feature photo: Bryan Schutmaat
Eivind Opsvik is poised to unleash the fifth installment of his Overseas series. Overseas V, expected March 17, 2017, is a madcap mixture of punk, art-rock and avant-garde jazz and features Tony Malaby, Brandon Seabrook, Kenny Wollesen and Jacob Sacks. Funny thing is, much of Overseas V is also danceable and probably no track more so than “Brraps!”. As in, ‘four-on-the-floor’ danceable.
In the exclusive video of “Brraps!” above, Opsvik portrays a madman, eating an imaginary meal, smashing an imaginary plate and growling out “Brraps!” to an imaginary person, treating the word like as if it was some damning curse. Under the spinning disco lights and among pulsating woofers, he makes awkward dance moves during Malaby’s sax solo that should make David Byrne proud.
In between the sax breaks are some nifty upright bass ones in one of the clearest hints that the twisted disco on display here is really a disguise for experimental, top-level artistry. And the guy making those deft moves on the double bass is the same one wearing a raincoat making deft dance moves in his living room.
The composer, bassist, bandleader and budding comedic actor Eivind Opsvik does it all rather well.
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