BOONE, NC – New Orleans jazz artist Tuba Skinny and his eight-member band will bring their distinctive style of music to the stage of Appalachian Theatre of the High Country on Thursday, September 15, 2022. The 7:30 p.m. concert is generously sponsored by Lost Province Brewing Company with a subsidized ticket price of $15.
“One of the core values that Lost Province shares with the Appalachian Theatre is an unwavering support for live music,” said Lynne Mason, co-owner of the local brewery with her husband, Andy. “And, of course, we love the renovated App Theatre. These passions come together at the theatre this month. Tuba Skinny has brought the best of traditional jazz and swing music to audiences around the world, and we are pleased to help make his High Country debut possible.”
Right off the streets of “The Big Easy,” Louisiana artist Tuba Skinny has grown steadily in popularity for over a decade, releasing twelve albums and touring all over the world. They’ve attracted a wide variety of fans — young and old, neophytes and niche enthusiasts — with the strength of their musicianship and the scope of their jazz and American roots music catalog.
The band’s instrumentation includes cornet, clarinet, trombone, tuba, tenor banjo, guitar, frottoir, and vocals. The ensemble draws its inspiration from the early jazz, ragtime, and blues music of the 1920s and 1930s. They began as an itinerant busking band, but now have taken to stages at music festivals in Mexico, Sweden, Australia, Italy, France,
Switzerland, and Spain.
After a recent festival appearance, critics wrote, “Musically, Tuba Skinny mines a rich seam of traditional jazz and blues from the ’20s and ’30s. And, while it’s evident the band treasures the sense of history evoked by these vintage tunes, the players’ natural exuberance makes the music feel irresistibly alive.”
Tuba Skinny is best known as world-class interpreters of traditional jazz, but, over the years, the band has branched out into jug band music, spirituals, country blues, string band music, ragtime, and New Orleans R&B. Their approach is a true reflection of Americana, encompassing the full genealogy of popular American music from an early 20th century perspective.
Members of the Tuba Skinny band include: Shaye Cohn on cornet, piano, fiddle, accordion, banjo, and spoons; Barnabus Jones on trombone, banjo, fiddle, guitar, and vocals; Todd Burdick on tuba and sousaphone; Craig Flory on clarinet and saxophone; Gregory Sherman on vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Max Bien-Kahn on resonator, guitar, and banjo; Jason Lawrence on banjo and guitar; Robin Rapuzzi on his Frottoir drum set; and Erika Lewis on bass drum and performing vocals.
Despite a general lack of interest in social media and a limited release of their music online, they’ve amassed an enthusiastic digital following.
After a decade of playing (mostly) other artist’s songs, Tuba Skinny decided to fulfill a long-time dream with the release of “Magnolia Stroll,” their first of 13 albums of all-original tunes. Featuring compositions from bandmates Erika, Shaye, Robin, Barnabus, Craig, and Max, it is their love song to all the musicians, living and dead, who have inspired them, as well as to the neighborhoods of New Orleans that have nurtured them. For tickets and more information on these events, or to join the theatre’s e-blast list and purchase memberships, please visit the ATHC website at www.apptheatre.org.
Courtesy of the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country.
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