Have you ever been to New Orleans? Tasted the food, smelled the smells, listened to the music? Don’t bother answering that question. The vibe and sounds of New Orleans ripped thru the Workplay Theatre as Bonerama slid on and around the stage. This six headed monster came and delighted an energetic crowd with saucy selections which took all the listeners to their native streets of New Orleans. Bonerama brought the magic that makes “The Big Easy” such a festive place right to the ears and hearts of everyone in attendance.
Even though some of the members change from time to time, the core of this amazing troupe is lead by trombonists Craig Klein and Mark Mullins. These two brass soldiers worked out some of their chops blasting tunes in Harry Connick’s Big Band. They are usually joined by other veteran members Greg Hicks (trombonist), Eric Bolivar (drums), Bert Cotton (guitar), Joe Ashlar (keyboards) and Nori Naraoka (bass). Bonerama asked special guest Danny Rubio to sit in and hold down the duties of the sousaphone, a unique looking brass instrument that lays down some mean bass notes. This was quite fitting since Nori Naraoka was missing from the bunch and plays bass for Bonerama. Bonerama has been enjoying the fruits of their newest EP “Hard Times” and they performed almost all of the selections from that release during their Workplay showing. Lots of the brass bands that come of New Orleans concentrate on the hymns and dirges that are common to sounds that come out of the region. Bonerama performs the standards, but branch out into a fever of Funk, Soul and Rock N Roll hits that keep the feet of their fans dancing. They play the songs that brass bands thought they weren’t supposed to play and add their own virbrato to the mix. The Bonerama boys incorporate unconventional elements like Wah Wah and other pedal effects to their thunderous trombone rampage. “Turn on Your Love Light” ended the first set strong. “I’m Walkin”, by New Orleans native Fats Domino, was definitely a highlight of the second set. Seriously! When was the last time you heard a brass band rip thru Led Zeppelin tracks like “The Ocean”, all while interpolating Robert Plant’s vocals with perfect instrumentation? “Whippin’ Post” kept the crowd happy and Mark Mullins encored the Bonerama fans with an amazing “Helter Skelter” to close down the show. Workplay served as a homecoming for Birmingham native Bert Cotton, and since this appearance was the last show before heading back to New Orleans, it is evident that it was a culmination of the best moments of the tour. They will be back…
Until then:
War Pigs – Live from New York Sample
Post and Pics by Andi Rice
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