LOS ANGELES–Element Band–one of the hottest emerging Armenian bands–received the "Best Newcomer Album of The Year" award at the 2006 Armenian Music Awards on May 25–for their CD "Yev O Phe" that debuted in March.
Since its release–"Yev O Phe" has garnered a diverse mix of listeners that span three generations and successfully transcended the diverse musical tastes prevalent in Armenian culture.
The arrangemen’s are bold with the sounds of flamenco–tango–and Rembetika wafting in and out of performances of traditional Armenian songs–which are never forsaken to foreign sounds. Refusing to compromise Armenian melodies–Element nevertheless complemen’s them with the use of the accordion–bouzouki–mandolin–classical guitar–violin–and the purity of the band’s vocalists to serve up a compelling combination of fiery Mediterranean and hauntingly raw Armenian.
Just as the Armenian alphabet incorporated the two additional letters o and phe during the Middle Ages to better incorporate European sounds–Element’s Armenian compositions that incorporate the sounds of Europe and the Mediterranean–while remaining untethered–simply free… to be uniquely Armenian.
Element Band can be heard in concert on Friday–June 16 at 8:00 PM at the Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. For tickets or information–call (818) 343-4757 or (818) 342-6624. Visit www.elementband.com for additional information.