"What's That? (a Radiohead Project)" is a 6-piece group of Minneapolis-based musicians devoted entirely to the presentation of the music of Radiohead. Embracing the experimental nature of Radiohead’s music, the group utilizes improvisation and unique arrangements of Radiohead's most challenging and popular material, while remaining true to the originality of the compositions.

“What’s That? (a Radiohead Project)” has been generating a buzz around Minneapolis, which has not seen a concert by Radiohead in more than a decade. Musical Director and keyboardist, Marc Z., says he formed the project out of a desire to bring Radiohead’s music to the Twin Cities. “When I saw that Lollapalooza in Chicago was as close as they were coming this year, I wanted to bring something to the fans in the Twin Cities who deserved to hear this music performed locally.”

“What’s That? (a Radiohead Project)” strives to deliver a fresh and spontaneous approach to their interpretation of Radiohead's music. “We try to avoid mimicry and imitation as much as possible,” Marc says, “while at the same time remaining true to what makes the music so original in the first place.” Like their namesake, the group incorporates a fair amount of improvisation into their performances, while also developing unique arrangements of the material. “Our goal is to embrace the experimental nature of Radiohead’s music, while delivering a quality live experience for all the people who’ve connected with this music over the years,” Marc said.

Members of “What’s That? (a Radiohead Project)” were recruited entirely through an ad placed on Craigslist. “Quite a few people responded and asked to audition,” Marc says. “When I pointed them towards the most challenging Radiohead songs and asked, ‘Can you play this?’ a lot of them stopped returning my e-mails. But luckily, the ones who stuck with it are the ones in the group today.”

The group’s current set list includes nearly 30 of Radiohead’s most innovative and popular material, ranging from the multi-platinum album, OK Computer, to its equally successful follow-up, the experimental Kid A, to this year’s name-your-price download, In Rainbows.

Two performances are also scheduled for December. The first will be a free, all ages 1 hour set at The Whole Music Club, Coffman Union, University of MN campus on December 4. Immediately following this will be a full evening’s performance at The Terminal Bar on Friday, December 5, with “EXIT STAGE RIGHT,” a tribute to the Canadian progressive rock group Rush.

More information about the group is available on their homepage, located at www.radioheadproject.com, and also on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/radioheadproject

Composer, Sound Design, Filmmaker, Songwriting and General Mayhem.

Born in San Diego, California in 1980, Devin Anderson has studied classical piano, composition with Prix de Rome winner Jim Heinke, film music with composer Hummie Mann and attended The Seattle Film Institutes 40 week Total Immersion program. Twice. He also plays bass with former PCP Berzerker members, Eric Hunter and Rod Bailey, in a currently unnamed rock group, and frequently collaborates with his wife, singer and saxophonist J. Marie Anderson.

As a composer, in addition to scoring his own directorial debut, a short entitled ‘Folie à Deux’, he has composed music for several independent pictures, including but not limited to Wisconsin born filmmaker Jack Bennett’s surrealist film ‘Synthetik’ (which received it’s award-winning World Premiere at The Beloit International Film Festival in January of 2008) and Tim Boyd’s film ‘Uniforms’ which starred members of popular group Death Cab for Cutie.

He has provided music for two promotional films produced by The Northwest Film Forum, the regions first and only non-profit organization for the film arts. He has composed concert works in various genres, including solo instrumental works, vocal works, and chamber ensemble, and recently was commissioned to compose for an Art Exhibition of egg tempura painter Nathan DiPietro.

He has just completed musical duties on a short film, again for director Jack Bennett, entitled ‘The Neu Transients’. The picture runs 5 minutes and is a memorial to the City of old now over-run by condos and commercial construction, and uses the Seattle cityscape, the music, and the film’s two lead actors (Benjamin Moody and Astrid Benet) to explore ideas of reflection, space, rhythm and transformation. The work premiered at the Northwest Film Forum as part of their City Symphony program on November 19th.

His score to ‘Folie à Deux’ was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence at the 2008 Park City Film Music Festival under the catagory Best Original Music - Short Film.

