The Evangenitals. More than a band. A movement.
EVANGELICAL: characterized by ardent or crusading enthusiasm; zealous.
GENITALS: the organs of creation; the private parts.
The Evangenitals, founded by playwright/director Juli Crockett and opera/jazz singer Lisa Dee, features Henry Bermudez on lead guitar, fiddler Andrea Baker, Ari DeSano on accordion, drummer Kristy McInnis, and Nathan Phelps currently doing duty on the upright bass.
They are an alt-country hillbilly love punk rock revolution of the freak folk/Americana variety made flesh for your listening pleasure. On a quixotic crusade in the key of life hell-bent on breaking all the world’s hearts open, they are coming soon to a sound wave near you.
Born in Enterprise, Alabama, Crockett's roots are in the soulful country music of the South. After receiving a BFA in theater from NYU’s Tisch School and an MFA in Directing from CalArts (and currently pursuing a PhD in philosophy from the European Graduate School) Crockett has drawn the eclectic blueprints for entirely new genres. In an age of hybrid technology the Evangenitals follow suit with songs ranging from Klezmer-punk-jazz to cow-town truck-stop lullabies, citing influences from the new-wave intelligentsia of the Talking Heads to the archetypal fire of Johnny Cash welded together with the mutant masterminds of Ween. The jukebox at the Mad Hatter’s tea party is the Evangenitals.
Vegan warrior Crockett combines her pioneer lineage with her love of performing arts, to push not only the frontiers of art, but to foster a renaissance of compassion, love, and gratitude as the platform to engage in global collaboration, activism, and community building.
By her side from the genesis of the Evangenitals is vocalist Lisa Dee, formally trained in the art of glass shattering, gospel singing, and spiritual counseling. Her harmonies and operatic solos are devastating and wonderful in the context of art school country punk… and she plays a ferocious tambourine.
The squadron also includes guitarist Henry Bermudez (a combination of Prince and Genghis Kahn with a streak of Stevie Ray Vaughn and the heart of Hendrix), fiddler Andrea Baker (gypsy pirate bellydancer of soaring strings), drummer Kristy McInnis (armpit fart champion and non-stop comedy), and accordionist Ari DeSano (Saint Squeeze Box the Merciful).
Filled with an insatiable desire to explore new forms of musical instrumentation and arrangements, the Evangenitals take listeners on a journey of passion and creative freedom, embracing all of life as source material, from the mundane to the sublime.
The Evangenitals were midwifed in a defunct bowling alley in the gritty Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, where they gave their first performance for a small mixed group of rehab refugees and listless drunks from an adjoining bar.
Since then, the band has recorded three albums, toured the U.S. in a bus of dubious reliability with The 1 Second Film, appearing at scores of clubs from Los Angeles to Georgia, New Orleans to New York. Wherever the band has appeared, a cult following has sprouted like mushrooms after a soft but persistent rain.
Despite a dynamic range of material that veers from quirky anthems to gently persuasive melody, The Evangenitals shows tend oddly toward the rowdy, inspiring boisterous reactions and a physical response that isn't quite dancing, certainly not pogo, but a vigorous bobbing response that is currently being researched by a team of neuro-behaviorists from UCLA.
The Evangenitals are touring the California coast in early 2010, with shows scheduled in San Francisco, Big Sur, Santa Cruz, Ocean Beach, Carlsbad, Solvang, Ocean Beach, San Luis Obispo, Joshua Tree, Las Vegas and Bakersfield. The band plans to reach out to more of the US in the summer & early fall.
Juli Crockett
Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Kazoo, etc.
Name: Juli Crockett
Nickname: Julio, Juliachrista, Jobesobus
Instruments: Vocals, Rhythm
Guitar, Mean-Ass Kazoo, Upright Bass (badly), Clarinet (experimentally),
Hooting, Hollering, Bubbles
Astrological Sign(s): Leo
Birthday: August 1st
Birthplace: Coffee County, Enterprise, Alabama
Favorite quote: "I can, therefore I am." - Simone Weil
Bio: Remember the scary part in pinocchio when they go to Toyland and turn into donkeys? I'm kinda like that.
Hello, my name is Juli and I'm the lead singer/songwriter of the Evangenitals - which is more than a band, it's a movement - and you can get up on that love train anytime you like. I also spent a couple years performing the "June Carter" parts for the Johnny Cash tribute band "Cash'd Out"... so you may have seen me there. In my spare time I provide 1/2 the girl bits of the femme duo Evangina and I play the upright bass for Odious Ari on occasion.
