Dina Maccabee

Classical viola major Dina Maccabee and free-jazz guitarist Tobin Summerfield made friends in Ann Arbor, MI in 1998. Finding common musical ground, they often joked about the pop record they would make one day ...

Fast-forward a dozen years later and Maccabee is the go-to string player for all kinds of creative and popular music in the San Francisco Bay Area. A veteran of national and European tours with Carla Bozulich and Vienna Teng, Maccabee has been a presence on records with the likes of Vetiver, Billy Talbot, The Cuts, and has appeared live alongside folks such as Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Jones, Wilco and Donovan. Maccabee has composed works for numerous film and theater productions, and has also co-written and produced three albums of original (and unclassifiable) music with her lo-fi duo Ramon and Jessica, a sleeper favorite of Bay Area artists. She's perpetually on the scene in projects like Real Vocal String Quartet, Mark Orton, KillBossa (Tropicalia covers), Khi Darag (Original Middle Eastern Psych Rock), and countless others.

Summerfield, meanwhile, settled in Chicago and has become a staple on the city's indie-rock and free-form jazz movements. Having stints with Larval, Crush Kill Destroy, Head of Femur, Algernon, and Azita, Summerfield has recorded for Knitting Factory Records, Cuneiform Records, Narnack and Contraphonic, Inc. While not being employed by the many many groups in his demand, Summerfield leads the 20-piece ensemble of his own creation, Never Enough Hope, whose last record The Gift Economy was hailed as "a jazz juggernaut" by Time Out Chicago.

Time, then, for one gunslinger to call the other and say, "Time we made that record." The result is a set of tunes that make up the debut release under the Dina Maccabee moniker, entitled Who Do You Suppose You Are. The nine tracks that comprise the record stand outside pop music's endless wandering from trend to trend, and stand solidly on their own ground. The album is timeless, intertwining disparate influences and musical nuance with a contemporary stylishness.

Maccabee's credentials from a decade in the real School of Rock show up in the shape of the structure of her songs, juxtaposed with her concise, intelligent lyrics, and direct, unaffected singing style. Coupled with Summerfield's massive capability as a bassist, guitarist, arranger, producer and writer, the songs emerge faultlessly with good taste. References to mutual favorites -- Slint, Fleetwood Mac, Pavement, Talking Heads, Jim O'Rourke, L. Cohen, Willie Nelson -- slide by with a smile but don't overpower. Drummer and keyboardist Eric Kuhn (Silian Rail, Sean Hayes) contributes a full range of rock-steady beats from sensitive brushes to post-rock devastation. Tying the room together, Maccabee arranges a catchy and haunting carpet of strings to complete this remarkable set of songs.

Who Do You Suppose You Are will be available everywhere Fall 2010 by the boutique Chicago label Antephonic, Inc. Look for Maccabee and gang to tour your city and leave you smiling in the process.

Reviews

Dina is working a cafe/folk/pop vein that puts me in mind of Edith Frost, Laura Veirs, and Maria Taylor. Listening to her myspace tracks, there's a real sweetness to her music and some beautifully streamlined song craft. Also, she's working with a notably great band. I've seen Eric Kuhn drum with Built for the Sea and Sillian Rail and am pretty well stunned by his playing. With Eric Perney on bass and Roger Riedelbauer on electric, Dina has a fantastic working unit. I got the sense that this was one of the first times they've played her songs live. These cats play everywhere in many different projects, so I'm sure we'll get to hear more soon. ONEBANDBAND.COM