Already this Sunday 26th of May, are Sea and Air – if you translate it from German (Sie und Er) means she and he – coming to the LMB. They are on spring tour through Europe now, stopping also in Prague. This married duo – German rocker Daniel Benjamin and Greece dancer Eleni Stavros – is able to bring the magic to the stage, with their airy vocals and the knowledge to play 5 instruments at the same time. They don’t need samplers; they just need an acoustic guitar, cembalo, organ, drums and a glockenspiel. Their music is described as atmospheric indie rock with cembalo, inspired by the baroque melodies of J.S.Bach and the Berlin Krautrock. “We’re sick of the loop station and things like that,” Daniel said. “You can do all of this on your own if you practice enough. Two people can sound like a whole band, we just needed to rehearse for a year.” You think, that baroque is not really up to date anymore? Come and see for yourself. And be amazed, when Eleni is playing with her right hand cembalo and with her left hand the drums and Daniel play the drums, guitar and sings at the same time.
They are playing together for 10 years now, but started the project Sea +Air 3 years ago. For the first time they met in a punk rock band. Eleni’s first musical experience was screaming in a hardcore band when she was 19. “We’ve always been experimenting with music, it was never like we only wanted to do this or that,” Eleni said. “We were totally open to any kind of music.“
Their first attempt to perform as a duo came when they were supporting Whitney Houston during her European tour in 2010. Since then, Sea + Air has opened for the White Stripes, the Flaming Lips and Sufjan Stevens. It was also a great impulse to record their first album “My Heart’s Sich Chord” in 2010. Last year they had their Czech premiere at Colours of Ostrava.
The most important cultural artifact for Sea + Air is the harpsichord, the classical sound of which is a major factor in their sound. “It’s my dad’s, and it’s always been in our living room so I could always play on it,” Daniel said. “We’ve always listened the Bach’s harpsichord concerto in my childhood, so that’s something that’s always been in my head.”
To see the unique art of Sea + Air come on Sunday to the LMB. The supporting act is Jana Šteflíčková from studio Ypsiolin, a very talented Czech singer and songwriter, who is mixing genres from folklore, blues, jazz till funk.
