Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem
Rani Arbo is the lead vocalist, fiddler, and founder of daisy mayhem. Her musical life began with cello lessons and Latin chant at age 8, when she was a chorister of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine New York City. Since then, Arbo's circuitous career has comprised church and concert choirs, early music ensembles, a honkytonk band, a Balkan rock band, a Capella groups, and 12 years leading her own acoustic string bands on the U.S. and Canadian circuit. Praised for her evocative, honest, and supple vocals, Arbo is above all a communicator. Whether she is delivering a gymnastic swing tune, a funky call-and-response song, or a ballad, she snares the audience for a riveting journey. Her fiddle style draws from swing/jazz, blues, and old-time; largely self-taught, she now studies with jazz improv maven Julie Lyonn Lieberman (www.julielyonn.com). Arbo lives in Middletown, Conn., where she teaches world music classes for kids and does freelance editing and writing. When time permits, she moonlights in a bourbon-sipping, all-girl honkytonk combo.
Andrew Kinsey and Arbo have been singing partners since 1991, first in Salamander Crossing and now in daisy mayhem. Kinsey's smooth baritone anchors daisy mayhem's vocal harmonies, and he sings swoon-inducing leads on vintage swing tunes and his own originals. An Oberlin College graduate, Kinsey started out as an elementary school-age bagpiper in Lexington, MA. He plays upright bass for daisy mayhem and doubles as a multi-instrumentalist, veering into banjo, whistle, and ukulele.
Anand Nayak is a three-year veteran of daisy mayhem. A graduate of Wesleyan University, he has studied jazz guitar; sung with a Capella, choral, and theater groups; and fronted a Boston-based original rock trio. With his formidable range and ear for arrangements, Nayak is a singer's singer, on both lead and harmony. His gutsy, emotive guitar style and adventurous leads are the backbone of the band's sound. Nayak also works as a producer and engineer, and plays in a duo with his wife, Polly Fiveash.
Scott Kessel is a kit player and world percussionist by training -- but, above all, he is a consummately creative drummer. Nothing that delivers resonance when struck is safe in his hands. To daisy mayhem, Kessel brings the "Drumship Enterprise," a recycled kit with a cardboard box, cat food tins, a Danish butter cookie tin, and a suitcase. A graduate of Wesleyan University and a Connecticut Master Teaching Artist, Kessel teaches and performs through Young Audiences of Connecticut and Massachusetts.