The Portland Cello Project
| Portland Cello Project | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genres | Folk, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Pop Music, Heavy Metal, Alternative Rock, Classical Music, Crossover Music, Jazz, Hip Hop |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Kill Rock Stars |
| Website | portlandcelloproject.com |
The Portland Cello Project is a collective of cello players in Portland, Oregon who have been performing since October 2006.
For almost a year, the group performed ambiguously under the names "Celli" and "Cellodarity" and eventually, exclusively "The Portland Cello Project."
Originally started by Tony Rogers, the first rehearsal took place at the Musicians Union in Portland, Oregon on August 16, 2006. Present at the rehearsal were Tony Rogers, Gideon Freudmann, Zoe Keating, Douglas Jenkins, and Jenette Mackie. Also invited to that first rehearsal were Justin Kagan, Todd Bayles, Skip vonKuske, Adam Hurst, and Noah Seitz.
The first performance of the group was at The Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon on Sunday October 15, 2006.
The management and artistic direction responsibilities of the group were split between cellists Tony Rogers and Douglas Jenkins, until mid-2007 when Rogers left Portland for West Virginia. July 1, 2007 was Rogers last official show with the group at The Doug Fir Lounge. At this performance, the group surprised Rogers by dedicating to him a cover of John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" with special guest Holcombe Waller singing.
After Rogers' departure, Jenkins became the exclusive general manager and artistic director of the group. Jenkins also produced all of the recordings the group has released.
In 2009 the group signed to a one-record deal with Kill Rock Stars, becoming the first and only cello ensemble on the record label.
From 2009–10 the group had external management from Ingrid Renan and Slim Moon of Shotclock Management. In 2009 the group was added to the roster of The Billions Booking Agency, under Mary Brabec, who continues to work with them today.
In 2012, the group recorded and released the songs from Beck's project, Song Reader, with guest singers.
While the goals of the group have evolved over the years, the group's current philosophy as stated on their website is:
The group's first tour was as main support for Buckethead on his west coast USA tour in December 2008. In spring 2009, the group toured as main support for Alexi Murdoch, also on the west coast. The group's first national US and Canadian tour was with Thao with the Get Down Stay Down in fall 2009.
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