The Gypsy spirit -- as in Occidental Gypsy
Below are four statements about Occidental Gypsy, performing Saturday at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook. Three of them are true. Can you correctly figure it all out?
• A visionary band applying Django-esque arrangements to American style pop music, Occidental Gypsy does a truly clever and inspired arrangement of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on their 2011 "Over There" CD.
• The great-grandmother of violinist Jakub Trasak was the actress who played the Gypsy fortune teller who counseled Lon Chaney, Jr., in "The Wolf Man."
• Yes, in September, that was Occidental Gypsy you saw kicking some major ass at the Rhythm 'n' Roots Festival in Ninigret, R.I.
• In addition to virtuosity, originality and killer music, the OG stage show is a blast: they're witty, friendly, and seem the sort of guys you'd hang around with after the show to share a few Pilsner Urquells.
Oh: the "Wolf Man" thing isn't true, but it should be.
- RICK KOSTER
Occidental Gypsy, 8 p.m. Saturday, Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook; $20 adults, $12 kids under 12; 1-877-503-1286, thekate.org.
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