VIDEO OF THE DAY: “NINJAS IN PARIS” BY PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT

For nearly five years, Portland Cello Project has been revitalizing cello music, melding pop, rap, heavy metal, classical, movie soundtracks, hardcore, country, folk, experimental, and other genres, playing with just cellos or as part of larger orchestras with wind instruments, brass, percussion, and choirs. On their latest record, Homage, they take on hip-hop, reimagining such songs as Lil Wayne’s “She Will” and “Lollipop,” Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “That’s My Bitch,” “Ni**as in Paris,” and “H*A*M,” Talib Kweli’s “Get By,” and OutKast’s “Hey Ya!” before concluding with Osvaldo Golijov’s operatic “Lua Descolorida.” PCP combines sparkling wit with mad skillz in these highly entertaining songs, part of the group’s mission to show that the cello is much more than just an old-fashioned classical string instrument primarily used in chamber music. Earlier this summer, PCP hosted the two-night Extreme Dance Party in their hometown of Portland, where they teamed up with local friends at the Doug Fir Lounge. On August 22, they’re be bringing their nine-hundred-song repertoire, which also features tunes by Justin Timberlake, Pantera, Arvo Pärt, Britney Spears, and many others, to City Winery, headlining a bill with Brooklyn electroacoustic duo Live Footage.