Dirty Bourbon River at Oskars

Published on Thursday, June 04 2015 19:02
By Davide McIntyre, Lyons Bluesologist

The Dirty Bourbon River Show deftly melds sounds that range from hard-edged blues, to Lisztian piano driven ballads, to New Orleans brass into a result that is truly a blast of new energy into the musical landscape. Dirty Bourbon grabs hold of audiences, fascinated by their eccentricity and dexterity, coupled with their ability to

harken back to by-gone eras in music. Since forming in early 2009, the Dirty Bourbon River Show has released nine studio albums and played over seven hundred live shows, fast earning them a stellar reputation for their tight, multi-faceted sound, and high-energy performances. They can be found bringing their blend of “New Orleans Big Brass Circus Rock” all over the USA, performing at festivals and respected venues year-round.
The Dirty Bourbon River Show is comprised of Noah Adams (vocals, piano, guitar, accordion, and trumpet), Matt Thomas (vocals, tenor and baritone saxophone, clarinet), Jimmy Williams (bass, sousaphone), Dane “Bootsy” Schindler (drums), and Sandra Love (back-up vocals, percussion, and wind toys). Their albums and live shows (both heavily intertwined) pair exuberant, syncopated lyrics with complex, harmony-rich songwriting and orchestration. They switch instruments mid-show (sometimes even mid-song), they all sing (except the drummer, of course), and they all have a penchant for theatrics (fireballs, group chants and stomps, or whiskey pours; whatever the imagination calls for).

The Dirty Bourbon River Show is currently on a four-month national tour in support of their latest album “Important Things Humans Should Know.” Here is what Craig Havighurst from Nashville’s Music City Roots show had to say after the guys stole their show. “These guys RAVED and charmed with brazen vocals, slippery sweet drumming, and a horn attack like we’ve never seen. They reminded me initially of Holy Ghost Tent Revival by way of the Crescent City. But with even more theatrical power and flair. A rangy dreadlocked Jesus-esque cat in a black suit sported a massive Sousaphone as he laid down the bass lines. The trombone player was in black tails decorated with ribbons and epaulettes. One fellow moved from arch-top guitar to accordion to trumpet as the set progressed. Their “Dirty Bourbon Second Line” and their dark, smoldering “Wolfman” and the sick syncopation of “Ain’t No Place Like New Orleans” earned them a big old encore, and they made great use of it by turning into an all horn quartet that whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Please come back boys. Please come back.”

Dirty Bourbon has set about stirring up a buzz across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Drawing from a rich diversity of musical backgrounds, they began in American roots music and branched out into folk, rock, blues, jazz, Latin, gypsy, circus, and traditional New Orleans styles. By 2010, Dirty Bourbon had released two full-length albums as well as an EP, keeping a steady flow of new material to satisfy the masses as they cross the land. Dirty Bourbon spent the second half of 2011 extending the reach of their show further up the Eastern Seaboard and out into the Rocky Mountains. In 2011, they released their fourth studio album The Old-Timey AfroPop Jibberish Junction.

I have been trying to bring this show to Lyons for many years getting close a couple of times. I had to offer them a Sunday to get them to agree to play for us and this will be a free show (June 7, from 6 to 9 p.m.) but I promise it will be worth your tine and effort to hear this great hot band. See ya there.