Last updated: 2 days ago
Somekh credits his balloon twisting to his lack of talent as a musician and childhood dream of becoming a jazz musician. Balloon twisting eventually led him back to music in the form of the Balloon Bass, an instrument that Somekh has played in his band, Unpopable (aka “Balloon Bass”), since 2005. For every performance, Somekh creates a new balloon bass and pops it at the end of the show.
Somekh crafted the balloon bass after contracting Lyme disease during a photo shoot for Martha Stewart Magazine in August 2003. While instructing Martha on how to make balloon flowers for a kid’s backyard birthday party, Somekh was bit by a tick and contracted the illness. Afterwards, he moved to Los Angeles while bedridden for 8 months. During this time, he learned to play the balloon bass, as he could still move his fingers while stuck in bed.
In 1992, Sean Rooney devised the principle behind the balloon resonator and invented an instrument he called the Balloon Guitar. In 2000, Rooney showed Somekh how to make the resonator, which Somekh then modified several times to make the Balloon Bass. Somekh has since gone on to create a variety of balloon instruments, including drums and flutes, and has composed music and improvised with a variety of balloon and non-balloon musicians, such as New York-based jazz drummer Kenny Wollesen, Wilco guitarist @Nels Cline, Money Mark, Alfredo Ortiz and the Jamaican dub engineer The Scientist (musician).
Somekh crafted the balloon bass after contracting Lyme disease during a photo shoot for Martha Stewart Magazine in August 2003. While instructing Martha on how to make balloon flowers for a kid’s backyard birthday party, Somekh was bit by a tick and contracted the illness. Afterwards, he moved to Los Angeles while bedridden for 8 months. During this time, he learned to play the balloon bass, as he could still move his fingers while stuck in bed.
In 1992, Sean Rooney devised the principle behind the balloon resonator and invented an instrument he called the Balloon Guitar. In 2000, Rooney showed Somekh how to make the resonator, which Somekh then modified several times to make the Balloon Bass. Somekh has since gone on to create a variety of balloon instruments, including drums and flutes, and has composed music and improvised with a variety of balloon and non-balloon musicians, such as New York-based jazz drummer Kenny Wollesen, Wilco guitarist @Nels Cline, Money Mark, Alfredo Ortiz and the Jamaican dub engineer The Scientist (musician).
