Diego's Umbrella
| Diego's Umbrella | |
|---|---|
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Gypsy rock, punk |
| Years active | 2001-present |
| Labels | Ninth Street Opus |
| Website | www |
| Members | Tyson Maulhardt (electric guitar/vocals) Vaughn Lindstrom (acoustic guitar, vocals) Ben Leon (vocals, electric guitar, percussion) Red Cup (bass) Jason Kleinberg (violin, vocals, accordion) Jake Wood (drums) |
Diego's Umbrella is an American gypsy rock band consisting six male members from San Francisco, California, celebrated as San Francisco's Ambassadors of Gypsy Rock. The members of the group include Tyson Maulhardt a.k.a. the Facehorn, Vaughn Lindstrom a.k.a. the Juergistador, Jason Kleinberg a.k.a. the Gypsy, Benjamin Leon a.k.a. the Token Ecuadorian, Jake Wood a.k.a. the Samurai, and Red Cup a.k.a. the Animal.
Diego's Umbrella describes their own music as "a blend of eastern European gypsy traditional stuff, Spanish flamenco, polka/ska rhythms, and good ol' pop and rock from the west. It sounds schizo to describe it, but it all comes together as dance music. It's a show for getting drunk, sweaty and making bad decisions." Their matching outfits are homemade, and they are known to perform shows without set lists.
The seed for Diego's Umbrella was planted by Tyson Maulhardt and Vaughn Lindstrom in 2001, who released a few albums on their own, until and the band slowly grew with the additions of violinist Jason Kleinberg, bassist Kevin Blair, singer Benjamin Leon and drummer Jake Wood, and they created the signature "gypsy pirate polka" sound they are now known for. Benjamin Leon, in an interview explained their beginnings: "I’ve been playing music since I was about 6 years old, from piano to drums, and then later I picked up guitar and started singing. I’ve known Tyson and Vaughn for about ten years, but I was playing in my own group in Los Angeles for most of that time. They knew I was burning out in LA so they kidnapped me at a Pinkberry in 2008 and we’ve been riding around in a van together ever since." Their quirky namesake comes from a friend's arm tattoo.
The troupe has released 4 albums: Kung Fu Palace, Viva La Juerga, Double Panther, and Proper Cowboy. In the summer of 2011, they released Richardson b/w Downtown EP on Ninth Street Opus in conjunction with their first appearance at Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival. They have also played at the High Sierra Music Festival,Musikfest,SXSW, and have played over 800 live shows. They have opened for notable acts such as Dengue Fever.
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