On Thursday night in Worcester, MA a talented group of musicians came together from various acts and provided an improvisational jam set for fans at Electric Haze. Everyone Orchestra, conducted by Matt Butler, featured Al Schnier of moe. on guitar, Aron Magner of The Disco Biscuits on keys, Alan Evans of Soulive on drums, Natalie Cressman of the Trey Anastasio Band on trombone, Karina Rykman of Marco Benevento on bass, and Mike Gantzer of Aqueous on guitar.
For those unfamiliar with the premise behind Everyone Orchestra, the concept is quite simple. Conductor Matt Butler leads a group of musicians for an entire show, with each tune being entirely impromptu and pulled together on the fly. No rehearsal. No foresight as to what is to come, and entirely no rhyme or reason. Throughout the show, Butler would write on a wipe board with hints for the band, such as “whole notes” or “back to A,” as examples. Audience participation was well received as the crowd joined in with lyrics at various times during the evening.
Butler, in his unmistakeable colorful top hat, coupled with matching tails, danced around the energy in the room, conducting the highs and lows of each individual jam, and willfully drawing out the magic of each musician one by one. Thursday night’s performance featured a showdown between Schnier and Gantzer on guitars early on in the set, as they threw the jams back and forth, egging each other on to take it to a more unique level with each toss. Butler would jump on vocals at varying points during the evening.
It should also be noted that Thursday night featured the debut performance with Everyone Orchestra for Rykman. She was visibly having an incredible time on stage, as the smile never left her glowing face. Towards the end of the evening, Cressman and Magner created a beautiful, otherworldly tone as the notes from their instruments gracefully danced around each other, helping to bring the evening to a close but not before Butler introduced each musician that joined the band during an upbeat, rocking jam led by Schnier. After the last notes dropped, the audience chanted heavily, “one more song!” and not wanting the evening to end.
If you haven’t seen Everyone Orchestra, do yourself a favor and check out this impromptu gathering of musicians from around the scene. You never know what magical creations will entice your ears during the evening. For more information on Everyone Orchestra, along with tour dates, please check out their web site.
Photos and words by Sarah Bourque.
