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Wise Monkey Orchestra Makes Lauan Records Debut with Live Album Featuring Sax Great Dave Ellis

Recently named Best Dance Band at the 10th Annual San Diego Music Awards, WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA's performance on THEY LIVE encompasses all that we love about the jamband scene; deftly weaving jazz and rock together around a backbone of funk to bring to you Wise Monkey's best album to date. THEY LIVE also marks the first full release with Wise Monkey's current lineup, bringing new life and vigor to the already exciting septet. "THEY LIVE really pulls together our live sound and puts as much funk as possible into one little disc," said WMO manager Reed Stewart. "We're thrilled." Also high on the recorded outcome is well-regarded jazz-rock saxophonist Dave Ellis (Charlie Hunter Trio, the Other Ones, Ratdog), whose "edgy and uplifting" (Jazz Times) tenor is heard on five THEY LIVE tracks. His efforts were captured during a WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA show at a hometown performance at Winston's in suburban San Diego last April. The rest of THEY LIVE was culled from shows in San Francisco (Last Day Saloon) and Lake Tahoe (Humpty's). Ellis also appeared on WMO's last studio CD, Pathways. "I have worked with lots of people, but WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA always steps up to the plate," says Ellis. "They did it again with THEY LIVE, which I am proud to be part of." WISE MONKEY ORCHESTRA has toured throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico for more than a decade. In that time, they have also released four critically acclaimed full-length albums. More recently, the band was featured on Lauan Records' Three Sets: Volume 2, along with labelmates LARRY (Austin, TX) and Ancient Harmony (Atlanta, GA). Lauan Records, based in Boulder, Colo., is dedicated to building a community for the burgeoning jamband scene. Founded to chronicle the creative efforts of jambands across the United States, Lauan Records is not just another record label. It is for and by fans, providing them with a network to discover new bands and new shows, unifying what has traditionally been an extremely regional scene. Many have described Lauan not as a record label, but more as an artist community.