangements of jazz duets for two voices, “He Said, She Said.”
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