It’s a good thing Ameranouche came up with that description of themselves because otherwise we might be at a loss. We might call them a… jazzy… fun… upbeat… bag of awesomeness? It’s hard enough to define the average rock band these days! Whatever you call them, Ameranouche has been a unique perennial favorite on OurStage with first place wins in both 2007 and 2008 and a number of other high-ranking finishes. Last year they were selected by OurStage to play at the 2008 JVC Newport Jazz Festival.

Richard Sheppard, Xar Adelberg, and Ryan Flaherty

Life is pretty exciting right now for the acoustic gypsy jazz power trio. They’ve got a brand new website and a brand new CD, Awake, coming out May 1st. Rhythm guitarist Ryan tells OurStage, “We are just hoping to get this music out to people. We worked the whole last year on the CD and we are very excited about the outcome.”  Ameranouche shouldn’t have any trouble getting the CD out there given the amount of live shows ahead of them right now. Their tour schedule is packed full through November 13th and will undoubtedly pick up even more shows, since the band recently announced via MySpace blog that they are “bookable by YOU” for private events.

Now that you know what the band is up to, you may be wondering,

“What exactly is an Ameranouche?”

“The name is derived from two words; American and Manouche, the latter word actually meaning Gypsy, also reffering to a specific tribe of Gypsies from which the great guitarist Django Reinhardt originated and the style of music often categorized as Gypsy Jazz.  Though Ameranouche is a modern, original group, its members acknowledge Django as an essential inspiration and spirit behind the groups ethos, and could never deny his influence, nor the encouragement and guidance of the Gypsy, Flamenco and Jazz community worldwide. So in a way, it is a way to say thank you and pay homage to all our influences. Thus you have the name, Ameranouche!”

Awake will be available on CD Baby, iTunes, eMusic, Amazon and more May 1st.
Keep your ears open! And don’t miss Ameranouche on tour this summer.