Fresh Off the Vine brings mystical music to the Flathead

Ask the guys from Fresh Off the Vine what kind of music they play, and the first word that comes to mind is “mystical.”

Genre-wise, the band’s sound is a little harder to pin down.

It’s safe to say, according to guitarist and singer Karl Berdimurat, that their music is “a collection of mystical songs,” some of which are original compositions and some of which are covers of classic songs by artists such as Pink Floyd, the Beatles and Neil Young.

“Some people say it’s kind of jazz,” cellist Jesse Ahmann said of the group’s music. “It’s always entertaining. And it appeals to lots of age groups.”

Fresh Off the Vine, which also includes guitarist and vocalist Lucas Mace, was founded in March and played its first gig in April. Since then, the trio has had a busy summer, playing consistently at venues throughout the Flathead Valley and practicing at their studio on Big Mountain. The band has played wine auctions, private parties and at several public venues.

“We’re great for weddings,” Berdimurat said.

All three band members have been playing music for more than a decade.

When he isn’t playing with Fresh Off the Vine, Ahmann, 33, teaches at North Valley Music School and is Glacier Symphony’s principal cellist. He picked up the cello at age 9 after failed attempts to learn other instruments.

“I started on violin, but I quit that,” he said. “Then I started playing piano, but I was just an average piano player, so I quit that.”

Cello, Ahmann said, came easily to him. It took him only a couple of days to play through a school method book. Once he finished that, he began private lessons.

Berdimurat, 23, has been playing guitar since he was 10. He started with private lessons and continued playing through high school.

“I have taken a lot of initiative myself,” Berdimurat said of his musical education.

He plays acoustic guitar for Fresh Off the Vine and has taught himself rhythm guitar. He also plays bass.

Mace also plays guitar for the group, but Ahmann says Mace’s style differs from Berdimurat’s.

“Karl is the jazz knowledge guy in the band,” he said.

“I play the sick leads and Karl is the rhythm guy,” Mace added, laughing.

Mace, 24, plays electric guitar — with a few effects to add to band’s “mystical” sound. He first picked up the instrument in high school and furthered his musical career after graduation, when he moved to New Zealand and busked on the street.

From New Zealand, Mace moved to Arizona and then to California, where he joined the band HumanLab. He still plays lead guitar for that group, which has performed in the Flathead Valley.

Each member of Fresh Off the Vine has made music a full-time career — although Berdimurat is quick to point out that they also enjoy the area’s many recreational opportunities. Northwest Montana inspires their music, he said.

In the future, the band hopes to set up small tours throughout the Northwest, Ahmann said. Fresh Off the Vine also is recording a CD at Mace’s Whitefish home.

“We want to get as much exposure as we can and play all winter,” Ahmann said, adding that they also dream of the elusive big break. “Every band wants to make it big.”x=

But the band also wants to be visually appealing, Mace said.

“We want to make interesting music videos as well,” he said. “We want to highlight the area we’re in.”

The band shot one video earlier this year in a cave up the North Fork, he said. They lit several candles and Ahmann played a Celtic tune on his cello.

The cello is one thing that sets this trio apart from other groups. The instrument isn’t generally the first people think of when they think of live music.

“We hope to turn people on a little bit to a new sound,” Berdimurat said. “We do things with instruments that you wouldn’t necessarily play or hear normally.”

He cites as an example the song title from which the band took its name. Mace came up with “Fresh Off the Vine’s” vocal melody, then Berdimurat added chords and Ahmann came up with a walking bass line on the cello.

“At different parts of the song, we stretch what you can do with string instruments,” Berdimurat said.

The trio’s next concert is Sept. 22 at the Olney Compound Equinox Festival. Fresh Off the Vine will join Anna and the Phalactic Shock, Greg Grant, Moonshine Mountain and Russ Nasset and the Revelators at the festival, which starts at noon.

Tickets are $15 in advance; buy them by calling 881-2221 or stop by Second Street Pizza in Whitefish. Cost is $20 at the gate.

Camping is free. There will be food vendors on site.

For more information, find Fresh Off the Vine on Facebook.

Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by email at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.