Rupa & The April Fishes

After seven years of touring four different continents and releasing three carefully crafted studio albums, Rupa & The April Fishes are now releasing a live album which throws the listener into the foray of a sold out show on their home turf in San Francisco. Drawing on tunes from all three albums - the French stomp-cabaret of eXtraOrdinary rendition (2007), the Latin ska grooves of este mundo (2009), and the swinging big band and samba reggae of BUILD (2012) - as well as showcasing new songs, the upcoming album LIVE at The Independent demonstrates the band's unique ability to blend a huge musical vocabulary and to captivate highly varied audiences worldwide.

Fiery, engaging and wide-reaching, their music is the soundtrack for a world teetering at the edge of itself - with love, urgency and a sense of humor. These characteristics are all captured in most vivid colors through this live record, which highlights the balance of wild improvisation and careful composition.

Rupa & The April Fishes are joined on this recording by Todd Sickafoose on bass (Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird), Matt Szemela on violin (Quartet San Francisco), Jeanne Geiger on trombone, JHNO (Spool) on keyboard and duduk, as well as Gabe Dominguez and Maria Fernanda Valecillos Felice on backup vocals.

2014 will see the Fishes return to their stomping ground and bring their unique sound to the festival circuit across the globe.