What else? I am a Vegan (because I love animals and the earth). I also like "degrees" and "titles" of various sorts, so I've got a BFA in Theater from NYU, an MFA in directing experimental theater from CalArts and I'm working on my PhD in Philosophy at The European Graduate School. I'm an ordained minister of the ULC (Rev Juli) and I believe in the power of Now, the power of Love, and the power of Music. I've got an African Tortoise named "Mister Turtle" and a whole lot of books and vinyle records. I'm a retired, undefeated professional boxer. According to Sports Illustrated, I am the "real" Million Dollar Baby.
I like to play. I like to read. I like to cook. I like to ride my bicycle. I like to laugh. I like to joke around.
I try to make sense of it all, have minor successes and frequent failures. I die to the world in order to be reborn, also known as going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning. I'm a work in progress, always going somewhere, always there. A both/and simultaneous fun factory.
When I'm not writing songs, plays, short stories and epic novels, I'm out fighting crimes against our animal friends, trying to make the world a more compassionate place.
I have no interest in anything that does not bring more joy, happiness, and well-being to the world and the life experiences of those in it. I believe in the spiritual revolution and I'm already marching.
P.S.
I believe in you.
Cyber Life:
Facebook: Juli
on FaceBook
Myspace: Juli
on MySpace
Website: http://www.julicrockett.com
Twitter
ID: julicrockett
AIM chat ID: juliachrista
Google Talk: juliocrockett
Yahoo Chat ID: juliocrockett
Blog: http://juliocrockett.blogspot.com
Gear List:
Ibanez "Tangerine" Electro/Acoustic Nylon String Guitar
Universal Upright Bass
Ibanez Acoustic Bass Guitar
Fender Jazz "Student" Electric Bass
Clarinet I got off eBay
Other Bands:
Current:
Evangina - http://www.evangina.com
Odious Ari (bass)
Past:
Artichoke
Cash'd Out
Top 5 recommended books
1. Sexus, Plexus, Nexus: The Rosy
Crucifixion, by Henry Miller
2. The Windup Bird Chronicles, by Murakami
3. Master and Margareta, by Bulgakov
4. Immortality, by Milan Kundera
5. Gravity and Grace, by Simone Weil
Top 5 recommended albums
1. The Pod - Ween
2. Teenager of the Year - Frank Black
3. Purple Rain - Prince
4. Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Mountain - Devendra
Banhart
5. Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy - Brian Eno
Top 5 recommended films
1. Repo Man
2. Dude Where's My Car?
3. Dr Strangelove
4. American Movie
5. Roll Bounce
Lisa Dee
Vocals, Percussion, etc.
Name: Lisa Drucker
Nickname: Lisa Dee
Instruments: Vocals, Percussion,
Guitar, Glockenspiel, Frog, and bass on Me Voy
Astrological
Sign: Gemini
Birthday: June 18
Birthplace: Santa Rosa, CA
Favorite quotes: "I often take leisurely
strolls down trouble lane, mistakenly thinking I have been
granted immunity due to my high standing."
~my friend Sarah
"Sweetheart you are a strong woman, tough as nails. But, remember
that you are equally as fragile, and must always treat yourself
like the precious object that you are."
~my guru Marcel
Bio: Lisa Dee is a good friend, and an old soul, with piano hands. A big voice and an even bigger heart, she has sung with Black Spiritual Choirs in Oakland, Opera and Jazz Choirs in Los Angeles. She has sung with several LA bands, from experimental collectives to punk rock. Lisa loves to challenge herself to slow down and listen, and try to keep things as simple as possible, which is not easy for this wandering mind. Realizing that life is short, and always trying to do it all, Lisa Dee is cute, funny and painfully sensitive.
Most of the time she channels God, except for when she is sad and seeking new levels of self inflicted pain and suffering, then she is channeling Jesus. If Lisa had her way, she would just play music with everyone all the time and spend her days at the farmers market, looking for new treats to cook for her friends. Lisa is a music maker, spiritual leader, massage therapist, avid reader, homemaker, a nice neighbor and kind to animals.
