Given the numerous styles that influenced them, adequately describing The Gypsy Nomads’ sound requires a preparatory deep breath.
In five years of performing together, the New York-based duo somehow has cobbled together a musical cocktail of everything from neo-medieval and punk to modern French cabaret.
Filling such a specific niche might seem like it would limit booking opportunities, but French-born vocalist Samantha Stephenson and former Deep Wound guitarist Scott Helland have performed everywhere from clubs and renaissance festivals to fan conventions.
“If I put a crowd of people who listen to us in front of you, it’s such a diverse group, in every sense,” she said. “That’s pretty cool. It reflects the music, really.”
In keeping with their name, the Nomads spend most of their time touring a national circuit sharing songs about, among other things, culture clash and surprising romances born under the gaze of a fortune teller.
Even under normal circumstances, a Nomads show is a driving affair rife with drumming instrumentals and dancing, but when other performers get in on the act, the energy reaches new levels, Stephenson said.
Thursday, the duo will perform at JJ’s Bohemia alongside the bellydancers of Zanzibar Studio’s Dandasha Dance Company.
And for a band with a name that embodies the concept of wanderlust, the chance to get back on the road after two months left wintering in New York is like getting to come home.
“It’s so amazing being on the road,” Stephenson said. “There are so many beautiful places to visit.
“There’s just so much inspiration out there.”
IF YOU GO
* What: Dandasha Belly Dance show with The Gypsy Nomads.
* When: 10 p.m. Thursday.
* Where: JJ’s Bohemia, 231 M.L. King Blvd.
* Admission: $7.
* Phone: 266-1400.
* Venue Web site: www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia.
* Related links at fyi.timesfreepress.com.
DISCOGRAPHY
2010: “Happy Madness”
2008: “At the Carnival Eclectique”
2008: “Eternal Summer”
2007: “Thread and Stone”
WHAT’S NEXT
The New York-based Gypsy Nomads will arrive at JJ’s Bohemia on Thursday with their fourth album, “Happy Madness,” in hand. Each of the group’s albums has been unified by a new stylistic approach, and this latest album exhibits an upbeat, rowdy take on vaudevillian cabaret, said vocalist Samantha Stephenson.