Experimental music can be a bad idea, but for rock band Yeveto, it?s all good.
The Baltimore band consists of cellist Amy Cavanaugh, pianist Russell de Ocampo, guitarist Gregory Rago and drummer Ben Hoffman.
Yeveto formed in February 2004 with de Ocampo, Rago and Hoffman when they were asked to collaborate on an original score for the 1920 Paul Wegener silent film, “Der Golem.” Cavanaugh joined the group in spring 2005.
The band has a hard time describing its experimental rock music.
“It?s easier to sum up things when you have vocals,” Rago said. “Coming from the background of writing a soundtrack, our music has a visual and narrative component, too.”
Yeveto will release its new eight-track CD, “For Stars and Atoms,” at the Walters Art Gallery?s Graham Auditorium on Friday.
The new CD “is a lot more rock-oriented than our soundtrack,” Hoffman said. “Since we don?t have a singer, our music sounds like a soundtrack to a movie that you aren?t really watching. It?s something that we all have a problem with labeling, because it?s in its own genre.”
“The songs run the gamut from ethereal atmospheric tracks to intense songs,” Rago said.
“They go from a moody, quiet theme to slowly very loud and driven type of songs,” Cavanaugh added.
The band, which has been all instrumental from the very beginning, has played with the idea of adding a vocalist but has never fully gone through with it.
“We?ve gone through phases where we thought maybe we would incorporate vocals. But it?s difficult to find someone that works. And we are satisfied with the way we sound without vocals,” Rago said.
“The way we are now, our personalities mesh well, and we have a good system going on,” Hoffman said. “I don?t know how adding a fifth person would mesh.”
For right now, Yeveto is content with getting the new CD out there.
“Touring would be great, even doing another soundtrack would be great, applying our sound as a rock band, what we?ve learned in the last couple of years,” Hoffman said.
“We?re doing something a little different as an instrumental band. We have an unconventional sound with our music,” de Ocampo said. “It?s something new and fun.”
Yeveto Release Party
Venue: Walters Art Museum Graham Auditorium, 600 N. Charles St., Baltimore
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
More info: www.yeveto.com