Cyber Life:
Myspace: Lisa
on Facebook
Blog: http://lisadeedle.blogspot.com/
Band Geek - Gear List:
Yamaha Guitar
Sennheiser
Mic
Irish Banjo
Glockenspiel
Rolling suitcase full of percussion
Kazoo
Other Bands:
Current:
Killsonic Collective, Evangina
Past:
Fifteen, Artichoke, Las Panchas
Played with:
Dorian Wood, Red Maids, Fascinoma
Top 5 recommended books:
Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
The Color of Water, by James McBride
Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
Hope for the Flowers, by Trina Paulus
Top 5 recommended albums:
Low
Belle and Sebastian
Francois Hardy
Jean Ritchie
Sigur
Ros
Top 5 recommended films:
The Apple
Harold
and Maude
The Pursuit of Happyness
The Straight Story
Once
Henry Bermudez
Lead Guitar
Name: Henry Bermudez
Nickname: 3-Legged Ninja
Instrument: Guitar, occasional vocals
Astrological Sign: Libra
Birthday: October 11
Birthplace: East Hollywood, CA
Year joined Evangenitals: 2008
Favorite quote: "I do not lose what I give." - The Vampire Lestat
Cyber Life:
Website: http://www.henrybermudez.com
Myspace: Henry Bermudez Trio on Myspace
Band Geek -Gear List:
1) Yamaha CGX101-A
2) Fender Jaguar
'62 Reissue
3) Fender FM212 Amp
Other Bands
Current:
Henry Bermudez Trio, Strangely Attractive, Unpopable, Sarah Goff
Past:
Cactys Fire, Bad Vic & the Good Intentions, Sarah Castro, Substitute Universe, Kill Rabbit Kill
Top 5 recommended books, currently:
1. Cien Años de
Soledad, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. The Stand (Uncut), by Stephen King
3. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
4. Candide, by Voltaire
5. Little Birds, by Anais Nin
Top 5 recommended albums, currently:
1. Is This It? - The
Strokes
2. Freakshow - Enrique Bunbury
3. Las ultimas composiciones de Violeta Parra
- Violeta Parra
4. Diamonds to Coal - Eric McFadden Trio
5. Tidal - Fiona Apple
Top 5 recommended films:
1. Requiem for
a Dream
2. Baraka
3. The Song Remains the Same
4. Buena Vista Social Club
5. Antonia's Line
Kristy McInnis
Drums
Name: Kristy McInnis
Instruments: Drums
Astrological Sign(s): Aries
Birthplace: rural Missouri
Favorite quote: "Shit or get off the pot."
Bio:The first time little Kristy played her jazz drumming fathers kit, she was hooked! She played drums all throughout school, and flirted with the jazz band - but would eventually gravitate towards rock music. She started playing in bands at college in Springfield, MO. The Smarties, was her first real band, and they released a well-received independent pop/rock record, "Play It," which can now be found in I-Tunes. After playing in several rock/pop/country bands in MO, she moved to Los Angeles and quickly joined the blues/rock group, The Delphines, founded by Go-Go's bassist Kathy Valentine and singer Dominique Davalos. She has performed and recorded with many L.A. bands, such as The Randies, among others. Then one fateful day, her friend Lisa Dee asked if she might be interested in joining the Evangenitals. She had seen the band a year before, citing them as one of the most original, quirky, fun bands she'd ever seen perform, so it didn't take long for her to say "Hell yeah!" As well as performing with the Evangenitals, she can currently be seen performing with EZ Tiger in LA and The Bluebonnets (w/ Kathy & Dominique of The Delphines) in Austin, TX.
Band Geek - Gear List:
60's orange sparkle Pearl kit, Zildjian cymbals
Other Bands:
Current:
EZ Tiger
Bluebonnets
Past:
The Smarties
Swetty Betty
Combo.com
The Moons
The Delphines
The Randies
Dark Horse Project
Leda Atomica
Melissa Moshe
The Sheenas (all girl Ramones tribute)
Top 5 recommended books:
Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
Many Lives, Many Masters - Brian Weiss, MD
Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards
Top 5 recommended albums:
Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
Working Class Hero - John Lennon
Tapestry - Carole King
What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
The Best of Tracy Ullman - Tracy Ullman
Top 5 films:
The Dancing Outlaw
Young Frankenstein
Grey Gardens (documentary)
Wizard of Oz
Some Kind of Wonderful
Bass Players
They play bass
Names: Currently we're playing with the amazing Nathan Phelps!
Past players: So many good ones... Jeff Jones, Geoff Brandin, Jason Chesney,
Joey Maramba, Keith Lubow, Matt Ticciatti, Laurie Es...
Subs and fill-ins: Mike Ibarra, Mike Harpel, Doug Lunn
Instruments: Bass, Electric Bass, Fender Bass, Upright Bass...
