Reviews

Hour Detroit (December 2002)
In an era when most bands seem destined to disband, the Immigrant Suns are a shining exception. After ten years, four CDs, one LP, several tours and a cassette, the five original members of the Detroit-based band are celebrating their longevity by throwing a party. The band, a constantly expanding and contracting collective of multi-instrumentalists and songwriters, has never stopped delivering a fresh new world take on the musical styles and traditions of the old world. The musical goal we set for ourselves was incredibly open minded, says Joel Peterson, one of the band’s founders. There is not only a huge repertoire of different styles we can draw from, but along the way we have met many different people who have introduced us to new songs, traditions or instruments.  Our longevity also has to do with the individual chemistry. One of us might have a quality that compensates for someone else’s deficiency. That’s probably the real secret. The anniversary party is Dec.14 at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre on Woodward. The songs will be prepared and performed by original and new members. The original five are still participating and the other five guys are the auxiliary or new members, Peterson says. These aren’t your father’s musical anthropologists. The 10 current members can be heard on any given night playing everything from the Beatles to one of their many original songs-most with an Eastern European twist. Although the band is composed of many different immigrants’ sons, their sound is most informed by the instruments and music of Europe’s less sexy side. They employ everything from standard guitar, bass and drums, to the more exotic qyteli and bouzouki in their musical stew. That is the instrument, says Suns member Doug Shimmin about the Qyteli, That propelled us from rock’n’roll,   Aric Karpinski 

Chicago Reader (May 26, 2000)
IMMIGRANT SUNS- Field Recordings [Pho-net-ic PR 0700 IS (2000)]
This loose Detroit collective (the lineup tends to float around a core of five) has been evolving its charming fusion of rock and eastern European music for seven years, and unlike a lot of world-beat ensembles, it’s strayed progressively further away from pop. The Suns’ newest release, a limited-edition vinyl record called The Field Recordings (Phonetic), is a collection of odds and ends that documents "the improvisational side of the band" over time. Trading off instruments in basements, in living rooms, and onstage, the musicians loose themselves in gorgeous, sliding, bittersweet sideways string textures, waves of wordless singing, and hints of rhythms that echo the dance music of Djeto Juncaj’s native Yugoslavia. Though they never lapse into song, it’s about as close as improvisation gets. It’s all about the voices of the instruments themselves-and played on instruments less compelling, it wouldn’t work as well-but god-damn it is beautiful.

Dirty Linen-Baltimore, MD (February/March '00)
Immigrant Suns- More Than Food [Pho-net-ic PR 0598 IS (1998)]
Detroit based five-piece is a combination of the best ingredients of 3 Mustaphas 3 and Boiled in Lead, taking most of its musical inspiration from middle European countries like Greece, Italy, and Albania. Playing a wealth of musical instruments (accordion, bouzouki, cello, clarinet, violin, banjo, doumbek, congas, among many others - along with the standard guitar, bass, drums) the Suns add a large dose of playfulness to the music , as seen on tracks like "Surfin' Albania" and the unusual and delightfully strange cover version of The Beatles' "Girl." What they do isn't exactly rock, jazz, or world, but whatever it is, it certainly is a lot of fun. (JLe)

Space City Rock-Houston, TX (Fall 99)
Immigrant Suns - More than Food
There’s a lot of music that, while I like, I perfectly understand why other people don’t like it. It’s too whiny or noisy or complicated or experimental or sad or happy or silly or evil or whatever. But the Immigrant Suns are one band that I can’t understand anybody disliking. A five piece, the Suns juggle guitars, cellos, violins, accordions, upright basses, drums, and really obscure stringed instruments (qyteli, bouzouki, and so on) playing international music. Their repertoire is heavily weighted towards the Eastern European sound - think of Muzikas (whom they cover live), Albanian wedding music, and Greek music. This isn’t all, however; they also blend in Portuguese, East African, and Irish sounds, as well as probably a dozen other musical traditions I’m unaware of.
Lest this sound horribly academic, like a musicology party gone awry, it’s not - in fact, it’s intended to be (for the most part) a dance party. But whereas other bands (such as Brave Combo) that combine international music do so with a big wink and an elbow in the ribs, the Suns clearly have a near-reverence for this music, leaving even the most cynical listener converted. Notice I said "near" reverence - they do create their own originals in these styles and re-interpret "classic" traditional tunes into different styles, and are more than happy to give their treatment to "Girl" (the Beatles song, rendered here in a six minute Greco-Irish rendition). They’re not flawless - the West African "Steel Edifice" doesn’t really need to be 7:41, for instance. But the Suns fill me with such joy that such minor complaints seem silly in the face of their stunning musicianship and energetic performance. And, while this should go without saying, they are not to be missed live. Seriously, if you don’t like this, I really want to know why. - Doug Dillaman

The Wire-London, UK  (May 99)
Immigrant Suns - More Than Food - Pho-net-ic - PR0598IS - CD
Detroit's equivalent to Three Mustaphas Three serve up ersatz Balkan folk rock on tracks like "Surfin' Albania," Abdurrahman's Umbrella," and "Charleton Heston."  The instrumentation takes its particular character from ukelele, bouzouki, two-stringed fiddle and accordion, but The Suns are happy to import any instrument or stylistic component to break down lingering inhibitions in their audience.   Montenegran Djeto Juncaj injectes a dash of Old World authenticity, but not enough to jeopardise the ensemble's joyfully bogus impact.

