Strangelander by steve peplin

Strangelander began as a song which became the title track of the record. It seemed only natural to let it grow into the very name of the band. I've always loved how John Zorn dealt with this issue. Several of his albums evolved into very committed recording / touring bands, i.e. Moonchild, the Dreamers, Bar Kokhba, etc.

Strangelander takes the listener into Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and beyond.
There is a story here, but not one to be given away without mystery. Subtle details in the artwork will go unnoticed without investigation.

The music was written in about a week and is undeniably influenced by John Zorn's wonderful and deep Book of Angels series, as well as Taraf de Haidouks, Shakti and many others.
There were a few goals I set out to accomplish with this record:
To compose melodies that create strong feelings of well being, but stretch the melodic memory of the listener.
I wanted to create what could be called Middle-Western music; a fusion of blues, East-Indian sounds, jazz, rock, funk, Latin, klezmer, folk and avant garde.
Multiple solos occur simultaneously as in Klezmer music or old New Orleans jazz. This encourages dialogues between the musicians, listening begets listening.

The music (save voices and post production) was recorded live like any jazz-based record - the session only took three hours! The band delivered fantastic, inspired performances which are a joy to listen to.

Steve Peplin is a guitarist and composer who resides in Helenville, Wi. He has recorded and/or performed with many, including Art Davis, Mel Rhyne, The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Yellow Ostrich, De La Buena, the Static Chicken, Strangelander, War, Howard Levy, Amanda Huff, Dierdre Fellner, Dan Schneck, Dan Trudell, Ben Hans, and the Monkeys.