We Interrupt This Program…Brilliant alt-gypsy quintet Balval alters tour plans

CRANSTON, R.I. - March 20, 2014 - PRLog -- Red-hot post-world music group Balval announced that it has had to reschedule tour plans for the United States and Canada originally slated for this spring. Due to circumstances beyond its control, the acclaimed Parisian band has had to set its sights further into the year for its next trek to North America.

Fans of the band will have to wait to see Balval, but that will only help the anticipation grow. The band feels letdown momentarily, too; they had a ballyhooed jaunt to the States in support of its last recording. “We really are tremendously disappointed,” admits guitarist Daniel Mizrahi. “But we’re looking forward to the time when we are again able to play in front of such appreciative audiences.”

In the meantime, there’s a fantastic new recording to feast on, which, while it doesn’t exactly replace the genuine excitement of Balval live, will most certainly satisfy fans hungry for new material.

Ten Hand Band is an emphatic musical statement of a band finding its footing in a variety of exciting hybrid areas. “Tear It Down” is propulsive rock with heavy guitar and a French accent. A fiddle, swampy creole, and a crude blues guitar sound push the “Balfa Waltz.” “Insomnia” starts on its firm, gypsy foundation but revs up the turbo for a fresh new sound. Same with “Tell Us, Beautiful Girl,” which features a soaring fiddle atop a distorted guitar line and stomping rhythm.

Singer Awena Burgess, vocalist/violinist Rosalie Hartog, guitarist Mizrahi, bassist Benjamin Body, and percussionist Patrick Gigon ably demonstrate how a tangy gypsy influence can transform into vastly contemporary, even alternative sounds. Each musician in the band commands attention, as Balval reaches for and touches the body and the soul. In lieu of literally seeing them, at least for the moment, Ten Hand Band does an amazing job of telling at least part of the Balval story.

Whaling City Sound, the rising jazz and world music label, is proud to have Balval on its esteemed roster of artists. On the stage and on record, they prove they command attention, and they’ll have yours too, once you seize the opportunity.

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