Saltee is a Minneapolis trio featuring Jacqueline Ultan (cello), Mike Michel (guitars), and Carnage The Executioner (human beat boxing/voice).
This is crazy! Where’d that sound come from? Guitar? Cello? Beatbox? Sparks fly from this unlikely combination in the trickery that is Saltee. The 3 members of Saltee represent a broad musical pallet that congeals into one unique and modern power trio. Steam driven by Afro- Cuban beats, raw cello, and DJ phonic guitar, Saltee provides the ultimate music soundtrack experience that combines memorable global melodies with unearthly acoustic and electronic sounds.
The trio draws influence from funk, orchestral, hip-hop, rock, pop, blues, afro-cuban, world beat, American roots music, and jazz improvisation. By blending these diverse styles together, deconstructing and reconstructing original tunes, along with a few select covers, Saltee creates a layered and global assortment of deliciously unexpected candy for the ears.
Saltee has been featured at some of the Twin Cities most prominent festivals and venues, including the Big Turn and Square Lake Festivals, Living Green Expo, Art-A-Whirl, IPR College DIY 360 Series, and the Cedar Cultural Center and Walker Art Center Summer Series. The group’s recordings include Live at Shoebox Gallery (2011) and CrossPolyNation (2013).
Jacqueline Ultan is a singularly creative cellist, composer & improvisor who’s unique versatility is reflected in the diversity of her artistic collaborations: urban groove trio Saltee; drum/cello quartet Purple Orange; Persion fusion trio Mirrorlands; pop band The Starfolk; improvising collective iNMiGRATiON; flute/cello duo J2J; world music trio Ottie The Mink; Beatles tribute band The Shabby Road Orchestra; and most recently, full-time cellist for The Laurels String Quartet.
In demand locally and nationally, Ultan has recorded and collaborated extensively with theater, pop, rock and new music artists, including: Ondara, Kill The Vultures, Roma di Luna, The Jayhawks, Chan Poling, Dan Wilson, E. Carlos Nakai, Huun Hur Tu, The Jorgensens, and Kevin Kling. Ultan has received awards and commissions including a McKnight Performing Artist Fellowship; MacPhail Artist & Commissioning Grants; MRAC’s Next Step Grant, and a State Arts Board Arts Tour MN grant.
Ultan co-composed music for and participated in TED Talks conferences in Minneapolis and L.A., and in June 2019 co-wrote a duo cello score for Theater Latte Da’s production of “To Let Go And Fall,” a play by Harrison D. Rivers. In October 2019, Ultan participated in The Jazz In the City Festival in Salzburg, Austria where she collaborated with composer Volker Goetz and dance artist/choreographer Rosy Simas. In January–March of 2020, Ultan toured with the Laurels Trio supporting singer/songwriter Ondara.
Also a dedicated teacher, Ultan is on the faculty of MacPhail’s Center for Music and holds a Masters Degree in Performance from Yale University.
Mike Michel is an MMA award-winning songwriter, modern guitarist, and music educator, who was raised in Cinti, OH, developed his craft in L.A., and now creates out of Minneapolis, MN. After three years of debilitating tinnitus and hyperacusis which almost ended his career, Mike made a huge career comeback in 2017-18 with his acoustic music campaign called “On The Mend.” In 2019, Saltee reunited for The Big Turn Festival and Mike also debuted his new electric trio “Mike Michel & The Orange Goodness” which is an inspirational, guitar friendly, groove-heavy pop-rock group.
Mike has had the honor of collaborating with Minnesota artists like Saltee, Haley, Dave King, Iffy, The Unknown Prophets, DJ Woody McBride and a slew of talented and progressive Minnesota artists. Mike also co-led some of Minnesota’s premiere art rock bands, like The Bill Mike Band. The Rock And Roll Therapy Room in Minneapolis is Mike’s music education hub where he creates & hosts music mentorship programs for teens & adult musicians. Mike was a MacPhail Artists grant Recipient in 2016. Outside of the music world, Mike spends his time as an earth advocate and a fan of improv comedy.
Carnage the Executioner has spent over 25 years making music, touring the world, and working with both youth and adults from various socio-economic backgrounds. With 10+ years of teaching human beat boxing/vocal percussion, songwriting, and composing short stage plays, Carnage has built an impressive artist résumé that extends all the way to Europe (5 tours between 2011 & 2013) and Asia (2018).
Carnage stands firm in his support and practice of positive self- expression and nurturing leadership skills while speaking in favor of social justice and encouraging personal and artistic growth through education and music. Carnage emits heart- warming, down-to-earth energy when speaking on his experiences around living in poverty and surviving physical, emotional and sexual abuse — and growing up in the foster care system as a youth.
A dedicated educator at both the MacPhail Center for Music and SteppingStone Theatre, Carnage offers private and group beat boxing lessons in community and school settings, covering the fundamentals of beat boxing, adding in components of basic rhyme/rap-writing structure.
City Pages ranked Carnage #8 in the top 20 best rappers from MN and did a feature article on him with a front page spread, referring to him as “The Best Rapper (& Beat Boxer) You Have Never Heard Of.” Carnage’s Worth The Wait album was listed as “One Of The Best Albums Of 2011” in the StarTribune, where they also made the claim that Carnage’s “mouth might be the best drummer in town.” His “The Carnology Vol. 0.5 EP” was nominated as “One Of The Top 10 Albums That Matter In The Past 2 Years” (StarTribune, 2004). Along with his community involvement, Carnage books his own national tours, playing close to 200 live shows a year, and is a devoted father.