Theater

Lovers of music in this region have a rare opportunity on Friday, April 11, when a unique and highly skilled trio lands in the Chippewa Valley. At 7:30 on that date, Menomonie’s Mabel Tainter Theater hosts Terminal Three in concert. Three talented musicians join to combine ancient and modern, East and West, into a stirring mix of “progressive world music” — with runways into the future.

Guitar/bouzouki virtuoso, vocalist, and composer Greg Herriges plays his instruments with a unique approach honed by his studies of Asian and numerous international styles. Michael Bissonette juggles an array of percussion, including frame drums, cajon, air hose, Aztec death whistle and Glockenspiel. Rundio performs on the futuristic Chapman stick — a 10-stringed instrument that is tapped to sing like a bass, a piano, or an electronic orchestra. The music ranges from Mediterranean folk to Western pop, worldly surf-jrock, and dazzling all-of-the-above originals. You’ll hear unusual renditions of familiar tunes, and be treated to some of the most compelling new sounds.
 

Press Quotes:
“Majestic, epic, gorgeous, inspirational” —TUNEDLOUD
“WORLD MUSIC AT ITS BEST”—Skope magazine
“…the evocative energy of Marc Ribot mixed with the whimsical folk attitude of the Decemberists.” —The Bandcamp Diaries
 

Greg Herriges, founder and musical director, has been recipient of grants and fellowships from the Bush and McKnight Foundations, MN State Arts Board, and the twin cities’ Metro Regional Arts Council. Having released 4 CDs of original and trad. “whirled” music, he is also a soundtrack artist and music director for film and theater, and author of instructional music books published by Hal Leonard, specializing in world music for guitar and bouzouki. As a resident of Eau Claire in the 80s, he honed his performance skills with local bands.
 

Louis Sinclair, aka rundio, makes music including ambient/environmental washes of sound, classical and progressive rock and jazz, and his stunning originals. His state-of-the-art performance rig allowas a tremendous range of sonic expression, combining the modern technologies of looping, digital simulation, sampling, and synthesis with an emotive expression that can only come from a lifetime of “old school” performance.
 

Michael Bissonnette’s varied musical career has taken him from Massachusetts to California to Minneapolis, where he has become one of the area’s most sought-after drummers. He has mastered percussion instruments from around the world including the berimbau, cuica, and pandeiro of Brazil; the doumbek from the Middle East; the djembe, log drums and caxixi from West Africa; the Irish bodhran; and the American drum kit. He has performed and recorded with: Katie McMahon (the original voice of Riverdance); Laura MacKenzie; Heart of the City; Boiled in Lead; Glen Helgeson/Axis Mundi; Louis and Clarke; and many others.
 

The Mabel Tainter concert begins at 7:30pm. Tickets are $22 per seat, including all handling charges. Seats can be purchased online at: https://ci.ovationtix.com/32695/production/1211835?performanceId=11516502