JESSE NEUMAN____________________trumpet+cornet+live electronics
THE BARBARIANS: funky soul-jazz ("we SO hot tonight")
The Barbarians now operate out of Brooklyn with one simple goal, according to Boston-born saxophonist Tony Barba: “People [in NYC] can be pretty reserved. We always encourage people to get up and have a good time...and drink a lot of beer.” As [bassist Rob] Jost mentioned, their lack of a show-stopping frontman might pose a problem, if only the members of the band weren’t blessed with such soul, talent, and infectious stage presence. They certainly gave the fuck-all to cabaret laws during the band’s November performance at Star Foods, gleefully crowd-surfing while The Barbs hotwired a ’62 Vette and spun donuts with diesel-powered beats and burnt-rubber saxophone smoke. The band was surprised to get such a reaction, but it’s not so surprising considering their sound encapsulates a fine mixture of influences into one giant rhythmic aphrodisiac: Jost, formerly of Boston’s Skavoovie and the Epitones, adds a bit of ska and reggae foot-shuffling to the mix; Tony Barba (is there a cooler name for a saxophone player?) draws inspiration from ‘60’s soul and 21st century hip-hop and dubstep. “We love you,” Barba often tells the audience in between songs, “but we’d love you even more if you’d get off your asses and dance!”
