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Fishtank Ensemble and Luminscent Orchestrii Two compelling and unique bands invade Athens, and WOUB's studios for talk and music. by Mark Hellenberg Recently, WOUB invited two rather unusual bands, Fishtank Ensemble and Luminscent Orchestrii, into WOUB's Radio Studio A for a live performance. The bands were on the road together and Athens, Ohio was the last date of that tour. Both bands common signature sound is a cross-pollination of traditional Gypsy and Balkan melodies with original compositions and other assorted musical genres.

The Fishtank Ensemble was formed in 2005 and has played everywhere from the hippest LA clubs to international festivals and cultural centers. The band features singer/ violinist/ musical saw player Ursula Knudsen, violinist Fabrice Knudsen, accordionist Dan Cantrell, flamenco guitarist Douglas Smolens, and a Serbian rockabilly bassist, Djordje Stijepovic.

Luminscent Orchestrii fuses Romanian gypsy music with tangos, hip hop beats, Appalachian fiddle music and Klezmer. Where Fishtank hails from LA, Luminscent Orchestrii formed in Brooklyn, NY in 2002 and is comprised of members from New York City's different music scenes. Athens native Sxip Shirey is an international circus composer, Sarah Alden plays American old-time fiddle music. Violinist Rima Fand is an experimental theater composer and bassist Benjy Fox-Rosen has a free-jazz background.