Guitarist Jay Gavan of The Red Sea Pedestrians plays Friday night in the Erickson Hall Kiva. The concert was sponsored by Ten Pound Fiddle, a folk music organization in East Lansing.
It might be difficult to imagine a band that utilizes banjos, bass guitars, violins, clarinets and mandolins on stage, but The Red Sea Pedestrians don’t pride themselves on being conventional.
“A major part of the band is the exploring of different styles,” band member Ian Gorman said.
The Red Sea Pedestrians performed from 8-10:30 p.m. Friday in the Erickson Hall Kiva. The band was invited to play by Ten Pound Fiddle, a 37-year-old folk music organization in East Lansing.
The six-member band used several instruments to create music, which Gorman described as “world roots.”
“The basic premise of the band is to combine different styles and sounds,” Gorman said. “We do traditional music, but then we have contemporary rock or folk tune with clarinet and violin and accordion and try to combine it all.”
It was the band’s style that drew anthropology senior Larissa Stenzel to the concert.
“I’ve actually never heard of them before, but I’ve heard of their mix of world music and I thought it sounded really cool,” Stenzel said. “I like that (their music is) very original and there’s kind of like a history behind it.”
Gorman said the band, which has focused on building a strong fan base in its home state of Michigan, has been around for about five years with a notable increase in success during the past two years.
He said he was flattered to hear the organization sought the band out because it was held in high regard.
“The reason we’ve had such success (is) we believe in what we do,” Gorman said. “Another big key to our success is in our sound.”
Sally Potter, who does the booking for Ten Pound Fiddle, said the organization has a concert on campus each year that aims to draw in students.
Last year, the Ten Pound Fiddle brought folk band Frontier Ruckus to MSU and saw a positive response, selling more than 100 student tickets.
Potter said she witnessed The Red Sea Pedestrians’ recent popularity during Michigan’s various folk festivals and wanted to bring the band to MSU.
“We try to find the band that’s the talk of the summer and then we book them for the following spring,” Potter said.
Potter said the band does more than simply create music when they perform.
“It’s one thing to be a good musician, it’s another to be a good communicator,” Potter said. “We try to pick people who can communicate. It’s music that talks.”
Russian junior Julia Rushbrook said she attended the concert because of the band’s roots.
“I’ve heard they’re really great and they’re from Kalamazoo, so I wanted to come out and support a local band,” she said.
Visit theredseapedestrians.com to listen to the band’s music.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
