The Lowdown Brass Band is a collective of horn players from DePaul that consists of Steve Duncan, Lance Loiselle, Chris Neal, David Levine, Shane Jonas, Raphael Crawford, Andrew Zelm and Adam Sorenson. Many listeners have made comparisons to the Budos Band, NOMO or even the Chicago Afrobeat Project are clearly there, but what really makes the band unique is its ability to develop and accentuate each player's voice. Centerstage caught up with these self-proclaimed "horn nerds" to talk about Lowdown's origins and its future.
Where are you guys from and how did you link up to form the Lowdown Brass Band?
We're local boys who basically got together while enrolled in the DePaul School of Music. We found ourselves hanging out and playing music together on a casual basis pretty often. It was only natural that we formed Lowdown, when seven-plus horn nerds were spending that much time together.
As a group, what are some of your influences?
Typically, the band comes from a strong jazz and improvisational background, but virtually everyone in the group has three or four other projects of varying styles, allowing us to branch out and try new forms. Our influences include New Orleans second-line street grooves, Afro-Cuban styles, modern funk, hip-hop and Hall and Oates.
Where did you guys first perform as LBB and what was it like for you?
Our first performance was back in 2003 at the Beat Kitchen, opening up for Family Style at their CD release party. It was a nerve-wracking experience with 10 guys on stage, but we somehow rallied and had a good show.
Has the local music scene contributed to your style in any way?
We've tried to set ourselves apart from the local scene in order to carve a little niche for the band. There are, however, some really good brass bands and marching bands in the city like Mucca Pazza, BS Brass Band, and Revolutionary Snake Ensemble. Overall, it helps bring the whole genre to the forefront, despite the style differences.
Bringing this genre to the forefront, from an outsider's perspective, can seem like a nostalgic thing to do. How has the new wave of funk bands rekindled the interest in the genre?
I think that there's been a resurgence of people who have a reverence for "traditional" musical styles, while trying to meld them with modern sensibilities and technology. The digital revolution of the music business has really opened up the game and has fostered new forms of the old styles.
There are other bands out there looking to capitalize off the funk revival, what is it that separates you from others?
We pride ourselves on our original compositions and the fine line we tread between progressive musicality and raucous party band.
Chicago is absolutely rife with jazz and soul musicians. Have you connected with any of them?
We've recently done a little work with former Sonia Dada frontman Paris Delane, on his upcoming album. Beyond that, we've got a good crop of "young lions" from the Chicago jazz scene that keeps our sound moving forward. We would love to collaborate more if the situation presented itself.
I see that you have a song called "Jell-O Pudding." Maybe you can link up with Bill Cosby like Quincy Jones did. What was the premise behind making this song?
Basically, Jell-O Pudding came about when we were recording our album. There was a period of about 15 minutes where we just rolled tape to see what we could come up with. I think it started with a tuba groove that was just layered with bones, trumpets and saxes. We edited it down to about 45 seconds after the fact. After listening to what we had, it just sounded like a groove that "Coz" would do his little sweater-shuffle dance to. And consequently, Jell-O Pudding was born.
What are you working on right now?
Right now, we're getting our song list together for a new recording. We've got about 12 original compositions that are ready to go into the can. Beyond that, we have a monthly gig at Quenchers on the second Wednesday of every month. That keeps us "in shape" and lets us stretch out more than we would in a 45-minute, hit-it-and-quit-it club set.
Ultimately what kind of impact are you looking to leave with your music?
We want people to let go of themselves a little bit and not take themselves so seriously. The Lowdown Brass Band lends itself to an irreverence which we think is in short supply these days. We also want to challenge the listener, and any preconceived notion of what they think a brass band should be.
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