His particular type of electronic-rock (?) songs are strange, somewhat crude, and personal - rough first-take all-to-human vocals, with consistantly surreal lyrics, laid over intricately crafted, orchestral-like backing music and boiled to a simmer.

He hopes to continue being involved in film and music until his death.

I come from California originally. I started really listening to music in my late teens. I started out on great progressive rock like Yes, Spock's Beard and Kansas. Since then, I've developed an interest in many different styles of music. All kinds of stuff from Swirl 360 and Rooney, to early 20th century classical from Stravinsky, to the Beatles, to video game music, movie soundtracks, and a bunch of good music in between.

I started playing keyboard in the late 90's and I've been playing ever since. It's a skill I recommend to every musician, because these days you can emulate just about any sound you would hear in the real world using a synth. I would say my style gravitates towards Dance and Electronica, though my passion is to make it with more heart than those styles usually have. Maby a kinder, gentler electronica? Back in 2003, I finally released my first full length album, Popularity Not Included, using nothing more than my keyboard and some computer software for recording and drum beats.

I love the fact that you can produce a quality musical work these days with basically just a computer and an instrument. For recording software, I use Cool Edit Pro. It works great, and Pro Tools is just too much of a learning curve for me. In 2004, I released my second CD, Regeneration, which was a little more melodic and better sounding than the first. It also features some of my best work to date. Since then, I've been figuring out how I want my third album to be. It's going to be different from anything I've ever done, and I'm excited about it.

Anyways, enjoy all the music, and if you want any of it on your harddrive or portable music device, the songs are pretty cheap to download. Besides the fact that you'll have it on your harddrive if you buy it, it will be a high quality mp3.

Be sure to check some of the other artists out on this site.
I will always believe that the best music out there is the stuff you've got to look for.

Ms. Brandt moved to the Long Beach, CA area in late 2000 to study music at California State University, Long Beach, where she earned a degree in music composition. Her interest in composition grew out of a love of the great variety of sounds and textures that bring music into being. While attending CSULB, she also studied piano, voice, and conducting. Beata has performed in the dance piece The Evil Garden by Erin Mitchell. The CSULB Studio Orchestra and University String Quartet have performed her compositions. Percussionist, Dave Gerhart, has performed her timpani solo, Flights of Fancy, a work he commissioned. As a member of the CSULB University Choir, she has sung with the Long Beach Symphony, Long Beach Camerata Singers, Pacific Symphony, and Pasadena Pops Orchestra, and recorded for World of Warcraft III. She has also played the piano in the studio orchestra under the baton of Tim Simonec (Diary of Anne Frank, Lost, Alias, The Incredibles), and recorded for student films. Piano performances include chamber music, piano ensemble, accompanying, and student recitals. Beata has played the piano, harpsichord, or celesta as a member of Collegium Musicum, Studio Orchestra, and New Music Ensemble. She continues to perform contemporary and classical works as a pianist, vocalist, and conductor. Beata has worked as a piano teacher, vocal coach, and church music director and has most recently appeared in the music video "On the Outside" for the band "Kill the Complex".

Beata Brandt began playing the piano and singing in choir at a very early age while growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Already while in high school, Beata played piano for performances of musicals like Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, My Fair Lady and West Side Story. In addition, she played in an award winning high school jazz band that performed with Chris Vadala, woodwind player for Chuck Mangione. Besides studying classical guitar, she performed as an accompanist for many soloists and one of the school choirs. While pursuing a business degree, she continued to study the piano, classical guitar, and composition.

As a composition major, Beata has been awarded the Paul C. Lindsey Memorial Scholarship and the Music Department Talent Scholarship in Music Composition. She has chaired the CSULB College of the Arts (COTA) Student Council and CSULB Composers Guild. As an officer in the Composers Guild, Beata coordinated two concerts of composition students’ works. As chair of the College of the Arts Council, she oversaw the inaugural COTA student and faculty mixer. She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, and Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity. Beata speaks Polish and Spanish, and sings in Polish, Spanish, Hebrew, Latin, French, Italian, and German.

Ms. Brandt lives in the greater Los Angeles area.

•  midi doesn't do justice