By Patrick Connolly

The Devil Music Ensemble scored the classic martial arts film “Red Heroine” as part of ArtsUnion in Union Square Sunday night.

At 8 p.m., about 150 people sat in front of the Independent bar, watching the three-piece play traditional Chinese folk music, while the film projected on a 20-by-30 screen.

“Red Heroine,” the story of a kidnapping, includes a flying ninja girl, a bearded man on a donkey, poor dental hygiene and more concubines than you can count.

‚ÄúIt’s a silent film from 1929, from China,‚Äù musician Jonah Rapino said. ‚ÄúIt’s the only martial arts film from that era that still survives in it’s entirety today.‚Äù

The Devil Music Ensemble, based in Jamaica Plain, includes multi-instrumentalist Jonah Rapino, percussionist Tim Nylander and guitarist Brendon Wood. The band’s name is an interesting choice.

‚ÄúThe name comes from a George Crumb piece, who was a composer in the 60s, but it also comes from Brendan’s grandma telling him, ‘turn down that devil music,’‚Äù Nylander said.

The group mixed traditional Chinese instruments with guitars, violins, keyboards and percussion.

‚ÄúThere’s an erhu, a two-stringed violin, that Jonah plays,‚Äù said Nylander, a Somerville resident. ‚ÄúThat’s the most traditional outside of the gongs. There’s the big orchestra gong and the opera gong, which goes down in pitch. Then various Chinese cymbals and tuned bells.‚Äù

In it’s fourth year, ArtsUnion, a project of the Somerville Arts Council, sponsored the event.

‚ÄúIt’s programming trying to stimulate the local economy. So, we’re trying to bring new people, new audiences to Union Square and hopefully they’ll come back,‚Äù said Rachel Strutt, program manager of Somerville Arts Council. ‚ÄúHopefully they’ll buy stuff at the market and go eat at a restaurant after.‚Äù

   
Strutt thinks people are very excited and receptive to ArtsUnion, which receives equal funding from Massachusetts Arts Council and the city.

‚ÄúA couple things Union Square has going for it are it’s very culturally diverse and there’s a vibrant arts community,‚Äù said Strutt. ‚ÄúWe’re trying build upon that and help cultivate that even more.‚Äù