Vagabond Opera rolls on

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 18, 2012

It was born Oct. 31, 2002, at Bella Faccia Pizzeria on Northeast Alberta Street.

Dressed as a giant oven mitt, Robin Jackson walked in and noticed Eric Stern, an accordion player wearing a top hat with bats on it. Not real bats, but paper-mache, Stern says now.

Vagabond Opera had already come to life through the creativity of Stern and friends, but it solidified itself when he and Jackson met at the pizza place and later jammed together.

“We could tell immediately we were simpatico,” Stern says.

Nearly 10 years later it’s still going strong, a band built on klezmer music and evolving into an eclectic group with belly dancers and cabaret stars.

Vagabond Opera will put on its sixth annual Transylvania Voodoo Ball while also celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Wednesday, Oct. 31, at Star Theater. It should be a heck of a party, given the fun nature of Vagabond Opera, with its costumes and range of music that can be hard to define.

Trained in opera and schooled in Eastern European Jewish klezmer, Stern says Vagabond Opera has been perfectly at home in Portland, which he calls “a laboratory of music.”

He adds: “Klezmer is such a gateway drug of music. We’ve gone to a place in the past two or three years where we’ve learned from every music from around the world, that we use as tools and colors for our palette. We’re more interested in creating our original music. A lot of people say it’s Eastern Euro cabaret. It’s obviously not a rock band. We’re not a jazz band. We’re not an opera company, although sometimes we think as opera, with our voice still taking shape. So, hopefully it’s a unique thing. It’s definitely an ensemble project, even though I lead it.”

The six-person group (including four singers, featuring 15 languages) has changed characters during the years, but has enjoyed the same lineup for almost five years: Stern, tenor/accordionist/pianist/composer; Jackson, saxophonist; Jason “Krivo” Flores, upright and electric bassist/gypsy and Mexican guitarist/melodica; Ashia Grzesik, vocalist; Mark Burdon, drummer/composer; Skip vonKuske, cellist. Dr. Xander Gerrymander serves as manager and “Diva Handler.” Ursula Knudson often joins the band as guest artist.

But, “winds of change are blowing,” Jackson says. Grzesik plans to head to Europe to sing with the Berlin Circus. The band has hired a new singer, Sophie Bloch, who will perform during the Halloween show; she and Jackson attended high school together in Eugene.

Vagabond Opera has put out four albums, including “Sing For Your Lives” last year. It has toured throughout the U.S. and Europe.

“I’ve never found anything that close to us (in style),” Jackson says.

“We’ve toured enough that a scene has picked us up,” he adds. “Cabaret, Steampunk, burlesque, Vulcan groupies … we are more known than we actually tour. We’ve worked hard at it.”

The band has picked up international influences — Bohemian neo-cabaret gypsy-pop, tango, Balkan beats, Arab music, Parisian hot jazz — and plans to tour again, while also expanding its appeal. Belly dancers Rachel Brice and Karolina Lux will join Vagabond Opera at its Oct. 31 show.

“We continue to reach out to who we think are the best in our community, especially in Portland,” Stern says.

Vagabond Opera will be joined by Russian party band Chervona and Dum Spiro Spero with Flip Cassidy and the Junkyard Gospel, as well as dancers Rachel Brice and Karolina Lux for its Halloween gig, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31 at Star Theater, 13 N.W. Sixth Ave.

Tickets are $16, $20 at door (startheaterportland.com). For information, go to vagabondopera.com.