For over a decade Toronto's Beyond the Pale has been making its distinctive brand of boundary-busting Eurofolk fusion.  The sextet mixes Klezmer, Balkan, and Romanian styles with an eclectic range of North American influences, their diverse musical and cultural backgrounds intersecting in a shared impulse to push the boundaries of contemporary acoustic roots music into new realms.  

Their exuberant live performances range seamlessly from raucous dance rhythms to intricate chamber-folk dynamics, taking audiences on an invigorating musical ride with stunning virtuosity and thrilling arrangements. Beyond the Pale has performed at festivals, theatres, and clubs across Canada, the U.S., and Europe, including the Governor Generalís Performing Arts Awards, NY's Carnegie Hall, and the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, Poland.

The group has just released its long-awaited third CD "Postcards", following up on their multi-award winning live CD ìConsensusî (Borealis, 2004). Postcards showcases the bandís characteristic versatility, traversing a vast and exotic musical landscape bound by no particular idiom but shaped by many. The group's previous two CD releases met wide critical acclaim and earned honours from the Canadian Folk Music Awards (Best Instrumental Group), Toronto Independent Music Awards (Best World Music Group), and Ontario Council of Folk Festivals Songwriting Competition (Best Instrumental Composition). The band is already at work completing another CD project, featuring their unique program of reinterpretations of music by Mozart, originally commissioned by CBC radio.

Beyond the Pale features Bret Higgins (bass), Bogdan Djukic (percussion, violin), Aleksandar Gajic (violin, viola), Milos Popovic (accordion), Eric Stein (mandolin, mandocello, cimbalom), and Martin van de Ven (clarinets). They are frequently joined by such guests as NY's Alex Kontorovich, Montreal's Josh "SoCalled" Dolgin, and Israel's Vira Lozinsky.

Beyond the Pale performs at the Lily Pad in Cambrdige on December 12. 

See details in the calendar below.