The Story: With Spinal Tap, it was drummers... with us, it's bass players. I don't know how to explain it. We just keep on keeping on. Eventually we'll find one that doesn't blow up, break down, leave town, change career paths...
Andrea Baker
Violin, Electric Violin, Fiddle
Name: Andrea Baker
Nickname: wongnunee (means "wide eyes")
Instruments: violin, fiddle
Astrological Sign(s): Cancer/Gemini, Chinese year of the Tiger,
and Celtic Druid Oak
Birthday: June 21
Birthplace: Michigan
Favorite quote: "What we play is life." --
Louis Armstrong
Bio: Sometime not so long ago, Andrea steered herself off the classical violin path and started on a journey through uncharted fiddle space with her red 5-string electric viola/fiddle, gathering inspiration from the amazing musicians she's jammed with along the way. She's played with blues musicians, Scottish fiddlers, bluegrass legends, Arabian/Turkish musicians (rocking those microtones) and several rock and alternative bands in the L.A. area.
Cyber Life:
Myspace: Andrea on MySpace
Twitter ID: wongnunee
Band Geek - Gear List:
SWR Strawberry Blond amp
4-string French acoustic fiddle with L.R. Baggs pickup
5-string electric Skyinbow violin/viola
4-string electric Zeta violin with midi control
Other Bands
Current:
Honkystomp - http://www.honkystomp.com
Saffron Parade Arabesque Band - http://www.myspace.com/thesaffronparadearabesqueband
Scottish Fiddle Orchestra of Los Angeles - http://www.scottishfiddlers.org
Deb McColl and the Pies
Kan Zaman Arabian Orchestra - http://www.kanzaman.org
Odious Ari
Past:
Shaped Like a Gun
Mystic
Love Gods
Watersphere
Top "5" recommended "books":
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Edgar Allen Poe
Mark
Twain
The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran
The Sandman series, by Neil Gaiman
Violin and Viola, by Yehudi
Menuhin
Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster
Top "5" recommended "albums":
John Lee Hooker
Fleetwood Mac
Loreena McKennitt
Springsteen's Seeger Sessions
Richard
Greene
Danny Elfman
Top "5" recommended films:
Stardust
Motorcycle Diaries
Spirited Away
Be Kind Rewind
Blues Brothers
Corpse Bride
The Darjeeling Limited
Castle in the Sky
The
Red Violin
La Vie en Rose
O Brother Where Art Thou
Raising Arizona
Edward Scissorhands
Pan's Labyrinth
Beetlejuice
Gypsy Caravan
Men in Black
Chicago
Ari DeSano
Accordion, Banjo
Name: Arianna DeSano
Nickname: Ari, Scootch
Instruments: Accordion
and banjo
Astrological Sign: Scorpio
Birthday:
November 18
Birthplace: Syracuse, NY
Favorite quote: "Expect nothing, and you'll never be disappointed." - Jennie Gillette (my Grandmother)
Bio: Ari grew up in Northeast Ohio and then spent about a decade in Brooklyn before moving to LA in the hope of finding employment after the last Internet bust/recession. She has recently been laid off again! But this time she's enjoying it. She played percussion as a youngster, and then studied music composition in college and got completely burnt out. She has since repeatedly fallen in and out of love with art music. But she's never become disenchanted with some types of music -- especially early jazz, popular music from the 20s and 30s, western swing, and any music with accordion and/or bass clarinet. She's also studied commercial music composition. Hit her up for a film score, won't you?
Cyber Life:
Facebook: Ari at Facebook
Myspace: Ari at MySpace
Music site: http://www.musiccomrade.com
Web
design and coding resume/portfolio site: http://www.aridesano.com
Blog: http://jobless2009.com
Band Geek - Gear List:
Hohner
Concerto II accordion
Sylvestri accordion
Fender acoustic amp
Other Bands
Current:
Killsonic - http://www.killsonic.org
Odious Ari
An untitled improv project with
drums, electronics, and accordion
An untitled cabaret project
I back up Dorian Wood - http://www.myspace.com/dorianwood -
on occasion
Top 5 recommended books:
Writing, by Lynda Barry
Top 5 recommended albums:
Hollywood and Western - Lucky Stars
Stay Out Late with The
Lucky Stars Fletcher Henderson
Hocus Pocus
The Okeh Ellington - Duke Ellington
Rhythm Man
- Chick Webb
Top 5 recommended films:
Careful
M
Nights of Cabiria
Battleship Potemkin