6/29/2009 1:25:00 PM Five Deadly Venoms strike Northern Arizona
Modern String Band: Elio Schiavo and the rest of The Five Deadly Venoms bring their killer New York instrumental skills to Jerome, Flagstaff and Sedona on their way to the Rockygrass Bluegrass Competition.
Gigs
July 2 - Jerome - The Spirit Room
July 3 - 7: 30 p.m. - Flagstaff - Unity of Flagstaff
July 4 - 8 p.m. - Sedona - Relics Restaurant
The Five Deadly Venoms are celebrating the release of their self-titled debut album with a tour of the states this summer, and they'll be paying a visit to Northern Arizona for three dates in the first week of July.
As an encore to the festivities, the band will dig their picks into bluegrass music's biggest Battle of the Bands competitions at the Telluride and Rocky Grass Bluegrass Festivals in Colorado. Past winners The Dixie Chicks and Nickel Creek launched their careers from those same competitions.
It's an ambitious move for this young string band. The competitions are judged according to rigorous professional standards. Songwriting, instrumental ability, and vocal style and harmony are just a few of the areas of virtuosity found in any strong bluegrass outfit. The Venoms will face the scrutiny of the contest judges as well as thousands of eyes on the finals stage, weighed alongside the other hopefuls who have traveled the country for bluegrass' biggest prize. Many of these groups are professionals like the 5DV.
How does the band see their chances? They take a humble approach. "We just love to play music with each other," says mandolinist and singer Elio Schiavo. "Each member of this band brings such unique gifts to the table that every performance is a real joy to be a part of. As far as the competitions, we're really just hitting rehearsal every chance we get, trying to be as tight a unit as we can. We've put true heart and sweat into every aspect of our work together, and we're trying to take it to the next level this summer."
Listening to the debut album inspires confidence in these young pickers. Crafted and recorded in a woody retreat just outside Woodstock, N.Y., and mixed and mastered in the studios of Nashville with 3-time Grammy winner Dave Sinko, it is full of delicately executed musicianship and beautifully written ballads, many of which feel destined to be standards.
Follow the Venoms on tour this summer. Visit www.thefivedeadlyvenoms.com for more details.
