M O R A I N E

Dennis Rea  Alicia DeJoie  James DeJoie  Kevin Millard  Brian Oppel

All photos except Brian Oppel (c) Joe del Tufo / Studio M



Dennis Rea's adventurous guitar playing blends modern jazz, creative rock, experimental music, and world musical traditions into his own unique approach, marked by haunting lyricism, enigmatic textures, agile improvisation, and the raw dynamism of rock. Over the years Dennis has led or been a key contributor to such innovative groups as Moraine, LAND, Iron Kim Style, Stackpole, Savant, Earthstar, Identity Crisis, and Flame Tree. He has performed and/or recorded with many prominent international creative musicians including acclaimed French composer Hector Zazou, Dutch jazz legend Han Bennink, trombone avatar Stuart Dempster, godfather of Chinese rock Cui Jian, and Hawkwind founder Nik Turner, as well as members of King Crimson, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Santana, Ministry, and the Sun Ra Arkestra. Based in Seattle, he has performed in New York City, Beijing, Moscow, Tuva, Mexico City, England, Munich, Hong Kong, Taipei, Siberia, Los Angeles, Macau, Chengdu, and Philadelphia, at events including the MuzEnergo Tour of Russia, NEARfest, WOMAD, Beijing International Jazz Festival, Baja Prog, Ustuu Huree Festival, Voice of Nomads Festival, Sonic Rock Solstice, FestivAlterNativo, Bumbershoot, Columbia Gorge Amphitheater, Earshot Jazz Festival, Seattle Art Museum, and Seattle Asian Art Museum.

He has collaborated with many of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese music and was one of the first Western musicians to record an album for the state-owned China Record Company. He has appeared on more than 40 recordings to date and is also an accomplished author whose book Live at the Forbidden City: Musical Encounters in China and Taiwan was reissued in an updated edition by Blue Ear Books in 2015. For more information, see the Dennis Rea website.
 

Born in Nashville, East Coast native Alicia DeJoie moved to Seattle in 1994 and soon began playing electric guitar and violin in local bands Big Sister and X-tra Virgin. She has recorded and toured the country with Jeremy Enigk, performing works from his solo album, Return of the Frog Queen. In addition to Moraine, she often plays violin with singer-songwriter Eric Apoe, and is a member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra tribute band Being John McLaughlin. Alicia and her husband, James (also in Moraine), co-lead the alternative rock band Dr. Fleek and the Army of Experimental Children, in which she sings and plays banjo.  In 2013, Alicia had the honor of participating with Seattle’s legendary trombonist Stuart Dempster in a performance for Doug Aitken's art exhibition opening, MIRROR, at the Seattle Art Museum, which included an outdoor performance of Steve Reich’s “Clapping Music,” as well as performing in Terry Riley’s minimalist piece “In C.” In 2015, Alicia performed at Seattle’s esteemed Seaprog festival with Nik Turner, original saxophonist and vocalist of British space-rock band Hawkwind.
 

James DeJoie hails from Seattle and revels in bringing together diverse musical genres in distinctive combinations. Through his use of electronics and world-influenced rhythms, James writes and performs music that broadens the scope of what may be defined as “jazz.” He is equally fluent on baritone and alto saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and percussion. In addition to playing in and composing for his wide-ranging musical groups including his newest group joiephonic, James is also a regular contributor to such top-flight Seattle based ensembles as Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb’s Washington Composers Orchestra, Tom Varner’s Nonet, Daniel Barry’s Walk All Ways, and the world-renowned Jim Knapp Orchestra. He is also active performing classical music and was recently the featured soloist in a Baritone Saxophone Concerto written for him by composer David Gaines, which he recorded with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra in Bratislava in 2008.
 

From early roots playing improvised music in the upper Midwest with players including cellist and Moraine cofounder Ruth Davidson, bassist and "baliset" player Kevin Millard went on to play experimental music in Seattle bands such as dot.communists and his own avant-groove band Panopticon throughout the 1990s. He then paid his musical dues in a long string of rock, pop, and country bands including Thornton Creek, the Jeunes, and The Melody Unit before returning to his avant-garde roots with Moraine.
 

As a product of rural America, Brian Oppel was raised on AM gold, FM rock radio, and his family's copious record collection. Devoted listening led to music fandom, and the urge for a creative outlet was spawned. Clearly only the drums would do. Beginning with school band, then proceeding on to backwoods bar bands, then through classical and world percussion studies at the University of Montana, Brian became the drummer of choice for a slew of rock, folk, punk, and jazz groups in his formative years. A move from Missoula to Seattle in 1999 proved to be fruitful in his quest for musical and artistic diversity.  Clearly unable to decide on any particular musical style, he has happily been enlisted in a plethora of original music projects. Currently, these include Trimtab, Kled, Resets, and The Plaid Perspective. As the band's newest member, Brian is looking forward to sinking his teeth into the giant geological prog biscuit of Moraine.