Biography
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Members
- Anne Rose Thompson
- Joseph Andrew Thompson
Astralingua is the ongoing musical project of San Francisco Bay Area composer and producer Joseph Andrew Thompson. The music derives from a wide variety of musical styles and has been described as a blend of world fusion and psychedelic rock. Astralingua's first album, Contact, was recorded in 2007, released in February 2008, and published by Outlookwithin (BMI). Since its release, Contact has been reviewed in various newspapers and on-line publications, including Music Emissions and the East Bay Express. Astralingua also maintains a fan base in Europe; in Fall 2008, Joseph Thompson was interviewed by the European newspaper Weltexpress in the article "Follow the Icaro." In Contact, an artist-released EP, unique rhythms and arrangements, world and classical instrumentation and visionary lyricism are combined to invoke the yearnings of the soul and the reaching of the consciousness into other worlds.
The songs on Contact feature many talented Bay Area musicians: drummer Paulo Baldi (Les Claypool, Cake), accordionist Rob Reich (Gaucho), charanguista Eddy Navia (Savia Andina, Sukay), Spanish guitarist Gabriel Navia, cellist George Chavez, bassist Mark Calderon, woodwind player Ralph Carney (Tom Waits), and violinist Michele Walther. All of Astralingua's songs were written, composed, arranged, recorded and produced by Joseph Andrew Thompson.
The center of the work is the title track "Contact." The introduction of this song is a long psychedelic jungle montage that evokes the aural aspect of an Ayahuasca experience. The album as a whole has a strong South American presence that can be heard in pan pipes, charango, and the tango and chacarrera rhythms. Astralingua's second release is currently being written and recorded.
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