Forget everything you know about cellos. Did you do that yet? Even Yo-Yo Ma? How about your time in the elementary school orchestra? Memory wiped clean? Good, because you need to realize that a group out of Portland has decided to make the cello -- actually a whole s-load of cellos -- cool.
The Portland Cello Project is a crew of cellists (accompanied by percussion and other instrumentation) that have long been touring the country, playing not just classical tunes by way of their cumbersome wooden instruments, but also kicking out some rock and contemporary pop tunes. They are shockingly modern in their approach, effectively shattering any preconceptions you might have had about the instrument (which is why we cleared your memory before starting this post). PCP (probably not the best band acronym) has also collaborated with a number of Portland artists, making them quite possibly the neatest string section for hire in the state.
The band plays tonight for free at the McMenamins Old St. Francis School. The show kicks off at 7pm and is all ages.
And here’s PCP doing a cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya.”
