2 Foot Yard in Bloom (Orchestrated)

2 Foot Yard-(n.)1. a very small urban garden in which things grow organically, both feeding off of and defying their greater context. 2. a short-changed measurement.

Borrowed Arms, the most recent CD by 2 Foot Yard, has been critically embraced by reviewers, saying “…every tune is magic: the melodies crystalline, the harmonies supple and complex, the rhythms offbeat and groove-deep.” (Sam Prestianni, SF Weekly). A threesome whose palette includes voice, violin, cello, guitar and drums, 2 Foot Yard combines the harmonic breadth of contemporary classical music with the spontaneity of improvisation and the transparency and clarity of pop music. Their newest program, in Bloom, blends the rich timbres and elegance of a chamber ensemble with the contemporary vitality of the 2 Foot Yard songbook. The trio will work in residency with a professional or student group to create an energetic and evocative performance including arrangements of songs from Borrowed Arms.

With their varied backgrounds in classical music, improvisation, and rock, the members of 2 Foot Yard have been able to merge their musical vocabularies and techniques in a way that is true to all of the branches of their multi-faceted roots. This makes it easy for them to find common ground when working with musicians of different genres, which is something that they find wonderfully rewarding.

2 Foot Yard has worked in various combinations with a chamber orchestra, a female chorus, and a string quartet, all of which showcase their poignant, but dramatic songs on a larger canvas. The textural variety and acoustic energy of these augmented arrangements magnify both the visceral elements of rock and the lush aspects of chamber music while maintaining their natural intimacy and warmth.