Except for the spotlights highlighting the six musicians onstage, ropes of string lights and neon signs were the only sources of light in The Player’s Pub on Sunday night.
Every eye in the packed room was trained on Bonerama, the trombone-packed funk band from New Orleans.
Friends and fellow trombonists Mark Mullins and Craig Klein started the band in 1998 after performing together in Harry Connick Jr.’s big band for 16 years. Currently, the other members include trombonist Greg Hicks, guitarist Bert Cotton, drummer AJ Hall and sousaphonist Matt Perrine.
“We wanted to put something together that featured the trombone in a different kind of way,” Mullins said. “It became a neat little sound when we put it all together.”
The resulting sound was bright and brass-heavy with an anchor in rock ’n’ roll and filled with glissandos particular to the trombone. The tapping drumbeat and underlying sousaphone rhythm laid out the foundation.
“(The trombone) can cover a really wide range,” Mullins said. “It’s very expressive, like vocals can be. When you put the combination of trombones together, it’s a really unique, powerful and rich sound.”
Band members ranged from Hicks in a tie-dye shirt, with “got bone?” inscribed on the front, to Mullins in a black vest and dress shirt. The casual atmosphere was enhanced by the stage, elevating the band only a foot off of the level of the audience seated at tables.
Mullins took the lead as solo trombone in the first song of the set, but each band member got their share of the spotlight by trading off solo lines.
“We might play some Hendrix, we might play some Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin or some of our own funk originals,” Mullins said. “We’ll do some traditional jazz a little bit. Mostly what we do is based off of New Orleans funk and rock sound.”
The traditional rock-’n’-roll feel, complete with electric guitar riffs, was complemented by a distinctively brass sound that lent the band its jazzy, blues feel.
The audience picked up on the band’s groove right away, and the floor space between the tables and the stage was filled with dancers before the end of the first song.
“What I’ve learned in this band is that you’re missing so much if you don’t communicate with the audience musically,” Mullins said. “Even just eye contact, it’s a great experience once you bring the audience into what you’re doing. When they have a good time and you finish the gig, there’s no better feeling.”
