Squirrel Nut Zippers and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Temple Theater...

Once again the Angelina Arts Alliance really out did themselves with a show. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Squirrel Nut Zippers came to town. Do you know how much money and time I've spent driving all over to catch these bands? We won't go into that right now but it's certainty nice that this is the caliber of music that's come to my town. Thanks again Arts Alliance!

I've guess I've seen the Dirty Dozen at least a couple of times and own several cds. They are the group, in operation since the late 1970s that took traditional New Orleans Brass Band music and incorporated bebop jazz, funk with R & B soul and made something totally new. Kirk Joseph, the sousaphone player gets credit as being the first modern sousaphone player, sounding more like an electric bass walking the riffs and using electronic effects such as a wah wah pedal to emphasize the funk. 

Other bands came along later adding Mardi Gras Indian beats and hip hop to the brass band style but the Dirty Dozen were the pioneers and the show was top notch.       

In fact the Dozen were so good it left me sitting and thinking that the SNZ are really going to have to bring it to match this but no need to worry. They had it to bring. 

A Squirrel Nut Zipper is a name for southern moonshine and also a candy bar that dates back the 1890s. Frontman Jimbo Mathus who has been operating he band since the 1990s and early 2000s when the band sold millions of records never has any trouble naming a project drawing on southern mythology to come up with projects like The Knock Down Society, National Antiseptic, The Tri State Coalition amd Beasts of the Sothern Wild. He's one of our favorites and in addition to a couple of SNZ shows we've caught Jimbo on a couple of shows playing great blues, country and Americana music.  

Jimbo reconstituted the band with new members about 2016.     

SNZ combines traditional jazz, gypsy music, swing and delta blues to make a high energy mix that makes you wonder why everyone is not playing these tunes and dancing.    

Jimbo is a national treasure. 

Dr. Sick who sings plays violin, banjo, guitar and uke is another high energy performer that has been a welcome addition to the group. People often ask me what to do in New Orleans. I say if he's not out with SNZ look up Dr. Sick on facebook and go to whatever show he is playing. He's somewhere every night of the week.  

Great music. 

Masks and devil horns. What show is complete till you have wore all these things? 

Of course the bands combined for a couple of tunes. 

Thanks again to the Angelina Arts Alliance for bringing these great bands.