Ari and the Alibis

Ari and the Alibis Arielleh McManus “Ari” (Pronounced R.E.) - Vocals Nicolaas Kraster- Guitar James DaBone -Trombone Dave Stark-Drums David Whittaker - Bass Bio Formed in September of 2013 Ari and the Alibis have quickly made a name for themselves in the thriving Tampa Bay area music scene. Their sound stems from musically going everywhere they love to go. In their fast songs there are elements of Funk, Samba and Jazz. When they want to slow it down they play Blues and Soul with hints of Tango. This results in a journey of atmosphere that ranges from a New Orleans Parade to a Small Southern Juke Joint with many stops along the way. At the front of it all is Ari McManus. A powerhouse vocalist that is full of charisma and charm. When she’s not jumping around and dancing she is pulling each listener into the story of each song. Simply put Ari loves music and wants to share that love with everyone. This is clearly seen on and off the stage. In case having a beautiful petite blond vocalist that sings like a large Gospel singer wasn’t enough, they have Trombonist extraordinaire James DaBone. At twenty two years old James is one of the most sought after musicians in the vibrant Sarasota music scene. Besides laying down great hooks in their original material the timbre of the instrument has a strong emotional effect on their sound. It makes the light hearted songs joyful and infuses the sad songs with pain. The uniqueness doesn’t stop there for on guitar is Nicolaas Kraster playing an electric flamenco guitar of his design named “Zeus”. For the past sixteen years Nicolaas has been the leader of the critically acclaimed World Music group “The Lotus Fire”. Switching from a nylon string Flamenco guitar to an electric guitar left him feeling that the right hand Flamenco technique he spent so many years mastering was being wasted; so he created Zeus. He had spoken with several companies about making the guitar he had designed and the answer was either No or $10,000. Nicolaas didn’t like either answer. One day he saw an Ibanez Artist seven string guitar and realized that the neck was wide enough to accommodate the needed string spacing. He then worked with Guitar Center explaining how it was to be built. Nicolaas had never been one for naming his guitars but after seeing how powerful it looked and knowing what it was capable of he named it Zeus. This guitar allows him to play in ways never heard before. Often in music, bands with musicians of this caliber neglect to put the song first. For this reason Nicolaas came up with the Alibi motto “Support Ari, then drop jaws!” and they do. Together they create a unique sound that is fun and passionate all at the same time. With great originals and dynamic covers they take listeners on a journey to remember. How it all began: Ari and Nicolaas have played together for four years as members of World Music groups Cabal, The Lotus Fire and the duo Nic and Ari. After years of playing Rhumba Flamenco, Gypsy Swing, Samba and Tango their originals started leaning more and more towards their roots of Funk, Blues and Soul. In March of 2013 The Lotus Fire went on hiatus leaving them with the opportunity to explore other avenues. After months of developing material and playing as a duo they decided to start an electric Funk, Blues and Soul Band. Ari knew she wanted to work with drummer Nick Dow and bassist Gregg Voorhees and she was correct in knowing they would make a great rhythm section. They are in the video for “Like no other”. Nicolaas wanted a pianist to round out the quintet and was on the hunt. One night he went to a jam and ended up on stage with trombonist James DaBone, they clicked, big time. After hanging out in the parking lot laughing until three in the morning Nic realized that this was the fifth member of the band. He ended up saying to Ari “I don’t know why, but we’re going to have a trombone player instead of keys”. Once she heard him she quickly understood why. Where they’re at and where their going: In just five months Ari and the Alibis have gone from gigging in their hometown of Sarasota FL to playing in Englewood, St. Petersburg and Tampa with upcoming shows at the House of Blues in Orlando. They will also be touring the North East later this summer. They just recently performed at the Mainsail Art Festival in St. Petersburg and opened for the band Come Back Alice at Skippers Smokehouse. Other venues of note in the Tampa area are The Hideaway Café, Ringside Café, The Ale and the Witch, Ace’s Lounge.

Sarasota, FL