Tuba Skinny have a sound and energy which is, strangely, both relaxing and invigorating at the same time. Made up of the expected tuba (Todd Burdick), a trombone (Barnabus Jones), trumpet (Shaye Cohn), guitar (Kiowa Wells), vocals (Wells and Erika Lewis) and washboard (Robin Rapuzzi), this group of young performers create music reminiscent of the speakeasies and jazz clubs of 1920s America. Hailing from New Orleans, they are fresh faced but old souled, injecting heart into the music they play. While they are accomplished musicians, it’s hard to believe they’ve been playing together for five years (two as Tuba Skinny) with their collective age surely not much more than 100.
If you can manage to draw a crowd, the advantage of doing a late night show is that the audience is likely to be made up of the more enthusiastic of show goers. This was the case for this particular performance, with appreciative applause thundering through the banquet room following each number and also mid-song after some of the more impressive solos – particularly Rapussi’s enthusiastic turns on the washboard.
While a space had been provided for dancing, only a few were brave enough to get up and strut their stuff. Props to those who did, as this music was made to be danced to. There are however certain drawbacks to having a dance floor at such a gig in such a venue. Firstly, when it’s empty, it’s the awkward, vast, elephant in the room. On the flip side, when it’s full, the dancers somewhat block the view of the remaining audience due to the low stage. This problem was compounded by the necessity for two-thirds of the band to be seated. Ultimately though, the music was so enjoyable that although it was disappointing to miss out on the visuals at times, the aural pleasure was enough to leave their audience satisfied.
Kryztoff rating: 4.5K
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