Voodoo taps the power of sorcery and curses.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy taps the power of swing and verses.
The nine-piece, California-based band will bring its musical buffet of swing, jazz, ragtime and Dixieland to Albany’s Center for the Performing Arts — The Egg — on Wednesday. Show time is 7:30 p.m; tickets are $36.
The band is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The guys started out during the early 1990s and became one of the hotshot groups in the decade’s swing revival.
The voodoo crew, founded by vocalist-guitarist Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren, won fans through horn infused music and high energy shows. During the early days, the guys wore vintage suits during their performances.
“We just wear suits now,” said Sodergren, as he and other Daddies prepared to leave Akron, Ohio Thursday morning for a four-hour drive to Cincinnati and an evening gig.
Voodoo fans of the Capital Region will hear some tunes from “Louie, Louie, Louie,” the band’s 11th album. The recording gave Sodergren and friends three new partners — Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan and Louis Prima.
The idea was to show the evolution of swing, jazz and popular music through the songs and personalities of musicians from another era. It was also a chance for the Voodoo guys to thank musicians they had always appreciated.
“When we first started out we had maybe an hour of original music, but we started getting offers to play weddings and parties right away,” Sodergren said. “We definitely raided the ‘Great American songbook’ and a lot of that was Louis Armstrong, Louie Prima and Louis Jordan. We’re trying to pay homage to the guys who influenced us at the start.”
The core Voodoo members — which also includes Dirk Shumaker on double bass and vocals, Andy Rowley on baritone saxophone and vocals, Glen Marhevka on trumpet, Karl Hunter on saxophones and clarinet and Joshua Levy on piano — has been on every album and played every show. Alex Henderson on trombone and Mitchell Cooper on trumpet are also on the roster.
Sodergren said there’s a reason for the longevity.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “Over the years, as we’ve grown and gotten married, we’ve tried to do our touring a little bit more family friendly. So rather than go out for two months in a van, this one’s about two weeks. It’s a lot easier to get out on the road when you know you’re going to be back sooner. We travel a lot but we stay home a lot, too.”
While the national swing craze has cooled since the 1990s, Sodergren said the band’s audience remains hot for the music.
“Our audience hasn’t slowed down at all,” he said. “We still have a great audience. There might be fewer people dressed up in costumes at the shows — they’d wear all kinds of wacky stuff — so I guess it’s slowed down in that respect.”
The music hasn’t slowed down, either.
“I think almost everyone can claim this music,” Sodergren said. “It’s an American art form, one of our best. I think if it’s done right, it’s super cool and it’s undefinable.
“I’m not going to rag on anybody who doesn’t enjoy that kind of music,” Sodergren added, “but if you don’t enjoy it, you might have a hole in your bucket.”
New Orleans-style music will also be part of the show. During some tours, the band has visited New Orleans; the guys will be back again for a benefit gig at the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint on March 24.
“It’s always a blast,” Sodergren said. “The great thing about it is, once you’re done playing you can go out on the street and see musicians. We saw Allen Toussaint playing with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. You never know who you’re going to see out there.”
Musicians can face pressure in New Orleans, playing before fans who can hear world-class acts every night of the week.
“I know for a fact I feel it,” Sodergren said. “I feel we’ve done it so much, and everybody there really loves the music. Yeah, you’re going to get a few people with their arms crossed, looking at you like, ‘What y’all know about voodoo?’ but we can take it. We’ve been there a lot, had a long road and we’re pretty confident about what we’re doing.”
Other people think they know the band — but will confuse Big Bad Voodoo Daddy with another famous swing outfit, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. If people ask BBVD why they didn’t play “Zoot Suit Riot,” Sodergren said, the guys will say the song belongs to the Cherry crew.
“We’ve had great shows with those guys, they’re cool guys,” Sodergren said. “We’ve played some basketball with them and they spanked us pretty good, but they’re great guys.”
Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 518-395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com.
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