Sebastiani hosts El Radio Fantastique

Tobias Weinberger presents El Radio Fantastique, a unique and hauntingly mesmerizing band, for one-show-only at 8 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Sebastiani Theatre.

Weinberger will enthrall the audience with his fantastic feats of magic as well as his spine-tingling sword swallowing prior to introducing the headliner band, El Radio Fantastique.

Led by its creator, the charismatic singer, songwriter, dumpster diver and one-time gravedigger, Giovanni DiMorente, the band will play two musical sets, promising an unforgettable evening of entertainment.

“El Radio Fantastique started from a personal family narrative handed down to me and told with great conviction by my great-uncles and great-grandfather,” said DiMorente. “The mere re-telling of their first-hand experiences with it would put them in great psychological turmoil. Their accounts chronicled the chaos brought about by an old found radio that reportedly possessed and haunted its listeners. As if through some auditory telekinesis, this radio would play the most beautiful music from the past, present and future, yet over time would slowly and methodically drive the listener mad.”

“In later years,” he continued, “the radio legend became much more benevolent and controllable.” 

When DiMorente finally got to the point where he could take the reins of the story and direct it, he started a band based on those tales, El Radio Fantastique.

The overarching musical influences for the group derive from DiMorente’s coveted record collection scavenged from abandoned tenements in New Orleans and a lifetime of dumpsters. El Radio Fantastique is known to put on bewitching and alluring shows with steamy theatricality. Consistent with DiMorente’s folklore, witnesses have remarked that the band’s players appear to be charmed and somewhat possessed, inspiring a visceral and enchanted concert experience.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advance online at brownpapertickets.com and in Sonoma at Readers’ Books and at the Sebastiani Theatre, 476 First St. E. Call 996-9756 to order tickets. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. the night of the concert. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.