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Lauan Records

Mi2N Music Industry News Network
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WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA MARKS 10TH ANNIVERSARY AND ACCLAIMED LAUAN RECORDS DEBUT WITH THEY LIVE TOUR
02-07-2001

"What makes the Wise Monkey Orchestra so intriguing is their ability to blend a century worth of musical approaches into a single sweaty sound. ... This is hot stuff." Splendid E-zine

BOULDER, Colo. -- Simultaneously celebrating its acclaimed Lauan Records debut and 10th anniversary, the six-headed San Diego rhythm monster known as WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA will be grooving down the nation's highways for an extensive spring tour.

Long regarded as one of Southern California's finest funk bands, WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA released THEY LIVE on Lauan in December with special guest Dave Ellis (Charlie Hunter Trio, RatDog, the Other Ones) on saxophone. The live CD, the fifth overall from the three-time San Diego Music Award winners, quickly earned an "A" rating from Las Vegas Weekly and was hailed by Relix Magazine for offering "some of the best funk-filled, horn-propelled music you're likely to hear." WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA will be reuniting on stage with Ellis for one special stop on the tour, when he joins the band in his hometown of San Francisco for back-to-back nights at Tongue N Groove. Another multi-night event happens in San Diego, when WMO hosts the "Wise Weekend Tour Launch Party" at Winston's, where several tracks from THEY LIVE were captured. WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA kicks off the tour in Los Angeles by headlining the famed Troubadour.

The first leg will hit the West Coast and Western states and move East over the next several months. WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA plans to stay on the road into early summer for its most extensive U.S. trek since 1999, when the band played over 200 shows in 25 states. WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA took a well-deserved break from touring for most of last year and is thrilled to be setting the Monkey back in motion to renew old friendships and welcome new members to the WMO family.

"This is going to be one of the truest tours we've done in a long time because we really wouldn't want to be anywhere else," says Alley, WMO's sultry lead singer. "We haven't felt this good collectively in a long time. We're ready to go."

WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA is just as excited to be launching its second decade propelled by its new relationship with Lauan, "The Jamband Label." The band released its previous four CDs on its own and is emerging "older and wiser" from past experience.

"It's a huge thing," says Alley. "We're so much more dedicated to making good music and putting on a good show. Our show is for people who love music and love to dance and have a good time. That's what we're all about. To me, a great night is when that vibe reverberates from the crowd, and we're expecting a lot of them this time. The lineup we have now is so honest and genuine, that we just can't stop loving each other and loving what we're doing."

CATCH THE MONKEY IF YOU CAN ...

Thursday    Feb. 22         Troubadour        Los Angeles, CA
Fri.-Sat.   Feb. 23-24      Winston's         San Diego, CA
                                              *Wise Weekend Tour Launch Party*
Sat.        March 10        Dead Goat         Salt Lake City, Utah
Sun.-Mon.   March 11-12     TBA               Park City, Utah
Tues.       March 13        TBA               Aspen, CO
Wed.        March 14        San Juan Room     Durango, CO
Fri.        March 16        Nita's Hideaway   Tempe, AZ
Sat.        March 17        Maloney's         Tucson, AZ
Fri.-Sat.   March 23-24     Tongue N Groove   San Francisco, CA
                                              *with special guest Dave Ellis*
Sun.        March 25        Sierra Vista      Lake Tahoe City, NV
MORE DATES TO COME ...

www.wisemonkey.com
www.lauan.com

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