By
Oliver White
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Local band Dali's Trio brings its eclectic, cello-flavored sound to Tucson's performance art gallery Solar Culture tonight.
UA performance music juniors Chris "Topu" Lyo and Steve Cohen, and recent graduate Randy Bergida comprise Dali's Trio, which has been in existence since mid-February.
The band has been playing local venues and entertaining audiences with its signature sound, which features two guitars and a cello.
Band members describe their music as a combination of earthy tones, jazz and ethnic style.
The story behind the band's meeting is somewhat of a coincidental experience, Cohen said. While riding his bicycle one afternoon, Cohen met up with Bergida, recognizing him from when he was a UA student.
Only a week after the encounter, the two men - along with Lyo, who had previously known Cohen - officially formed a band, having already written several songs and lining up a venue to play that weekend.
Although the band was a new experience for its members, music was nothing unfamiliar to them.
Music became part of Lyo's life back when he was just in third grade, he said.
"My mom told me that I was going to be playing cello one way or the other," Lyo said.
Lyo, who is from Albuquerque, N.M., came to UA for the opportunity to train on the cello. He said that he is now exploring the genres of jazz and classical.
Cohen said that he began to play guitar when he was 14, expanding to classical guitar during his senior year of high school - which would eventually lead him to UA from Denver on a classical guitar scholarship.
Cohen said that he has an unwavering commitment to his music, spending hours a day practicing.
"Music is a tool for me to discover myself and other people. Every time I hold my guitar or listen to music, it is a chance for me to view something I know so well in a new and fresh way, and a chance to bond with other musicians and listeners," he said.
Bergida said that his music career solidified after he graduated from University of Arizona in 1998 with a degree in musical composition. After graduation he moved to Ashland, Ore., where he made a living playing guitar in a band named Stride Duo.
After a year, Bergida moved back to Tucson to play back in his college town, he said.
"With music I flow, growing higher like grapes on a vine. Reaching for the higher state, my songs emanate through my guitar and mouth," Bergida said. "Like a sculpture I remain steadfast in my pursuit of enlightenment through music and nature."
Dali's Trio will perform at Solar Culture, 31 E. Toole Ave., on Saturday. $5 general admission. Call 884-0874 for more details.
