If ever there was a Denver troupe that portrayed utter timelessness and beauty, Bela Karoli holds the delicate, gilded crown.
Influenced by aching poetry from the master wordsmith T.S. Eliot and the strung instruments that existed before his birth, along with memorable words from other legendary and the ironic use of modern musical twists, Furnished Rooms tells a series of short stories in a completely unique fashion.
Julie Davis (bass, soft instruments, vocals), Carrie Beeder (violin and cello), and Brigid McAuliffe (accordion, vocals) make up the artistic trio, assembling layer upon layer of lushly crafted strings, harmonies and subtle beats. With a jazz stance and knee jerk approach, Davis takes command with the softest of hand, with McAuliffe’s accordion swirling round and Beeder’s violin darting in and out with rhythmic perfection. If Julee Cruise, Portishead and a toned down DeVotchKa were whipped up in a blender, they would be served as the first cocktail of the evening, which complemented the fine dining entrée that is Bela Karoli.
The orchestration is impressive and would fit right in with the Berlin café crowd in the ‘30s, a Greenwich Village club in the ‘50s, or within Denver’s Hi-Dive where the group will celebrate the release of Furnished Rooms this Saturday, October 6 with The Wheel and Gregory Alan Isakov.