Metro Times-Detroit, MI  (Oct. 98)
More Than Food / Immigrant Suns / Pho-net-ic Records
**** Boundary Breakers
The corner of the world containing Albania, Armenia and other Balkan, Crimean and Eastern Mediterranean homelands has been a cultural melting pot for centuries.  All of these places are on the way to somewhere else and, as a result, have been repeatedly been stomped on and through by empires (Macedonian, Ottoman and Russian) on the make.   Music in these areas, like many of the other arts, has mutated, grafting elements of one ethnic group onto another, creating the kind of Gordian knot academics love to parse.
Even though the Immigrant Suns all started off in local rock bands they have evolved into a group with an international (almost folkloric) slant simply by exploring the roots of each others' individual ethnicities and eccentricities.  It just so happens that in their musical world Albanian, Montenegran and Polish folk melodies mesh with Klezmer and experimental rock tendencies to create a sound picture that crosses all boundaries.   If you have to assign a label, then "Balkan rock/folk" might work.
The hybrid formula that the Immigrant Sums have been working on since 1992 has reached another peak with their latest release, More Than Food.  It's exciting, not in the same way a three-chord power-pop masterpiece is, but with pulsing rhythms and exotic-sounding modies serving a call to dance for urban and international gypsies.   "Skanderbeg," "Gifikas," and "Abdurrahman's Umbrella" are all new gems in the band's repertoire but their take on the Lennon-McCartney classic "Girl" is a bit of mutant genius and "Steel Edifice" is a wonderful blend of pungent lyricism and vocal harmonies wedde to a catchy mid-tempo hook. -Garaud MacTaggart

Spotlight-Portsmouth, NH  (Sept. 98)
immigrant suns  MORE THAN FOOD  Pho-net-ic Records, 1998
Imagine many of the world's cultures - some dying, some unheard of in America, some still smokin' in the old country - all in one room. Imagine these cultures sending their best musicians backed by thousands of years of growth, culture and tradition.
Imagine immigrant suns.
The Detroit-based quintet show off their wealth of knowledge and appreciation of the world's music on their third CD, More Than Food. The group combines the music of Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin beats with hints of South America, Northern Afroca, 1950s Puerto Rico salsa tunes, the Far East, Russia and even the lost Jewish music of Transylvania.
Using this great variety, the band is able to bounce from the melodic to the fiery, a single song can inspire visions of every corner of the earth. The music can become so powerful and flexible that at one moment you can smell latva-baked orange on mesada crackers, then quickly you seem caught in a Hava Na Geela dance. The band utilizes everything from the simple (guitars, clarinet, violin, accordion) to instruments whose names are guaranteed to be mispronounced by most Americans (qyteli, mbira, bouzouki.)
What makes the immigrant suns so enjoyable is their refreshing aural succotash. The music is a decided turn from Top-40 pop ditties. The songs are filled with such amazing musicianship that you have to constantly replay songs just to see if you heard it right the first time. Each song will leave you wondering, "How did they do that?"
Most songs are quick-paced with a heavy guitar influence and the occaisional chant. Their quick spontaneity and excitement have allowed them to be voted best live band by newspapers back in Michigan. A live album seems like the obvious choice for a fourth album. But until then, make sure to catch their only New Hampshire performance on their coast-to-coast tour.
immigrant suns plays the Elvis Room this Friday, starting at 9 p.m. For details, call 436-9189.
                             by Devin Foxall

Orbit-Royal Oak, MI  (Sept. 98)
More Than Food - Immigrant Suns - Pho-Net-Ic
Lest we forget that the world is much bigger than Detroit, Immigrant Suns come to the rescue.  Offering up their latest salad of mixed instrumentals (continuing in its exorbitant range from acoustic bass, cello, and guitar to doumbek, accordion, qyteli, and yes there's more,) group vocals are the dressing. The Suns and their guests, including Frank Pahl of Only a Mother, swiftly drift in and out of ethnic regions applying today's technological recording savvy to old-world style. Then there's the Suns version of "Girl," which leads one to believe that the song wasn't originated during the British Invasion, but created specifically for performance in the reception tent of a just-married Israeli couple.  With such affluent musicianship, it would be easy to misinterpret these talented gents as a bit too serious, but, rest assured, their sense of humor is intact, proudly listing song titles such as "Sumac Jungle," Charleton Heston" and "Pretzels for Brett's Barmitzva." -Liz Copeland