Vox Populi is pleased to present an evening with NYC Harp/Violin Duo LEYA presented in collaboration with guest curator, LADY SHAME.

• Leya
• Lady Shame
• Forgotten Bottom
• Slack

NYC-based duo LEYA is Violinist Adam Markiewicz (The Dreebs) and harpist Marilu Donovan. LEYA aims to deconstruct the traditional connotations of the harp and violin by luxuriating in the deviant juxtaposition of ugliness vs. beauty. These two stringed instruments are most commonly associated with classical beauty, but by altering their sound through unorthodox tunings, extended techniques, amplification, and effects, Donovan and Markiewicz are able to mine the depths of their darker, more unsettling capacities. The tuning system created for Donovan’s harp is specific to the project, and was discovered by chance. Rather than being driven by scientific or conceptual intentions, this tuning is chosen based on it’s sound alone, giving LEYA a defined identity that embraces human instinct and imperfection.

Forgotten Bottom is a Viola and Guitar/Bouzouki instrumental drone duo. Made up of Philadelphia born musician Myles Donovan (Disemballerina, A Stick And A Stone, Ominous Cloud Ensemble) and New Jersey transplant Eric Bandel (Nymph, Victory and Good Hunting), the two piece group crossbreeds amplified walls of both harmony and dissonance with found echoing subway tunnel noises, bells and simultaneous foot drum driven percussion.