LIVE at Piedmont Piano Company
Amendola Vs. Blades
Featuring Kasey Knudsen and Ryan Shaeffer
Longtime musical associates Scott Amendola and Wil Blades have been playing as a duo for over 20 years as "Amendola Vs. Blades." They play a genre bending blend of Funk, Bebop, Afro Beat, Avant Garde and more. Their shows have been lauded for their ability to sound like a huge band, even though they are only two musicians. For this special one-off Bay Area date, they will be joined by special guests Kasey Knudsen on sax and Ryan Schaeffer on guitar.
General Admission
$25 in advance / $30 at the door
We are offering a limited number of seats for this performance. Advance purchase is recommended.
AMENDOLA VS. BLADES
If told about a band that consisted of only keyboards and drums, one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking, “Where’s the rest of the group?” But one listen to the funky California-based duo Amendola Vs. Blades and their new album, ‘Everybody Wins’ and all fears will be assuaged. Wil Blades on Hammond organ and clavinet delivers cutting solos and deep bass lines that make for a thick stew of soulful harmony and daring improvisation, while Scott Amendola behind the kit creates beats that are simply unstoppable, simultaneously pushing the duo to heights unknown and sending the listener into a joyful sonic trance.
The musicians first united in 2006 to perform the Duke Ellington album ‘Far East Suite’ and the ball hasn’t stopped rolling since. And despite a little distance on the horizon—Blades recently relocated to L.A.—there is no end in sight for the duo that sounds like an eight-piece band. The extra-musical bond keeps growing, too.
“The ‘Vs.’ is about how we mess with each other,” says Amendola. “It’s one fun part of our personal connection. Our friendship. We take the art of what we do seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Gotta have fun, mess with each other . . . and keep improvising!” avsbmusic.com
KASEY KNUDSEN
Kasey Knudsen is a San Francisco-based saxophonist, composer, and educator. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music in 2002. Knudsen has been described as “one of the region’s most esteemed saxophonists” by Andrew Gilbert in San Francisco Classical Voice and was included in Paste Magazine’s list of “10 Female Instrumentalists Who Redefine Jazz” in 2016.
In addition to leading several of her own projects, Knudsen co-leads groups including the Schimscheimer Family Trio, the Holly Martins, and the Klaxon Mutant Allstars. She has collaborated extensively with many of the Bay Area’s most distinctive musical voices, including performances throughout the United States and Europe with Tune-Yards; international tours and festivals with Fred Frith; and performances with Charlie Hunter, Scott Amendola, Erik Jekabson, Circus Bella, Ben Goldberg, the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, Ian Carey, Beth Schenck, and many others.
RYAN SHAEFFER
Oakland native guitarist Ryan Schaeffer has played all around the Bay Area and across the globe. Ryan’s unique musical background has influenced his instrumentation, creating a fusion of funk, jazz and gospel that allow him to transcend genre.