Spaghetti Western String CoDon't miss the "hippest string quartet around" (Chris Riemenschneider)--there are a good supply of tickets available for purchase at the door tonight. The Spaghetti Western String Co. celebrates its third release since the group’s formation in 2003. The current lineup of the SWSCo. features founding members Michael Rossetto (banjo/guitar), Nicholas Lemme (mandolin/voice), Ethan Sutton (cello) and newest member, Paul Fonfara (clarinet). Tonight they'll be celebrating the release of their new CD with the help of a live choir (featuring former members of the Dale Warland Singers), and Fat Kid Wednesdays (Mike Lewis, JT Bates, and Adam Linz).

The SWSCo. began in the winter of 2003 with its critically acclaimed debut, ‘Do Right By People,’ a record that mixed electronic instrumentation with acoustic instruments. It was hailed as one of the top releases of 2004 by the City Pages and the Star Tribune.

In October 2005 the group followed with the ‘Quiet Mob ep,’ released at the Cedar. This five-song release featured daring acoustic compositions including a sullen arrangement of ‘Luna Marinara,’ a traditional Italian folk-song. During this time the SWSCo. wrote two film scores, one for the 1934 epic, ‘Grass,’ and the second for the 1956 French Classic, ‘The Red Balloon.’ The scores were performed live with the films at the Square Lake Film/Music Festival in Stillwater, MN, the Greenman Festival in Duluth and the International Film Festival in the Twin Cities.

Spaghetti Western String Co. won Minnesota Music Awards in the ‘Eclectic Artist of the Year’ category in 2005 and 2006, after an earlier nomination for the same award in 2004.

In 2006, the String Co. collaborated with the ‘Live Action Set,’ a Minneapolis dance troupe, for a performance entitled ‘The Percussionist,’ (Walker Art Center: Momentum Dance Series) The weekend of performances took place at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis and merged live music, dance and theater. For the last year, the Spaghetti Western String Co. has been recording in Minneapolis, working up new pieces and also compiling songs from their two film scores, and ‘Percussionist’ performances. With a host of Twin-Cities musicians joining the group on this recording, (17 to be exact), the Spaghetti Western String Co. presents us with their most daring and playful compositions to date. Tonight, the Cedar welcomes back Spaghetti Western String Co. and their musical cohorts for an evening of bittersweet songs and flying fingers.

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