Dirty Bourbon River Show(stoppers)

Courtesy of Dirty Bourbon River Show

Last summer, a New Orleans circus brass band called Dirty Bourbon River Show rolled through town and I had the privilege of interviewing them before catching their jubilant performance. A year later found me discovering their return with only a day or two’s notice yet I had the fortunate circumstance of catching them again. I learned a little while back that the band had taken on the new addition of vocalist Sandra Love so I expected something new being brought to Dirty Bourbon although I wasn’t quite sure what it would be.

Photo by Edie Miller

 

Early into their set, the band kicked it off with their fusillade of brass circus rock to get the crowd movin’. The crowd was larger than I expected, especially for a show I didn’t know was happening until a couple days prior. The venue seemed to feed off the band’s exuberance. Closer to the stage, there was a bit more rambunctiousness from the audience that can only be expected through some heavy inebriation. “2 AM drunk at 9 PM” was one description I heard among the turnout. While there might have been a tad more brash dancing than one would expect for a show that wasn’t exactly punk, at least the house wasn’t lackluster.

"Animal" Important Things Humans Should Know

Partway into their set, Dirty Bourbon River Show went more of a funk direction led by Love before bringing it back around towards their N’Orleans circus level passion with a song off their latest album Important Things Humans Should Know called “Animal.” She also stepped up for a sick rendition of a Nina Simone tune. Throught the night, Matt Thomas rotated between his saxes and clarinet, far more than I recall last time, showing off his amazing talents while soloing like crazy. As well, sousaphone player/bassist Jimmy Williams alternated between his instruments, pressing against the throng for a sousaphone solo. Even drummer Dane Schindler went nuts on a couple solos, at one point, pulling out a long, thin tube that he blew into, altering the tone of his floor tom. While guitarist/accordion player/trumpet player/frontman Noah Adams brought his typical A-game ferocity and party vibes, hyping everyone up, I was shocked to see how long he focused on guitar, albeit, busting out the trumpet a handful of times. An interesting treat for anyone who’s seen them before was that they had a guest on tour with them, trombonist Adam Lessnau, who tore it up, blasting out melodies as well as muting with a rubber plunger. At one point, he and Williams ran offstage to the back of the venue to carry a barricade up by the stage, reminiscent of the last time they came through and brought a ladder onstage for some musical circus antics. Unfortunately, it was never pulled onstage, I’m guessing out of fear of endangering the audience. Instead, they closed out their set with a song that morphed into the ending of their classic song “Wolfman,” when Adams finally busted out his accordion.

"Wolfman" Volume Three

Overall, Dirty Bourbon River Show knows how to rock it and played a fantastic set. It might not have been as long as when they last came out and they might not have gotten as zany but the band certainly gave a mesmerizing performance, pulling out all the stops. Dirty Bourbon River Show proves, time and time again, that they’ll work it for us and leave us walking on air.

~ Garyn Klasek