Artist description Happy Valley composes and plays some of the catchiest world fusion instrumental tunes available. They accomplish this on two CDs with flutes, guitars and drums. But most important is the lively some timetimes rough-edged spirit in which they are played. No wonder their second CD 'Voyage into Indigo' drew raves from Billboard Magazine: 'Happy Valley has a natural exuberance that sets the group apart... highly recommended.'

Music Style world fusion

Musical Influences Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Dead Can Dance, Jai Uttal

Similar Artists Deep Forest,, Dead Can Dance, Ancient Future, Baka Beyond, Paul Winter, Uakti, Henri Dikongue

Artist History Happy Valley 'mark 1' formed in 1994 in Austin, Texas. The group's founder Darrel Mayers, an Englishman, was hard at work creating a soundtrack for a world myth CD-ROM project using computer MIDI samples and started to go mad. Enough of samples of er-hu flutes and Bombay drums! he declared one day - and began inviting musical friends over to bang on real drums and tinker away on real mbiras and play blow into real flutes. Before long a line-up of sorts coalesced - the vibe was rich and creative and Happy Valley appeared. Jennifer Biggers on flutes, Mario Gonzalez on bass, and Darrel Mayers writing tunes and twanging on a spanish guitar. Before too long they we're appearing in the Austin Acoustic Music Festival, the notorious hippy-spirited Eeyore's Birthday Party, and we're almost immediately taken into the recording studio. Two cassettes were released - and these formed the basis of the first CD entitled 'Children of Gods'. Wrote Bob Tarte in The Beat:'Happy Valley triumphs by carving out a little Shangri-La all their own.' The CD was released on International Rain - Mayers own creation - and was distributed through Nature Company stores and New Leaf. Happy Valley 'mark 2' formed in 1997 with new flute player Emme Bernard, and two live drummers Ric Furley and James Sheeran (with Mayers and Gonzalez still on guitar and bass). The group worked exclusively towards completing the acclaimed album 'Voyage into Indigo' and disbanded shortly after its release in June, 1999. Mayers, Gonzalez and Furley are currently involved in the Mundi Ensemble, a medieval project. But Mayers wont completely rule out the possibility of another Happy Valley release in the future.

Group Members Darrel Mayers Jennifer BiggersMario GonzalezRic FurleyGerard VillanuevaEmme BernardJames Sheeran

Instruments Flutes, spanish guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards, mbira, valiha, digjeridu.

Albums 'Children of Gods'; 'Voyage into Indigo'

Press Reviews Billboard April 10th, 1999review of 'Voyage into Indigo'It's tough doing happy without doing sappy. It'seven tougher doing a convincing world fusion when your ethnic roots are in the U.K. and Austin, Texas. But Happy Valley succeeds at both on itssophomore album. Drawing comparisons to early acoustic world fusion pioneers like Paul Winter and Oregon, Happy Valley has a natural exuberancethat sets the group apart, uplifting rather than sabotaging its music. Pieces like 'The Sandpiper' combine South American percussion and rhythms witha Renaissance flute melody from Emme Bernard thattakes off in flights of improvisation. Bernard's various flutes are often draped around the cyclical melodies of the valiha (tubular Madagascan harp) played by principal writer Darrel Mayers. 'Kythe Caravan' explores darker, Middle Eastern/African terrain, but the group leaves you smiling with the quaint waltz 'Last Chapters.' * Highly recommended'Voyage into Indigo' reviewThe Austin Chronicle, March 5th 1999Local quintet Happy Valley is able to traversethe same emotionalscapes as Ancient Future andDead Can Dance, yet without sounding like a carbon copy of either of them, or any of the other instrumental mood bands around. On their second release, 'Voyage into Indigo,' the group, led by Brit-born Austin resident Darrel Mayersmanages to be both deeply contemplative andwildly festivem as in teh opener 'The Sandpiper,' a tune which features Emme Bernard's elegant, South American-seasoned flute over MarioGonzalez's lowrider bass riff. The Sunday-morningblack coffee introspective state of 'Pipe Dreams Dance' also stands out. Perhaps one reason 'Voyage into Indigo' sounds so well-balanced is because the band takes turns with composing duties. This can lead to uninteresting meanderingsbut for the most part, the group sound works,especially in the airy, garden-of-earthly-delightssensation of 'Alefa,' the group coloration over a single comp line in 'Kythe Caravan,' and the surprising Radiohead-y intro and vocals of'Iridescence'. As gravy, the production is lushwithout being drippy. No sophomore slump here. *** by David Lynch'Children of Gods' reviewed in The Beat by Bob Tarte - 1996On 'Children of Gods' Austin polytheists HappyValley combine a tasteful ethic of when to useethnic instruments with the secret of whiskinglight rock forward on a flywheel built from chugging acoustic guitars, riffs from the NileRogers songbook ('Disco! Disco!'), and an octavehoppng bass - not to mention the requisite doseof irony to temper the nods to Gaia. Songs like 'Pulsar' convey the propulsion of computerisedtempos through madly infectious chord modulations... while audio snippets from the streets of Cairo stand in for vocals. In the manner of suspected influences Ancient Future, Baka Beyond, Penguin Cafe Orchestra and even Neu and early Love Tractor, you wont find recognizable vocals anywhere... Happy Valley triumphs by carving out a little Shangri-La all their own.

Location Austin, Texas - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).