Virtuosic drummers play instruments handcrafted from steel oil cans, hose and plumbing fixtures
PORTLAND — Intricate rhythms. Raw energy. Athletic choreography. And the most inventive reuse of materials on stage today.
That sums up ScrapArtsMusic, an earth-friendly company of five virtuosic and innovative drummers who use one-of-a-kind instruments, handcrafted from industrial scrap, to create original music.

The energetic percussion group that combines sculptural instruments with onstage gymnastics will perform Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Merrill Auditorium.

ScrapArtsMusic will then return to British Columbia to prepare for its performance during the victory ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

What are some of their creative instruments? An annoy-o-phone: a sound maker created from dishwasher hose, bagpipe reeds and a balloon. A sigh-cordion: a wind instrument made from plumbing fixtures, dishwasher hose and accordion reeds. It can be played to create chords or single notes.

Also, exhaust hoses: hollow tubes that are pounded across the ground to create a strong loud beat. And a B-52 drum: a single-headed drum made from steel oil cans manufactured back in 1952. These were cleaned up and mounted on stands made from stainless-steel scraps, with a drum head put on the open end. It can spin on the stand and has many surfaces for creating sounds.

Tickets for the 7 p.m. performance are $40, $34 and $28. They are available at PortTix, the Merrill Auditorium box office; by calling 842-0800; and online at www.portlandovations.org.

ScrapArtsMusic is an earth-friendly company of five drummers who use instruments handcrafted from industrial scrap to create original music. For example, they play a barrel-shaped drum made of spun aluminum; hollow rubber tubes formerly used to channel exhaust gases; a gong array, a stainless-steel support for gongs made from scrap metal, including monkey bar legs; and other one-of-a-kind instruments made from recyled materials.

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